That I want thee, only thee - let my heart repeat without end. All desires that distract me, day and night, are false and empty to the core. As the night keeps hidden in its gloom the petition for light, even thus in the depth of my unconsciousness rings the cry - 'I want thee, only thee'. As the storm still seeks its end in peace when it strikes against peace with all its might, even thus my rebellion strikes against thy love and still its cry is - 'I want thee, only thee'.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 38, first published 1912 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 38 [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jerold Ordansky (b. 1947), "#38 from Gitanjali", 1980 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Settings of Rabindranath Tagore, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Landon Ronald, Sir (1873 - 1938), "That I want thee, only thee", 1913 [ voice and piano ], from Four Song Offerings - 1st series, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Jan Pouwels.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951) , no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 38 ; composed by Henriette Puig-Roget.
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Luigi Gorgni.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-03
Line count: 11
Word count: 91
C’est toi que je veux ! toi seul ! — que mon cœur le répète sans cesse ! Tous les désirs, qui me distraient jour et nuit, sont faux et vides jusqu’au cœur. Comme la nuit garde cachée dans son ombre l’exigence de la lumière, ainsi de même dans le fond de mon inconscience retentit le cri : — C’est toi que je veux, toi seul ! Comme la tempête encore aspire à sa fin dans la paix, lorsqu’elle bondit contre la paix de toute sa force, ainsi de même ma rébellion bondit contre ton amour et s’écrie : — C’est toi que je veux, toi seul !
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rabîndranâth Tagore. L’Offrande lyrique (Gitanjali). Traduction d'Andre Gide, 7th edition, Éditions de la nouvelle revue française, 1917.
Text Authorship:
- by André Gide (1869 - 1951), no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 38 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 38, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 38 [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Henriette Puig-Roget (1910 - 1992), "Toi seul" [ voice and piano ], from Douze mélodies sur des poèmes de l'Offrande lyrique de Tagore, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-03-30
Line count: 11
Word count: 101