He it is, the innermost one, who awakens my being with his deep hidden touches. He it is who puts his enchantment upon these eyes and joyfully plays on the chords of my heart in varied cadence of pleasure and pain. He it is who weaves the web of this maya in evanescent hues of gold and silver, blue and green, and lets peep out through the folds his feet, at whose touch I forget myself. Days come and ages pass, and it is ever he who moves my heart in many a name, in many a guise, in many a rapture of joy and of sorrow.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 72, 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. 72 [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 Arthur Shepherd (1880 - 1958), "He it is", 1927 [ high voice and string quartet ], from Triptych, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951) , no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 72 ; composed by Henriette Puig-Roget.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ján Móry.
- 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):
- 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: 13
Word count: 107
C’est lui ce très intime qui éveille mon être à son profond toucher mystérieux. C’est lui qui pose son enchantement sur mes yeux et qui, plein de gaîté, joue sur la harpe de mon cœur les changeantes cadences de la plaisance et du chagrin. C’est lui qui tisse cette maya en teintes évanescentes d’or et d’argent, de bleu, de vert, et laisse apercevoir à travers les plis du tissu son pied au toucher duquel je défaille. Viennent les jours, passent les âges, c’est lui toujours qui mon cœur émeut à maint nom et à mainte guise, à maint transport de joie et de chagrin.
H. Puig-Roget sets stanzas 1-3
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. 72 [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. 72, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 72 [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), "Lui", stanzas 1-3 [ voice and piano ], from Douze mélodies sur des poèmes de l'Offrande lyrique de Tagore, no. 11 [sung text checked 1 time]
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: 13
Word count: 104