Tagore Songs

Song Cycle by Ralph D'Mello (b. 195?)

Word count: 123

German (Deutsch) translation: Tagore Lieder

1. Gitanjali [sung text not yet checked]

I am here to sing thee songs.
In this hall of thine I have a corner seat.

In thy world I have no work to do;
My useless life can only break out 
in tunes without a purpose.

When the hour strikes for thy silent worship
at the dark temple of midnight,
command me, my master, to stand before thee to sing.

When in the morning air,
the golden harp is tuned,
honour me, commanding my presence.

Authorship

by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 15, 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. 15 [text unavailable]

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Je suis ici pour chanter des chants", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

2. Fireflies

Note: this is a multi-text setting

Memory, the priestess,
kills the present
and offers its heart to the shrine of the dead past.

Authorship

by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Fireflies, no. 16 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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]

The soil in return for her service
keeps the tree tied to her,
the sky asks nothing and leaves it free.

Authorship

by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Fireflies, no. 28 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

3. The gardener [sung text not yet checked]

Then finish the last song 
and let us leave.
Forget this night when the night is no more.
Whom do I try to clasp in my arms?  
Dreams can never be made captive.
My eager hands press emptiness 
to my heart and it bruises my breast.

Authorship

by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in The Gardener, no. 51, first published 1915 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on

a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) [text unavailable]

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]