by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951)
Death, thy servant, is at my door
Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)
Our translations: GER
Death, thy servant, is at my door. He has crossed the unknown sea and brought thy call to my home. The night is dark and my heart is fearful -- yet I will take up the lamp, open my gates and bow to him my welcome. It is thy messenger who stands at my door. I will worship him with folded hands, and with tears. I worship him placing at his feet the treasure of my heart. He will go back with his errand done, leaving a dark shadow on my morning; and in my desolate home only my forlorn self will remain as my last offering to thee.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 86, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 86 [text unavailable]
Go to the general single-text view
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Thomas F. Schubert) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [an adaptation]
- 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: 2008-07-04
Line count: 13
Word count: 108
Language: French (Français) after the English
Mort, ta servante, est à ma porte. Elle a franchi la mer inconnue ; elle m'apporte ton appel. Le nuit est sombre et mon cœur est pereux -- pourtant je saisirai la lampe ; j'ouvrirai les vantaux et j'inclinerai mon accueil. Car c'est ta messagère qui se tient devant ma porte. Mains jointes, je l'honorerai de mes larmes. Je répandrai le trésor de mon cœur à ses pieds. Et elle s'en retournera, son message accompli, laissant sur mon matin son ombre sombre ; et dans la maison désolée rien ne restera plus, mon Seigneur, que moi-même à t'offrir en suprême don.
Composition:
- Set to music by Alfredo Casella (1883 - 1947), no title, op. 26 no. 2 (1915), published 1921, from L'adieu à la vie: Quatre lyriques funèbres extraites du "Gitanjali" de Rabindranath Tagore, no. 2
Text Authorship:
- by André Gide (1869 - 1951), no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 86
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 86, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 86 [text unavailable]
Go to the general single-text view
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-04
Line count: 13
Word count: 97