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When thou commandest me to sing it seems that my heart would break with pride; and I look to thy face, and tears come to my eyes. All that is harsh and dissonant in my life melts into one sweet harmony - and my adoration spreads wings like a glad bird on its flight across the sea. I know thou takest pleasure in my singing. I know that only as a singer I come before thy presence. I touch by the edge of the far-spreading wing of my song thy feet which I could never aspire to reach. Drunk with the joy of singing I forget myself and call thee friend who art my lord.
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Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 2, 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. 2 [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 Philip Frederick Wright James (1890 - 1975), "When thou commandest me to sing", 1921?, from Four Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Pieters (b. 1957), "When thou commandest me to sing", 200?, from Gitanjali, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Murray Schafer (b. 1933), "Gitanjali no. 2", 1962 [ soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, and women's chorus ], from Four Songs on Texts by Tagore, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Murray Schafer (b. 1933), "When thou commandest me to sing", 1991 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Gitanjali, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Naresh Sohal (b. 1939), "When thou commandest me to sing", 1985 [ baritone and orchestra ], from From Gitanjali, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rick Sowash (b. 1950), "When thou commandest me to sing", 1976 [ soprano and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Frederik van Eeden (1860 - 1932) , no title ; composed by Aleidus Coenen, Albert De Klerk.
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Jan Pouwels.
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- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson.
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- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Dino Menichetti.
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- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Sergey Nikiforovich Vasilenko.
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- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Andrea Butenschön (1866 - 1948) , first published 1915 ; composed by Edvin Kallstenius.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist)
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Quand tu m'ordonnes de chanter", copyright © 2013, (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: 15
Word count: 114
Gebietest du zu singen mir, scheint mir das Herz vor Stolz zu bersten; ich schaue dich und Tränen steigen in die Augen mir. Und jede Rauheit, jeder Missklang meines Seins löst auf sich in vollkommner Harmonie - und meine grenzenlose Liebe breitet ihre Schwingen wie ein Vogel, der glücklich, unbeschwert fliegt übers Meer. Ich weiß, dass du dich meines Sangs erfreust. Ich weiß, dass singend nur ich vor dich treten darf. Und mein beflügelt Lied reicht weit, rührt bis an deinen Fuß, den zu erreichen, ich wohl nie erstreben konnte. In meinem freudetrunknen Sange nenne ich, ganz selbstvergessen, Freund dich, der du bist mein Herr.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2014 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann.  Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
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Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 2, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 2 [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2014-03-31
Line count: 15
Word count: 104