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Deity of the ruined temple! The broken strings of Vina sing no more your praise. The bells in the evening proclaim not your time of worship. The air is still and silent about you. In your desolate dwelling comes the vagrant spring breeze. It brings the tidings of flowers -- the flowers that for your worship are offered no more. Your worshipper of old wanders ever longing for favour still refused. In the eventide, when fires and shadows mingle with the gloom of dust, he wearily comes back to the ruined temple with hunger in his heart. Many a festival day comes to you in silence, deity of the ruined temple. Many a night of worship goes away with lamp unlit. Many new images are built by masters of cunning art and carried to the holy stream of oblivion when their time is come. Only the deity of the ruined temple remains unworshipped in deathless neglect.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 88, 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), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 88 [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 Albert Biales (1929 - 2012), "Deity of the ruined temple", 1982, first performed 1982 [ soprano and orchestra or piano ], from When the Creation Was New, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Marie Luise Gothein (1863 - 1931) , first published 1914 ; composed by Ján Móry, Stefan Wolpe.
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: 2009-11-13
Line count: 26
Word count: 155
Du Gottheit des zerstörten Tempels! Nicht länger preist die Laute dich, denn ihre Saiten sind gesprungen. Des Abends rufen Glocken uns nicht mehr zu deinem Dienst. Um dich ruht still die Luft und schweigt. In dein verlass’nes Haus ziehn ein des Lenzes laue Lüfte. Sie bringen Kunde dir von Blumen - Blüten, die dir nicht länger dargebracht. Der einstmals dich verehrt’, er schweift umher, sehnt immer noch nach deiner Gnade sich, die weiterhin ihm nicht gewährt. Zur Abendzeit, wenn Feuer sich und Schatten vermischen mit dem düstern Staub, kommt müde er zurück zu dem zerstörten Schrein hungrigen Herzens. Manch Festtag kommt zu dir im Schweigen, du Gottheit des zerstörten Tempels. Manch eine Nacht der Andacht weicht und keine Lampe brennt. Gewandte Meisterhände schaffen neue Bilder, die man zum heil’gen Strome des Vergessens trägt, wenn ihre Zeit gekommen. Allein die Gottheit des zerstörten Tempels bleibt unverehrt, auf ewig unbeachtet.
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
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 88, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 88 [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2014-07-11
Line count: 26
Word count: 147