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Hands cling to hands and eyes linger on eyes: thus begins the record of our hearts. It is the moonlit night of March; the sweet smell of henna is in the air; my flute lies on the earth neglected and your garland of flowers in unfinished. This love between you and me is simple as a song. Your veil of the saffron colour makes my eyes drunk. The jasmine wreath that you wove me thrills to my heart like praise. It is a game of giving and withholding, revealing and screening again; some smiles and some little shyness, and some sweet useless struggles. This love between you and me is simple as a song. No mystery beyond the present; no striving for the impossible; no shadow behind the charm; no groping in the depth of the dark. This love between you and me is simple as a song. We do not stray out of all words into the ever silent; we do not raise our hands to the void for things beyond hope. It is enough what we give and we get. We have not crushed the joy to the utmost to wring from it the wine of pain. This love between you and me is simple as a song.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in The Gardener, no. 16, first published 1913 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) [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 Raymond Hanson (1913 - 1976), "Simple as a song", op. 36 (1956) [ 3 sopranos and organ ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950) , no title, appears in Rabindranath Tagore. Der Gärtner, no. 16 ; composed by Hermann Reiter.
- Also set in Portuguese (Português), a translation by Plácido Barbosa [an adaptation] ; composed by Alberto Nepomuceno.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov.
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , excerpt [an adaptation] ; composed by Erkki Gustaf Melartin.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Simple comme une chanson", written 1911, copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Schlicht wie ein Lied", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-01-17
Line count: 27
Word count: 210
Les mains s'accrochent aux mains, les yeux s'attardent sur les yeux : ainsi commence l'histoire de nos cœurs. C'est la nuit éclairée par la lune de Mars ; le doux parfum du henné est dans l'air ; ma flûte gît négligée par terre et ta guirlande de fleurs est inachevée. Cet amour entre toi et moi est simple comme une chanson. Ton voile couleur de safran enivre mes yeux. La couronne de jasmin que tu m'as tressée me fait frissonner jusqu'au cœur comme un éloge. C'est un jeu de donner et de retenir, révélant et cachant à nouveau. des sourires et un peu de timidité, et quelques douces luttes inutiles. Cet amour entre toi et moi est simple comme une chanson. Pas de mystère au-delà du présent ; aucune lutte pour l'impossible ; aucune ombre derrière le charme ; Pas de tâtonnement dans la profondeur de l'obscurité ; Cet amour entre toi et moi est simple comme une chanson. Nous ne nous égarons pas hors de tous les mots dans le silence à jamais ; nous n'élevons pas nos mains dans le vide pour des choses au-delà de l'espoir. Ce que nous donnons et recevons suffit. Nous n'avons pas écrasé la joie du suprême pour en extraire le vin de la douleur. Cet amour entre toi et moi est simple comme une chanson.
Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Guy Laffaille, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in The Gardener, no. 16, first published 1913
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2014-11-29
Line count: 27
Word count: 223