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I am restless. I am athirst for far-away things. My soul goes out in a longing to touch the skirt of the dim distance. O Great Beyond, O the keen call of thy flute! I forget, I ever forget, that I have no wings to fly, that I am bound in this spot evermore. I am eager and wakeful, I am a stranger in a strange land. Thy breath comes to me whispering an impossible hope. Thy tongue is known to my heart as its very own. O Far-to-seek, O the keen call of thy flute! I forget, I ever forget, that I know not the way, that I have not the winged horse. I am listless, I am a wanderer in my heart. In the sunny haze of the languid hours, what vast vision of thine takes shape in the blue of the sky! O Farthest end, O the keen call of thy flute! I forget, I ever forget, that the gates are shut everywhere in the house where I dwell alone!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in The Gardener, no. 5, 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), "I am restless", op. 39 no. 1 (1959/60) [ tenor and piano ], from Seven songs from The Gardener , no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950) , appears in Rabindranath Tagore. Der Gärtner, no. 5, first published 1916 ; composed by Ján Móry, Alexander Zemlinsky.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Je suis inquiet", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Rastlos bin ich", copyright © 2015, (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: 26
Word count: 173
Je suis inquiet. je suis assoiffé de choses lointaines. Mon âme erre dans le désir de toucher les basques du lointain vague. Ô Grand Au-delà, ô appel poignant de ta flûte ! J'oublie, j'oublie toujours, que je n'ai pas d'ailes pour voler, que je suis lié à cet endroit pour toujours. Je suis impatient et éveillé, je suis un étranger dans un pays étranger. Ton souffle vient jusqu'à moi murmurant un impossible espoir. Ta langue est connue de mon cœur comme la sienne. Ô But lointain, ô appel poignant de ta flûte ! J'oublie, j'oublie toujours, que je connais pas le chemin, que je n'ai pas de cheval ailé. Je suis inquiet, je suis un voyageur dans mon cœur. Dans la brume ensoleillée des heures languissantes, quelle vaste vision de toi prend forme dans le bleu du ciel ! Ô extrémité la plus éloignée, ô appel poignant de ta flûte ! J'oublie, j'oublie toujours, que les portes sont fermées partout dans la maison où je demeure solitaire.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2016 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. 5, first published 1913
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2016-01-13
Line count: 26
Word count: 163