Have you not heard his silent steps? | Have you not heard his silent steps?

by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)

Translation by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)

Have you not heard his silent steps?

Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)

Our translations: GER

Have you not heard his silent steps? 
He comes, comes, ever comes.

Every moment and every age, 
every day and every night
he comes, comes, ever comes.

Many a song have I sung 
in many a mood of mind, 
but all their notes have always proclaimed, 
`He comes, comes, ever comes.'

In the fragrant days of sunny April 
through the forest path 
he comes, comes, ever comes.

In the rainy gloom of July nights 
on the thundering chariot of clouds 
he comes, comes, ever comes.

In sorrow after sorrow 
it is his steps that press upon my heart, 
and it is the golden touch of his feet 
that makes my joy to shine.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 45, 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. 45 [text unavailable]
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Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Ernst Toch (1887 - 1964), "Have you not heard his silent steps?", op. 67 no. 5 (1945), published 1953, rev. 1953 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from The Inner Circle - six choruses a cappella, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Frederik van Eeden (1860 - 1932) ; composed by Aleidus Coenen.
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Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , no title ; composed by Claus Ogermann.
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Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Franco Alfano.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2005-01-17
Line count: 19
Word count: 113