by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951)
O thou the last fulfilment of life
Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)
Our translations: GER
O thou the last fulfilment of life, Death, my death, come and whisper to me! Day after day I have kept watch for thee; for thee have I borne the joys and pangs of life. All that I am, that I have, that I hope and all my love have ever flowed towards thee in depth of secrecy. One final glance from thine eyes and my life will be ever thine own. The flowers have been woven and the garland is ready for the bridegroom. After the wedding the bride shall leave her home and meet her lord alone in the solitude of night.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 91, 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. 91 [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 Josef Alexander (1907 - 1992), "O thou", 1973 [ soprano, harpsichord, and percussion ], from Gitanjali, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jonathan Harvey (1939 - 2012), "Fourth song", 1985 [ soprano and chamber ensemble ], from Song Offerings, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947), "Death, my death, come and whisper to me", 1999 [ SATB chorus and string quartet ], from The Golden Harp, no. 6b [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Johannes Teunis Schaddelee.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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- Also set in French (Français), a translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951) , no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 91, first published 1914 ; composed by Alfredo Casella, Marcel Landowski.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Marie Luise Gothein (1863 - 1931) , first published 1914 ; composed by 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: 2008-07-04
Line count: 14
Word count: 104
Ô toi, suprême accomplissement de la vie
Language: French (Français) after the English
Ô toi, suprême accomplissement de la vie, Mort, ô ma mort, accours et parle-moi tout bas ! Jour après jour j'ai veillé pour t'attendre ; pour toi j'ai supporté les joies et les angoisses de la vie. Tout ce que je suis, tout ce que j'ai, et mon espoir et mon amour, tout a toujours coulé vers toi dans le mystére. Un dernier éclair de tes yeaux et ma vie sera tienne à jamais. On a tressé les fleurs et la couronne est prête pour l'époux. Après les épousailles l'épouseée quittera sa demeure et, seule, ira dans la nuit solitaire, à la rencontre de son Seigneur.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rabîndranâth Tagore. L’Offrande lyrique (Gitanjali). Traduction d'André Gide, Paris, Éditions de la Nouvelle revue française, 1917, pages 162-163.
Text Authorship:
- by André Gide (1869 - 1951), no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 91, first published 1914 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 91, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 91 [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 Alfredo Casella (1883 - 1947), no title, op. 26 no. 1 (1915), published 1921, from L'adieu à la vie: Quatre lyriques funèbres extraites du "Gitanjali" de Rabindranath Tagore, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marcel Landowski (1915 - 1999), "J'ai veillé pour t'attendre", 1946, published 1948 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Trois Révérences à la Mort, no. 2, Éd. Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-04
Line count: 14
Word count: 104