by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951)
Early in the day it was whispered
Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)
Early in the day it was whispered that we should sail in a boat, only thou and I, and never a soul in the world would know of this our pilgrimage to no country and to no end. In that shoreless ocean, at thy silently listening smile my songs would swell in melodies, free as waves, free from all bondage of words. Is the time not come yet? Are there works still to do? Lo, the evening has come down upon the shore and in the fading light the seabirds come flying to their nests. Who knows when the chains will be off, and the boat, like the last glimmer of sunset, vanish into the night?
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 42, 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), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 42 [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 Walter Arlen (1920 - 2023), "Early in the day" [ soprano and piano ], from Tellings of Beads: Five Last Songs, no. 2, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Comolata Banerji (189? - 19??), "Early in the day", 1926 [ voice and piano ], from Song Offerings, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Iain Bell (b. 1980), "Sail Away", first performed 2017 [ soprano and piano ], from Away, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by David Leisner (b. 1958), "The Boat", 1991 [ soprano and guitar ], from Heaven's River, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Landon Ronald, Sir (1873 - 1938), "Early in the day it was whispered", 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from Four Song Offerings - 2nd series, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951) , no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 42, first published 1914 ; composed by Louis Durey, Henriette Puig-Roget.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-03
Line count: 17
Word count: 116
Au petit matin un bruissement a dit
Language: French (Français) after the English
Au petit matin un bruissement a dit que nous allions nous embarquer, toi seulement et moi, et qu’aucune âme au monde jamais ne saurait rien de notre pèlerinage sans fin ni but. Sur cet océan sans rivages, à ton muet sourire attentif, mes chants s’enfleraient en mélodies, libres comme les vagues, libres de l’entrave des paroles. N’est-il pas temps encore ? Que reste-t-il à faire ici ? Vois, le soir est descendu sur la plage et dans la défaillante lumière l’oiseau de mer revole vers son nid. N’est-il pas temps de lever l’ancre ? Que notre barque avec la dernière lueur du couchant s’évanouisse enfin dans la nuit.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rabîndranâth Tagore. L’Offrande lyrique (Gitanjali). Traduction d'André Gide, Paris, Éditions de la Nouvelle revue française, 1917, page 95.
Text Authorship:
- by André Gide (1869 - 1951), no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 42, 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. 42, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 42 [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 Louis Durey (1888 - 1979), "Au petit matin", op. 14 no. 2 (1914) [ voice and piano ], from L'offrande lyrique, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henriette Puig-Roget (1910 - 1992), "Évasion" [ voice and piano ], from Douze mélodies sur des poèmes de l'Offrande lyrique de Tagore, no. 12 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-01-13
Line count: 17
Word count: 105