The sleep that flits on baby's eyes - does anybody know from where it comes? Yes, there is a rumour that it has its dwelling where, in the fairy village among shadows of the forest dimly lit with glow-worms, there hang two timid buds of enchantment. From there it comes to kiss baby's eyes. The smile that flickers on baby's lips when he sleeps - does anybody know where it was born? Yes, there is a rumour that a young pale beam of a crescent moon touched the edge of a vanishing autumn cloud, and there the smile was first born in the dream of a dew-washed morning - the smile that flickers on baby's lips when he sleeps. The sweet, soft freshness that blooms on baby's limbs - does anybody know where it was hidden so long? Yes, when the mother was a young girl it lay pervading her heart in tender and silent mystery of love - the sweet, soft freshness that has bloomed on baby's limbs.
J. Carpenter sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 61, 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. 61 [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 John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "The sleep that flits on baby's eyes", alternate title: "The sleep that flits on baby's eyes", published 1914, stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], from Gitanjali (Song Offerings), no. 3, New York, G. Schirmer [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Fitz Rogers (b. 1963), "The sleep that flits on baby's eyes", 2008 [ soprano and piano ], from Songs of Time and Tide, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas Wegren , "Infant's secret", 1994 [ tenor, piano, and cassette tape ], from Songs of Gitanjali, no. 8, note: this is a placeholder until it can be determined which text was employed for this setting [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Marie Luise Gothein (1863 - 1931) ; composed by Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse, Johann Móry.
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 between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 169
Der Schlaf, der auf Kindesauge ruht - weiß jemand, woher er kommt? Es geht ein Gerücht, er hat seine Wohnung in Feeendorf, wo im Waldesschatten, den schwach Glühwürmchen erhellen, zwei zarte Zauberknospen hängen. Dort kommt er her, des Kindes Aug zu küssen. Das Lächeln, das über Kindesmund huscht im Schlaf - weiß jemand, wo er geboren ist? Es geht ein Gerücht, dass ein junger Strahl des wachsenden Monds den Rand einer vergehenden Wolke im Herbst traf - dort wird das Lächeln geboren im Traum eines taufeuchten Morgens, das Lächeln, das über Kindesmund huscht im Schlaf. Die süße Frische, die Kindesglieder sanft umblüht, weiß jemand, wo sie so lang sich barg? Ja, als die Mutter noch Braut war, da drang ihr, durchs Herz in zartem stillen Geheimnis der Liebe - die süße Frische, die Kindesglieder sanft umblüht.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Marie Luise Gothein (1863 - 1931) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 61, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 61 [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 Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse (1881 - 1944), "Der Schlaf, der auf Kindes Auge ruht", 1915 [ soprano and instrumental ensemble ], from Drei Gesänge aus Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ján Móry (1892 - 1978), "Der Schlaf, der auf Kinderaugen ruht", op. 12 no. 14 [ voice and piano ], from Tagore-Album, no. 14 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-01-29
Line count: 19
Word count: 136