by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950), as Hans Effenberger
Tell me if this be all true, my lover
Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)
Tell me if this be all true, my lover, tell me if this be true. When these eyes flash their lightning the dark clouds in your breast make stormy answer. Is it true that my lips are sweet like the opening bud of the first conscious love? Do the memories of vanished months of May linger in my limbs? Does the earth, like a harp, shiver into songs with the touch of my feet? Is it then true that the dewdrops fall from the eyes of night when I am seen, and the morning light is glad when it wraps my body round? Is it true, is it true, that your love travelled alone through ages and worlds in search of me? That when you found me at last, your age-long desire found utter peace in my gentle speech and my eyes and lips and flowing hair? Is it then true that the mystery of the Infinite is written on this little forehead of mine? Tell me, my lover, if all this be true.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in The Gardener, no. 32, 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 Arthur Koerner (1876 - 19??), "Tell me if this be all true, my lover", 1917, from Spoken Songs, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950) , no title, appears in Rabindranath Tagore. Der Gärtner, no. 32 ; composed by Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse, Willem de Haan.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ján Móry.
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- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Julia Weissberg.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-05
Line count: 22
Word count: 174
Sag mir, ob das alles wahr ist, Liebster
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Sag mir, ob das alles wahr ist, Liebster, sag mir, ob das alles wahr ist. Wenn diese Augen ihre Blitze sprühen, geben die dunklen Wolken in Deiner Brust stürmische Antwort? Ist es wahr, daß meine Lippen süß sind wie die aufspringende Knospe der ersten, eingestandenen Liebe? Säumen die Erinnerungen entschwundener Maienmonde in meinen Gliedern? Erschauert die Erde wie eine Harfe in Liedern, wenn meine Füße sie berühren? Ist es denn wahr, daß die Tautropfen von den Augen der Nacht fallen, wenn ich mich zeige, und daß das Morgenlicht froh ist, wenn es meinen Körper rings einhüllt? Ist es wahr, ist es wahr, daß Deine Liebe einsam durch Zeitalter und Welten wanderte, auf der Suche nach mir? Daß, da Du mich endlich fandest, Dein langes Sehnen letzten Frieden, fand in meiner sanften Rede, in meinen Augen und Lippen und flutenden Haaren? Ist es denn wahr, daß das Geheimnis des Unendlichen auf dieser meinen kleinen Stirn geschrieben steht? Sag mir, Geliebter, ist denn das alles wahr?
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rabindranath Tagor. Der Gärtner. Einzig autorisierte deutsche Ausgabe. Nach der von Rabindranath Tagore selbst veranstalteten englischen Ausgabe ins Deutsche übertragen von Hans Effenberger, München, Kurt Wolff Verlag, 1921, pages 48-49. Note: this is a prose text. Line breaks have been added to make it line up with the English.
Text Authorship:
- by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950), as Hans Effenberger, no title, appears in Rabindranath Tagore. Der Gärtner, no. 32 [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 The Gardener, no. 32, first published 1913
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 Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse (1881 - 1944), "Sag mir, ob das alles wahr ist, Liebster", 1921 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Drei Gesänge aus Tagore's Der Gärtner, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Willem de Haan (1849 - 1930), "Sag mir, ob das alles wahr ist", 1922 [ soprano and piano ], from Fünf Lieder aus "Der Gärtner" , no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2022-11-29
Line count: 22
Word count: 164