The song that I came to sing remains unsung to this day. I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my instrument. The time has not come true, the words have not been rightly set; only there is the agony of wishing in my heart. The blossom has not opened; only the wind is sighing by. I have not seen his face, nor have I listened to his voice; only I have heard his gentle footsteps from the road before my house. The livelong day has passed in spreading his seat on the floor; but the lamp has not been lit and I cannot ask him into my house. I live in the hope of meeting with him; but this meeting is not yet.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 13, 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. 13, first published 1912 [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 Peter Blauvelt (b. 1957), "The song that I came to sing", 1991-2 [ mezzo-soprano, clarinet, trombone, contrabass, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mary Williams Campbell (1899 - 1985), "Songs unsung", 1950 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Naresh Sohal (b. 1939), "The unsung song", 1993 [ alto and instrumental ensemble ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Andrea Butenschön (1866 - 1948) , first published 1915 ; composed by Edvin Kallstenius.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le chant que je suis venu chanter", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SWE Swedish (Svenska) (Andrea Butenschön) , first published 1915
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-03
Line count: 20
Word count: 126
Den sång, jag kom hit för att sjunga, förblir än i dag osjungen. Med strängandet och avsträngandet av mitt instrument ha mina dagar förrunnit. Ej blev takten som den skulle, ej blevo orden rätt inpassade, men i hjärtat sitter trånaden kvar. [... ... ... ... ... ...] [... ... ... ...] I hoppet att möta dig, lever jag, men än är ej tiden inne för mötet. — — —
E. Kallstenius sets stanzas 1, 2, 5
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Andrea Butenschön (1866 - 1948), first published 1915 [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. 13, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 13, first published 1912 [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Edvin Kallstenius (1881 - 1967), no title, op. 32 no. 4 (1944) [ baritone and orchestra ], from cantata Sångoffer, no. 4
Score: IMSLP [external link]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (Edvin Kallstenius)
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Edvin Kallstenius)
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Daphnis [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-07-28
Line count: 20
Word count: 59