I know not from what distant time thou art ever coming nearer to meet me. Thy sun and stars can never keep thee hidden from me for aye. In many a morning and eve thy footsteps have been heard and thy messenger has come within my heart and called me in secret. I know not only why today my life is all astir, and a feeling of tremulous joy is passing through my heart. It is as if the time were come to wind up my work, and I feel in the air a faint smell of thy sweet presence.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 46, 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. 46 [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 ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Frederik van Eeden (1860 - 1932) , no title ; composed by Daniel Ruyneman, Hans Schouwman.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Franco Alfano.
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: 2010-11-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 100
Ik weet niet van uit welken verren tijd Gij steeds nader komt om mij te ontmoeten. Uw zon en sterren kunnen U niet voor altijd voor mij verborgen houden. Meenig morgen en meenigen avond werden Uw voetstappen gehoord en Uw boode kwam in mijn hart en riep mij heimelijk. Ik weet niet waarom mijn leeven vandaag zoo ontroerd is, een huivering van vreugde vaart door mijn hart. Het is alsof de tijd gekoomen is dat ik mijn werk zal be-eindigen, en ik speur in de lucht een zwakke geur van Uw zoete aanweezen.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rabindranad Tagore: Wij zangen (Gitanjali) door F. van Eeden, Amsterdam, 1914, W. Versluys. Note: this is a prose text. Line-breaks have been added to make it line up with the original.
Text Authorship:
- by Frederik van Eeden (1860 - 1932), no title [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. 46, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 46 [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 Daniel Ruyneman (1886 - 1963), "Ik weet niet van uit welken verren tijd", 1915 [ voice and piano ], from Twee Wij-zangen, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Schouwman (1902 - 1967), "Ik weet niet uit welken verren tijd", 1935 [ voice and string quartet or piano ], from Vier wijzangen, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2021-05-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 93