by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by Frederik van Eeden (1860 - 1932)
May night
Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)
I run as a musk-deer runs in the shadow of the forest mad with his own perfume. The night is the night of mid-May, the breeze is the breeze of the south. I lose my way and I wander, I seek what I cannot get, I get what I do not seek. From my heart comes out and dances the image of my own desire. The gleaming vision flits on. I try to clasp it firmly, it eludes me and leads me astray. I seek what I cannot get, I get what I do not seek.
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in The Gardener, no. 15, 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), no title [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 Richard Hageman (1881 - 1966), "May night", 1917 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Czech (Čeština), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Pavel Haas.
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Frederik van Eeden (1860 - 1932) , no title, appears in De Hoovenier, no. 15, first published 1919 ; composed by Berthe Geuer.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Hans Gál.
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Franco Alfano.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-01-19
Line count: 15
Word count: 96
Ik ren als het muskus‑hert rent
Language: Dutch (Nederlands) after the English
Ik ren als het muskus-hert rent in de schaduw van het woud, dol door zijn eigen geur. De nacht is midden-Mei-nacht, de wind is Zuide-wind. Ik raak van mijn pad af en ik ga dwalen, ik zoek wat ik niet krijgen kan, ik krijg wat ik niet zoek. Het beeld van mijn eigen begeerte komt uit mijn hart en danst. Het stralend vizioen vliedt heen. Ik tracht het vast te grijpen, het ontwijkt me en leidt me van mijn weg af. Ik zoek wat ik niet krijgen kan, ik krijg wat ik niet zoek.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Frederik van Eeden (1860 - 1932), no title, appears in De Hoovenier, no. 15, first published 1919 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in The Gardener, no. 15, first published 1913
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title [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 Berthe Geuer (1888 - 1974), "Het muskushert", 1945 [voice and piano], from Zeven liederen uit de Hovenier, no. 3. [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-12
Line count: 15
Word count: 94