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by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950), as Hans Effenberger

Hands cling to hands and eyes linger on...
Language: English  after the Bangla (Bengali) 
Our translations:  FRE GER
Hands cling to hands and eyes linger on eyes: 
thus begins the record of our hearts.
It is the moonlit night of March;
the sweet smell of henna is in the air; 
my flute lies on the earth neglected 
and your garland of flowers in unfinished.
This love between you and me
is simple as a song.

Your veil of the saffron colour makes my eyes drunk.
The jasmine wreath that you wove me 
thrills to my heart like praise.
It is a game of giving and withholding, 
revealing and screening again; 
some smiles and some little shyness, 
and some sweet useless struggles.
This love between you and me is simple as a song.

No mystery beyond the present; 
no striving for the impossible; 
no shadow behind the charm; 
no groping in the depth of the dark.
This love between you and me is simple as a song.

We do not stray out of all words into the ever silent; 
we do not raise our hands to the void for things beyond hope.
It is enough what we give and we get.
We have not crushed the joy to the utmost 
to wring from it the wine of pain.
This love between you and me is simple as a song.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in The Gardener, no. 16, 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]
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Raymond Hanson (1913 - 1976), "Simple as a song", op. 36 (1956) [ 3 sopranos and organ ] [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. 16 ; composed by Hermann Reiter.
    • Go to the text.
  • Also set in Portuguese (Português), a translation by Plácido Barbosa [an adaptation] ; composed by Alberto Nepomuceno.
    • Go to the text.
  • Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov.
    • Go to the text.
  • Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , excerpt [an adaptation] ; composed by Erkki Gustaf Melartin.
    • Go to the text.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Simple comme une chanson", written 1911, copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Schlicht wie ein Lied", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2004-01-17
Line count: 27
Word count: 210

Hände schlingen sich in Hände, und Augen...
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
Hände schlingen sich in Hände, und Augen hangen an Augen: 
so beginnt die Geschichte unsrer Herzen.
Es ist mondhelle Märznacht; 
die Luft ist erfüllt vom süßen Duft der Hennablüten; 
meine Flöte liegt vernachlässigt auf der Erde, 
und Dein Kranz von Blumen ist unvollendet.
Diese Liebe zwischen Dir und mir
ist schlicht wie ein Lied.

Dein safranfarbner Schleier macht meine Augen trunken.
Der Jasminkranz, den Du für mich flochtest, 
durchbebt mein Herz wie Lob.
Es ist ein Spiel von Geben und Versagen, 
von Entschleiern und Wieder-Verbergen; 
etwas Lächeln und ein wenig Schüchternheit 
und süßes, vergebliches Sichsträuben.
Diese Liebe zwischen Dir und mir ist schlicht wie ein Lied.

Kein Geheimnis über das Heute hinaus; 
kein Ringen um das Unmögliche; 
kein Schatten hinter der Lust; 
kein Tasten in die Tiefen des Dunkels.
Diese Liebe zwischen Dir und mir ist schlicht wie ein Lied.

Wir schweifen nicht aus allen Worten in das ewige Schweigen; 
wir heben nicht unsre Hände in die Leere nach Dingen jenseits der Hoffnung.
Uns ist genug, was wir geben und was wir empfangen.
Wir haben die Freude nicht bis aufs Letzte ausgepreßt,
um aus ihr den Wein der Leiden zu keltern.
Diese Liebe zwischen Dir und mir ist schlicht wie ein Lied.

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 29-30. 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. 16 [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. 16, first published 1913
    • Go to the text page.

Based on:

  • a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Hermann Reiter (b. 1933), "Hände schlingen sich um Hände", 1956? [ soprano and instrumental ensemble (three instruments) ], from Zwei Lieder nach Texten von R. Tagore für Sopran und drei Instrumente, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2022-11-29
Line count: 27
Word count: 202

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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