by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Light, my light, the world‑filling light
Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)
Available translation(s): GER
Light, my light, the world-filling light, the eye-kissing light, heart-sweetening light! Ah, the light dances, my darling, at the centre of my life; the light strikes, my darling, the chords of my love; the sky opens, the wind runs wild, laughter passes over the earth. The butterflies spread their sails on the sea of light. Lilies and jasmines surge up on the crest of the waves of light. The light is shattered into gold on every cloud, my darling, and it scatters gems in profusion. Mirth spreads from leaf to leaf, my darling, and gladness without measure. The heaven's river has drowned its banks and the flood of joy is abroad.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 57, 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, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 57
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Josef Alexander (1907 - 1992), "Light, my light", 1973 [ soprano, harpsichord, and percussion ], from Gitanjali, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Boelter (b. 1952), "Heaven's river", 1996 [ SATB chorus, oboe, clarinet, percussion, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "Light, my light", published 1914 [ voice and piano ], from Gitanjali (Song Offerings), no. 6, New York, G. Schirmer [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jonathan Harvey (1939 - 2012), "Second song", 1985 [ soprano and chamber ensemble ], from Song Offerings, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas Hastings , "The Light, my Light" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wendy Hiscocks (b. 1963), "Light, my light", 1998 [ women's chorus a cappella ], from A Tagore Album, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by David Leisner (b. 1958), "Light", 1991 [ soprano and guitar ], from Heaven's River, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Fitz Rogers (b. 1963), "Light, my light", 2008 [ soprano and piano ], from Songs of Time and Tide, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Landon Ronald, Sir (1873 - 1938), "Light my light", 1913 [ voice and piano ], from Four Song Offerings - 1st series, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Murray Schafer (b. 1933), "Gitanjali no. 57", 1962 [ soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, and women's chorus ], from Four Songs on Texts by Tagore, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Murray Schafer (b. 1933), "Light, my light, the world-filling light", 1991 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Gitanjali, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Shepherd (1880 - 1958), "Light, my light", 1927 [ high voice and string quartet ], from Triptych, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frank Ticheli (b. 1958), "Light", 1993 [ medium voice, piano, and alto saxophone ], from Songs of Tagore, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas Wegren , "Butterfly sails", 1994 [ tenor, piano, and cassette tape ], from Songs of Gitanjali, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947), "Light, my light", 1999 [ SATB chorus and string quartet ], from The Golden Harp, no. 4
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 page: Geoffrey Wieting
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 13
Word count: 111
Luce
Language: Italian (Italiano) after the English
Luce... luce mia... luce che illumini il mondo... luce che rischiari gli occhi... luce che addolcisci il cuore... Amore mio, la luce palpita e danza nel cuor della mia vita. La lucce tocca le corde della mia vita, amore mio! Il Ciel si schiude... I venti folleggiano... Il riso risuona sulla Terra!... Le farfalle aprono le loro ali in un mare di luce... E gigli, gelsomini, schiudono le lor corolle in una gloria di luce... Ad ogni nube la luce si frange in polvere d'oro e di gemme... Amore mio... Amore mio... La letizia si stende di foglia in foglia in una gioia sonfinata. Il fiume del Cielo ha inondato i suoi argini, e un immenso giubilo invade il mondo.
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 57, first published 1913
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 57
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Franco Alfano (1876 - 1954), "Luce", 1948. [voice and orchestra] [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2017-07-15
Line count: 13
Word count: 120