by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
আলো আমার আলো ওগো, আলো ভূবন ভরা
Language: Bangla (Bengali)
আলো আমার আলো ওগো, আলো ভূবন ভরা
আলো নয়ন ধোওয়া আমার আলো হৃদয় হরা ।
নাচে আলো নাচে ও ভাই, আমার প্রাণের কাছে -
বাজে আলো বাজে ও ভাই, হৃদয়বীণার মাঝে
জাগে আকাশ, ছোটে বাতাস, হাসে সকল ধরা ।
আলোর স্রোতে পাল তুলেছে হাজার প্রজাপতি
আলোর ঢেউয়ে উঠল মেতে মল্লিকা মালতী ।
মেঘে মেঘে সোনা, ও ভাই যায়না মানিক গোনা -
পাতায় পাতায় হাসি ও ভাই, পুলক রাশি রাশি ।
সুরনদীর কূল ডুবেছে সুধা-নিঝর-ঝরা।
- অচলায়তন
About the headline (FAQ)
Here is a transliteration used by several composers who have set this to music:
Alo amar, alo ogo, alo bhubon bhora
alo noyon dhoa amar, alo hridoe hara.
Nache alo nache, o bhai, amar praner kachhe --
baje alo baje, o bhai, hridoe binar majhe --
jage akash, chhoţe batash, hashe shokol dhora.
Alor srote pal tulechhe hajar projapoti.
Alor đheue uţhlo mete mollika maloti.
Meghe meghe shona, o bhai, jae na manik gona --
patae patae hashi, o bhai, pulok rashi rashi.
Shuronodir kul ḍubechhe shudha-nijhor-jhora.
-Ocholaeoton
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 57 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Cathy Bond Bauer , "Alo amar, alo ogo", 1983 [ voice and piano? ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Murray Schafer (b. 1933), "Lustro, part two - Alo amar alo ogo bhubon-bhora", 1977 [ orchestra, 8 voices ], from Beyond the Great Gate of Light , no. 3, also scored for electronic sounds [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) , no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 57, first published 1913 ; composed by Josef Alexander, Karl Boelter, John Alden Carpenter, Jonathan Harvey, Thomas Hastings, Wendy Hiscocks, David Leisner, John Fitz Rogers, Landon Ronald, Sir, Raymond Murray Schafer, Arthur Shepherd, Frank Ticheli, Gwyneth Walker, Thomas Wegren.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951) , no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), first published 1914 ; composed by Gary Bachlund, Comolata Banerji, Jean-Émile-Paul Cras, Alfred Désenclos, Louis Durey, Rolande Falcinelli.
- 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 German (Deutsch), a translation by Thomas Schubert (b. 1961) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission ; composed by Thomas Schubert.
- 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: 2010-11-04
Line count: 11
Word count: 73
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