If the day is done, if birds sing no more, if the wind has flagged tired, then draw the veil of darkness thick upon me, even as thou hast wrapt the earth with the coverlet of sleep and tenderly closed the petals of the drooping lotus at dusk. From the traveller, whose sack of provisions is empty before the voyage is ended, whose garment is torn and dustladen, whose strength is exhausted, remove shame and poverty, and renew his life like a flower under the cover of thy kindly night.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 24, 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), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 24 [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 French (Français), a translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951) , no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 24, first published 1914 ; composed by Gary Bachlund, Jean-Émile-Paul Cras.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Hanns Eisler.
- 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 Spanish (Español), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Manuel M. Ponce.
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Andrea Butenschön (1866 - 1948) , first published 1915 ; composed by Edvin Kallstenius.
- 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.]
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
- SWE Swedish (Svenska) (Andrea Butenschön) , first published 1915
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-01-17
Line count: 16
Word count: 90
Si le jour est passé, si les oiseaux ne chantent plus, si le vent fatigué retombe, tire au-dessus de moi le voile des ténèbres, ainsi que tu as enveloppé la terre dans les courtines du sommeil et clos tendrement à la brune les pétales du défaillant lotus. Du voyageur dont la besace est vide avant qu'il n'ait achevé sa route, dont le vêtement est déchiré et lourd de poussière, dont les forces sont épuisées, écarte honte et misère, et lui renouvelle la vie comme à la fleur sous le bienveillant couvert de ta nuit.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rabîndranâth Tagore. L’Offrande lyrique (Gitanjali). Traduction d'André Gide, Paris, Éditions de la Nouvelle revue française, 1917, page 74.
Text Authorship:
- by André Gide (1869 - 1951), no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 24, first published 1914 [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. 24, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 24 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Si le jour est passé", 2006 [ high voice or medium voice and piano ], from Trois Chansons de Gidé, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jean-Émile-Paul Cras (1879 - 1932), "Si le jour est passé", 1920, published 1921 [ high voice and piano ], from L'offrande lyrique, no. 3, Éd. Rouart Lerolle [sung text checked 1 time]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Geoffrey Wieting
This text was added to the website: 2004-01-17
Line count: 16
Word count: 94