Yes, I know, this is nothing but thy love, O beloved of my heart -- this golden light that dances upon the leaves, these idle clouds sailing across the sky, this passing breeze leaving its coolness upon my forehead. The morning light has flooded my eyes -- this is thy message to my heart. Thy face is bent from above, thy eyes look down on my eyes, and my heart has touched thy feet.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 59, 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. 59 [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 Josef Alexander (1907 - 1992), "Yes, I know", 1973 [ soprano, harpsichord, and percussion ], from Gitanjali, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Landon Ronald, Sir (1873 - 1938), "Yes, I know, this is nothing but thy love", 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from Four Song Offerings - 2nd series, no. 3 [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
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Frederik van Eeden (1860 - 1932) , no title ; composed by Atma Kenswil, Hans Schouwman, Bernard Zweers.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951) , no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 59, first published 1914 ; composed by Gary Bachlund, Jean-Émile-Paul Cras.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Marie Luise Gothein (1863 - 1931) ; composed by Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse.
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Franco Alfano.
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
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-01-17
Line count: 11
Word count: 72
Oui, je le sais bien, ce n'est là rien que ton amour, ô aimé de mon cœur -- cette lumière d'or qui danse sur les feuilles ; ces indolents nuages qui voguent par le ciel, et cette brise passagère qui laisse sa fraîcheur à mon front. Mes yeux se sont lavés dans la lumière matinale -- et c'est ton message à mon cœur. Ta face, de très haut s'incline ; tes yeux ont plongé dans mes yeux et contre tes pieds bat mon cœur.
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 121.
Text Authorship:
- by André Gide (1869 - 1951), no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 59, 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. 59, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 59 [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), "Oui, je le sais bien", 2006 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jean-Émile-Paul Cras (1879 - 1932), "Oui, je le sais bien, ce n'est là rien que ton amour", 1920, published 1921 [ high voice and piano ], from L'offrande lyrique, no. 5, 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: 11
Word count: 80