Der Tod, Dein Diener, steht vor meiner Tür.
Er hat die unbekannte See durchquert 
und Deinen Ruf zur Heimkehr mitgebracht. 
Die Nacht ist schwarz und voller Furcht mein Herz, 
doch will ich meine Lampe nehmen, 
die Pforten öffnen und ihm mich tief verneigend Willkomm' bieten. 
Die Hände faltend und mit Tränen will ich ihn verehren; 
verehren will ich ihn und zu seinen Füßen 
den Schatz des Herzens legen. 
Dein Diener ist es ja, der vor meiner Türe steht.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

• by Thomas F. Schubert (b. 1961), copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [an adaptation] [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. 86, first published 1912
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Based on:

• a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 86 [text unavailable]
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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 ]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

• by Thomas F. Schubert (b. 1961), "Der Tod, Dein Diener, steht vor meiner Tür  " [ soprano, piano, and percussion ad libitum ], from Gitanjali - 2 Gesänge nach Worten von Rabindranath Tagore, no. 1
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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. 86 ; composed by Alfredo Casella.
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• Also set in Spanish (Español), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Manuel M. Ponce.
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Researcher for this page: Maria Nimmerfall

This text was added to the website: 2010-11-03
Line count: 10
Word count: 78