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Die freie Nacht ist aufgegangen, Unsichtbar wird ein Mensch dem andern, So kann ich mit den Thränen prangen Und hin zu Liebchens Fenster wandern. Der Wächter rufet seine Stunden, Der Kranke jammert seine Schmerzen[,] Die Liebe klaget ihre Wunden, Und bei der Leiche schimmern Kerzen. Die Liebste ist mir heut gestorben, Wo sie dem Feinde sich vermählet, Ich habe Lieb in Leid geborgen, Ihr Thränen mir die Sterne zählet. Wie herzhaft ist das Licht der Sterne, Wie schmerzhaft ist das Licht der Fenster, Ein dichter Nebel deckt die Ferne, Und mich umspinnen die Gespenster. Im Hause ist ein wildes Klingen, Die Menschen mir so still ausweichen, In Mitleid mich dann fern umringen: So bin ich auch von eures Gleichen? Mich hielt der Wald bei Tag verborgen, Die schwarze Nacht hat mich befreiet. Mein Liebchen weckt ein schöner Morgen, Der mich dem ewgen Jammer weihet. Wie oft hab ich hier froh gesessen, Wenn alle Sterne im Erblassen, Auch alle Welt hat mich vergessen, Seit mich die Liebste hat verlassen: Nichts weiß von mir die grüne Erde, Nichts weiß von mir die lichte Sonne, Der Mondenglanz ist mir Beschwerde, Die Nacht ist meiner Thränen Bronne.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Isabella von Aegypten, Kaiser Karl des Fünften erste Jugendliebe. Eine Erzählung, Berlin: In der Realschulbuchhandlung, 1812, page 136
Text Authorship:
- by Karl Joachim ("Achim") Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim (1781 - 1831), no title, appears in Isabella von Aegypten, Kaiser Karl des Fünften erste Jugendliebe. Eine Erzählung [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 Bettina von Arnim, née Brentano (1785 - 1859), "Lied des Schülers" [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Song of the student", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 193
The unfettered night has begun, People become invisible to each other, Therefore I can flaunt my tears And wander over to my beloved’s window. The watchman calls out the hours, The invalid bemoans his pain, Love laments its wounds, And beside the corpse candles shimmer. My beloved died today, When she married my enemy, In suffering I have concealed love, You, my tears, are numbered by the stars. How heartwarming is the light of the stars, How painful is the light of the windows, A thick fog shrouds the distance, And about me spectres weave their webs. In the house there is a wild resounding, People avoid me so quietly, From a distance they surround me with compassion: I am then also one of your kind? The forest held me concealed by day, The black night has freed me. My beloved shall be awakened by a beautiful morning, [A morning] that consigns me to eternal misery. How often I sat here happily, When all the stars were fading, All the world, too, has forgotten me, Since my beloved left me: The green earth knows nothing of me, The bright sun knows nothing of me, The radiance of the moon is a burden to me, The night is the fount of my tears.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Karl Joachim ("Achim") Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim (1781 - 1831), no title, appears in Isabella von Aegypten, Kaiser Karl des Fünften erste Jugendliebe. Eine Erzählung
This text was added to the website: 2016-03-30
Line count: 32
Word count: 212