Heilige Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): CAT DUT ENG FRE
Heilige Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Sterngeschloßner Himmelsfrieden!
Alles, was das Licht geschieden,
Ist verbunden,
Alle Wunden
Bluten süß im Abendrot.
Bjelbogs Speer, Bjelbogs Speer
Sinkt ins Herz der trunknen Erde,
Die mit seliger Gebärde
Eine Rose
In dem Schoße
Dunkler [Lüste]1 niedertaucht.
[Heilige Nacht!]2 züchtige Braut, züchtige Braut!
Deine süße Schmach verhülle,
Wenn des Hochzeitsbechers Fülle
Sich ergießet;
Also fließet
In die brünstige Nacht der Tag!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
Note: Bjelbog is a Slavic god of light.
1 Strauss: "Lüfte"
2 added by Strauss.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "A la nit", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Aan de nacht", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , "To the night", copyright © 2002, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Sainte nuit! sainte nuit!", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 65
To the night
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
Holy night! Holy night!
Star-enclosed sky-peace!
Everything that light divided
is connected;
all wounds
bleed sweetly in evening's red glow.
Bjelbog's spear, Bjelbog's spear
sinks into the heart of the drunken Earth,
which, with a blissful gesture,
dips a rose
in the womb
of dark desires1.
Holy night! Demure bride, demure bride!
Hide your sweet shame
when the wedding goblet's fullness
is poured out;
thus flows,
into the lustful night, day!
View original text (without footnotes)
1 for the Strauss version, this would be "breezes"
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2002 by John Glenn Paton, (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:
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 71