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Du hast ja lang dein Herz vorausgesendet [Und seiner]1 ew'gen Heimat zugewendet,-- Und doch empfandest du [ein]2 leises Grauen: "O furchtbar muß es sein, den Tod zu schauen!" [Da]3 ist der ernste Bote [leis]4 gekommen; Wie träumend hat der Herr dich [hingenommen]5, [Und stille dich gelegt zu sanfter Ruh.-- Gut' Nacht, gut' Nacht,]6 geliebte Mutter, du! 7 Und ist's vorbei mit unserm Glück und Lieben? So tief verhüllt ist's über'm Grabe drüben. [Nur Eine Stimme ruft mir tröstend]8 zu: Für Gottes Volk bereit ist eine Ruh. Sie werden bei dem Herrn sein [allezeit]9, [Nicht Leid, nicht Thränen mehr in Ewigkeit; So schließ' getrost]10 die treuen Augen zu, Gut' Nacht, gut' Nacht, o liebe Mutter du!
J. Lang sets stanzas 1-2, 3 (lines 1, 3-4), 4
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Mein Liederbuch. Gedichte von Ottilie Wildermuth, herausgegeben von ihrer Tochter Agnes Willms, Stuttgart: Verlag der Gebrüder Kröner, 1877, page 178.
Note (provided by Sharon Krebs): Ottilie Wildermuth's poems were not published until after her death. Josephine Lang knew her personally and obtained the texts of her songs directly from the poet. Therefore the changes noted below in the footnotes might not be Lang's, but rather earlier versions by Wildermuth herself.
Note for stanza 3, line 1, word 8 ("Lieben") : in one of Lang's manuscripts, this appears erroneously as "Liebe".
1 Lang: "Hast es der"2 Lang: "oft"
3 Lang: "Nun"
4 Lang: "still"
5 Lang: "heimgenommen"
6 Lang: "Und ohne Kampf gingst du zur letzten Ruh[.] / O gute Nacht!"
7 Lang adds:
Heim zog dich's, heim! Mit sehnlichem Verlangen! Ob sie mit Liebe draußen dich umfangen! Das war der Zug der rechten Heimat zu[.] Gut' Nacht! Schlaf wohl! Du treue Mutter du!8 Lang: "Doch eine Stimme spricht uns tröstlich"
9 Lang: "alle Zeit"
10 Lang: "Nicht Schmerz und Tod, nicht Thränen mehr noch Leid, / So drücken wir"; when the text is repeated Lang has "und Thränen" instead of "nicht Thränen"
Text Authorship:
- by Ottilie Wildermuth (1817 - 1877), no title, written 1874, appears in Mein Liederbuch, in Haus und Heimat, in Der Mutter, no. 5 [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 Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Der lieben Mutter zur guten Nacht!", 1874, stanzas 1-2, 3 (lines 1,3-4), 4 [ voice and piano ], unpublished [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2017-01-29
Line count: 16
Word count: 126
You have long sent your heart on ahead, [And]1 turned it toward its eternal home,-- And yet, you [felt a]2 quiet dread: "Oh, it must be terrible to meet death!" [Then the solemn messenger quietly came]3; As in a dream, the Lord has taken you [hence]4, [And silently laid you to your gentle rest. -- Good night, good night,]5 you beloved mother!6 And is it over with our happiness and [loving]7? So deeply shrouded is it yonder o'er the grave. [Only a single voice speaks comfortingly to me:]8 There remaineth a rest to the people of God. They shall be with the Lord for all time, [No suffering, no more tears in eternity; So close your faithful eyes confidently,]9 Good night, good night, oh dear mother!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translation of title "Der lieben Mutter zur guten Nacht!" = "To my dear mother as a good night!"
1 Lang: "You"
2 Lang: "often felt"
3 Lang: "Now silently the solemn messenger has come"
4 Lang: "home"
5 Lang: "And without a struggle you went to your final rest[.] / Oh good night!"
6 Lang’s manuscripts have a stanza that is not in the published poem:
Homeward it drew you, homeward! With sincere longing! If they embrace you with love out there! That was the yearning turned toward the true home[.] Good night! Sleep well! You faithful mother, you!7 Lang (in one manuscript only): "love" (an error)
8 Lang: "But a voice speaks comfortingly to us:"
9 Lang: "Not pain and death, not tears any longer, nor suffering, / Thus we press your faithful eyes shut"; when the text is repeated Lang has "and tears" instead of "not tears"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2017 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 Ottilie Wildermuth (1817 - 1877), no title, written 1874, appears in Mein Liederbuch, in Haus und Heimat, in Der Mutter, no. 5
This text was added to the website: 2017-01-29
Line count: 16
Word count: 135