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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

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Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Translation © by Salvador Pila

Die Nacht
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE
Blume duftet im Tal,
Ferne Blume der Kindheit,
Die nur selten dem Träumer
Ihre verborgenen Kelche öffnet
Und das Innre, Abbild der Sonne, zeigt.
Auf den blauen Gebirgen
Wandelt die blinde Nacht,
Überm Schoß das dunkle Gewand gerafft,
Streut sie ziellos und lächelnd
Ihre Gaben, die Träume, aus.
Unten lagern, vom Tag verbrannt,
Schlafende Menschen;
Ihre Augen sind voller Traum,
Seufzend wenden viele das Antlitz
Hin nach der Blume der Kindheit,
Deren Duft sie zärtlich ins Dunkel lockt
Und dem väterlich strengen
Ruf des Tages tröstlich entfremdet.
Rast des Ermüdeten ist’s,
In der Mutter Umarmung zurückzufliehn,
Die mit lässigen Händen
Über das Haar dem Träumenden streicht.
Kinder sind wir, rasch macht die Sonne uns müd,
Die uns doch Ziel und heilige Zukunft ist,
Und aufs neue an jedem Abend
Fallen wir klein in der Mutter Schoß,
Lallen Namen der Kindheit,
Tasten den Weg zu den Quellen zurück.
Auch der einsame Sucher,
Der den Flug zur Sonne sich vorgesetzt,
Taumelt, auch er, um die Mitternacht
Rückwärts seiner fernen Herkunft entgegen.
Und der Schläfer, wenn ihn ein Angsttraum weckt,
Ahnt im Dunkeln mit irrer Seele
Zögernde Wahrheit:
Jeder Lauf, ob zur Sonne oder zur Nacht,
Führt zum Tode, führt zu neuer Geburt,
Deren Schmerzen die Seele scheut.
Aber alle gehen den Weg,
Alle sterben, alle werden geboren,
Denn die ewige Mutter
Gibt sie ewig dem Tag zurück.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   W. Aeschbacher 

W. Aeschbacher sets lines 1-22, 36-42

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, pages 240-241.


Text Authorship:

  • by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Die Nacht", written 1917, first published 1917 [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 Walther Aeschbacher (1901 - 1969), "Die Nacht", published 1953, lines 1-22,36-42 [ soprano, alto, four-part women's chorus, and strings ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La nit", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Night", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La nuit", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2014-04-30
Line count: 42
Word count: 225

La nit
Language: Catalan (Català)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Una flor flaira a la vall,
la flor llunyana de la infantesa
que al somiador rarament
obre el seu calze ocult
i en mostra l’interior, imatge del sol.
A les blaves muntanyes
vagareja la nit orba,
la seva fosca vestimenta arrapada a la seva sina,
somrient, ella escampa sense objectiu
els seus presents, els somnis.
Dessota, abrusats pel dia,
jeuen els humans adormits;
llurs ulls són plens de somnis,
molts d’ells, sospirant, giren la faç
vers la flor de la infantesa,
el perfum de la qual, tendrament els atrau en la foscor
i, reconfortant, els allunya
de la paternal i severa crida del dia.
El descans del fatigats
és d’enfugir-se vers els braços de la mare
que, amb mans indolents,
acarona els cabells dels somiadors.
Nosaltres som infants, el sol de seguida ens fatiga,
ell que és la nostra meta i el nostre futur sagrat,
i cada vespre de nou,
petits, caiem a la falda de la mare,
balbotegem noms de la infantesa,
palpegem el camí de retorn a les fonts.
També el cercador solitari 
que ha decidit de volar vers el sol,
ell també, a mitjanit, vacil·la
de retornar vers els seus orígens llunyans.
I el dorment, quan un malson el desperta,
amb l’ànima delirant, albira en la foscor 
una veritat incerta:
Cada curs, vers el sol o vers la nit,
mena a la mort, mena a una nova naixença,
els dolors de la qual, l’ànima tracta d’evitar.
Però tots segueixen el camí,
tots moren, tots naixeran,
car la mare eterna
sempre els retorna el dia.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2024 by Salvador Pila, (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.
    Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Die Nacht", written 1917, first published 1917
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2024-02-10
Line count: 42
Word count: 257

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