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by Saint John of the Cross, né Juan de Yepes Alvarez (1542 - 1591)
Translation © by John Plant
En una noche oscura
Language: Spanish (Español)
Our translations: ITA
En una noche oscura, con ansias, en amores inflamada, ¡oh dichosa ventura!, salí sin ser notada, estando ya mi casa sosegada. A oscuras y segura, por la secreta escala, disfrazada, ¡oh dichosa ventura!, a oscuras y en celada, estando ya mi casa sosegada. En la noche dichosa, en secreto, que nadie me veía, ni yo miraba cosa, sin otra luz y guía, sino la que en el corazón ardía. Aquesta me guiaba más cierto que la luz de mediodía, adonde me esperaba quien yo bien me sabía, en parte donde nadie parecía. ¡oh noche que guiaste! ¡oh noche amable más que la alborada! ¡oh noche que juntaste Amado con amada, amada en el Amado transformada! En mi pecho florido, que entero para él solo se guardaba, allí quedó dormido, y yo le regalaba, y el ventalle de cedros aire daba. El aire de la almena, cuando yo sus cabellos esparcía, con su mano serena en mi cuello hería, y todos mis sentidos suspendía. Quedeme y olvideme, el rostro recliné sobre el Amado; cesó todo y dejeme, dejando mi cuidado entre las azucenas olvidado
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Saint John of the Cross, né Juan de Yepes Alvarez (1542 - 1591) [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 Manuel Garcia Morante (b. 1937), "En una noche oscura", 1987, from Cuatro canciones de San Juan de la Cruz, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Goffredo Petrassi (1904 - 2003), "Noche oscura" [ chorus and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Plant , "Canciones del alma", first performed 1999 [ voice and string quartet ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph Ryelandt (1870 - 1965), "La noche oscura", op. 25 (1899) [ medium voice and piano or orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jordi Sabatés (b. 1948), "Noche oscura" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Armand Godoy (1880 - 1964) , first published 1937 ; composed by Gabriel Charpentier.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Maximiliane Brentano, née Maximiliane Euphrosine von La Roche (1756 - 1793) , no title [an adaptation] ; composed by Bettina von Arnim, née Brentano.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Melchior, Freiherr von Diepenbrock (1798 - 1853) , "Die dunkle Nacht der Seele" ; composed by Fartein Valen.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Plant) , "Songs of the soul", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "In una notte oscura", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Steven Cox
This text was added to the website: 2009-09-06
Line count: 40
Word count: 183
Songs of the soul
Language: English after the Spanish (Español)
In a dark night burning with desire -- O fortunate adventure! -- I departed unnoticed when the house was hushed. In darkness and in saftey By the secret stairway, disguised, -- O fortunate adventure! -- in darkness, in concealment, when my house was hushed. In the blessed night and in secret -- for no one saw me -- and I saw nothing -- I had no light, no guide save the light which burned in my heart. But that light guided me more surely than the light of noon towards the one who was waiting for me, -- oh, well I knew who it was! -- in a place where no one could be. O night which guided me! O night, more pleasant than dawn! O night, which united the Lover with his Beloved, transforming the Beloved into the Lover! On my flowering breast -- which I reserved for him alone -- he fell asleep and I caressed him and the rustling cedars fanned us. The breeze upon the ramparts as I caressed his hair -- with his gentle hand he wounded my neck and suspended all my senses. I departed from myself, I forgot myself Resting my head upon the Beloved, everything stopped, and I took leave of myself, leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies.
Text Authorship:
- by John Plant , "Songs of the soul", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Spanish (Español) by Saint John of the Cross, né Juan de Yepes Alvarez (1542 - 1591)
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 ]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-02-28
Line count: 40
Word count: 205