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Euch bedaur' ich, unglücksel'ge Sterne, Die ihr schön seid und so herrlich scheinet, Dem bedrängten Schiffer gerne leuchtet, Unbelohnt von Göttern und von Menschen: Denn ihr liebt nicht, kanntet nie die Liebe! Unaufhaltsam führen [ew'ge]1 Stunden Eure Reihen durch den weiten Himmel. Welche Reise habt ihr schon vollendet! Seit ich, weilend in dem Arm der Liebsten, Euer und der Mitternacht vergessen.
Confirmed with Gedichte von Goethe, Dritte Auflage, Berlin: G. Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1873, page 301.
1 Suder: "ewige"Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Nachtgedanken" [author's text checked 2 times 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 Selmar Bagge (1823 - 1896), "Nachtgedanken", op. 18 (Sechs Gedichte von Goethe für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1885 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Frommer (1868 - 1914), "Nachtgedanken", op. 38 (Zwei Lieder) no. 1, published 1899 [ low voice and piano ], Leipzig: J. Schuberth & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Hermann Franz Graener (1872 - 1944), "Nachtgedanken", op. 94 (Vier Lieder zu Gedichten von Goethe) no. 2, published 1932 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Margarete Schweikert (1887 - 1957), "Nachtgedanken", op. 11 (Vier Gedichte von Goethe) no. 3 (1916?), published 1918 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph Suder (1892 - 1980), "Nachtgedanken", 1916, rev. 1969 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Winfried (Petrus Ignatius) Zillig (1905 - 1963), "Nachtgedanken", 1941 [ female voice and piano or orchestra ], from Zehn Lieder nach Gedichten von Goethe, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Nighttime thoughts", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Pensieri notturni", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 62
I am sorry for you, unfortunate stars, You who are beautiful and shine so gloriously, Who gladly gleam for the hard-pressed sailor, Unrewarded by gods and by people: For you do not love, you never knew love! Inexorably, eternal hours lead Your ranks through the broad heavens. What a journey you have already completed Since I, lingering in the arms of my beloved, Forgot about you and about midnight!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Nachtgedanken"
This text was added to the website: 2020-03-06
Line count: 10
Word count: 69