Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
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.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Schlummernd an des Vaters Brust Ruht die Flur in [mächt'gem]1 Schweigen, Wie sich leis' die Wipfel neigen, Träumend von des Tages Lust. Blumen, die zu Glanz und Pracht Früh des Morgens Ruf erweckte, Als sie Perlenthau bedeckte, Schlafen längst in stiller Nacht. Doch auf ihrer Blüthenbahn Sendet dankbar noch die Erde, Von dem grossen Opferherde Balsamdüfte himmelan. Und sie [stiegen]2 leicht und rein Durch des Äthers blaue Meere Aufwärts zu dem Sternenheere, Das uns glänzt im ew'gen Schein. Nach, euch nach! Entflieht noch nicht! Leiht uns Schwingen, Blumendüfte, Tragt uns, milde Himmelslüfte, Aufwärts, aus der Nacht zum Licht.
Confirmed with Johann Herbeck. Ein Lebensbild von seinem Sohne Ludwig, Wien: Verlag von Albert J. Gutmann, 1885, page 105.
Note (Emily Ezust): several sources appear to credit Adolf Wendler as the author of the text, including Leipziger Ausgabe der Werke Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdys, Volume 13, Issue 1, Part 1, Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 2009, page 109; however, it was included in the writings of Johann Herbeck in the volume above. While it's possible that it was included by mistake, as a poem copied out rather than authored, we have not yet found a primary source to link the poem to Adolf Wendler.
1 Mendelssohn: "nächt'gem"2 Mendelssohn: "steigen"
Text Authorship:
- possibly by Johann Herbeck (1831 - 1877), "Nachtgesang" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
- possibly by Adolf Wendler , "Nachtgesang" [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 Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Nachtgesang", WoO. 21 (1842), published 1856 [ four-part men's chorus ], Leipzig, C. F. Kahn [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Cant de la nit", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Lau Kanen) , "Nachtgezang", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2017-08-26
Line count: 20
Word count: 100
Adormits al pit del Pare, reposen els camps en el silenci de la nit, que suau es vincla el brancatge, somiant amb el goig del dia. Les flors, que a resplendor i lluïment, la crida del matí havia despertat, quan les cobrí la rosada, ja fa molt que dormen en la tranquil•la nit. Però, en els seus camins de flors la terra, agraïda, deixa anar encara, des del seu gran fogar d’ofrenes, perfums balsàmics cap al cel. I ells s’enlairen lleugers i purs a través del blau mar de l’èter, amunt, vers la munió d’estrelles que brillen per a nosaltres amb una llum eterna. Darrere, darrere vostre! No fugiu encara! Flaires de les flors, doneu-nos ales, suaus oreigs del cel, porteu-nos amunt, de la nit a la llum.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2023 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) possibly by Johann Herbeck (1831 - 1877) and possibly by Adolf Wendler
This text was added to the website: 2023-01-15
Line count: 20
Word count: 128