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by Vilhelm Krag (1871 - 1933)
Translation Singable translation by Wilhelm Henzen (1850 - 1910)

Det er nat så vide over vei og vang
Language: Norwegian (Bokmål) 
Our translations:  FRE
Det er nat så vide over vei og vang,
det er stillt i veiret, men dog er [det]1 klang
som fra månestrålers fineste strenge.
Hvor underligt at sidde så ene og forladt!
Gad vidst, om [det ei]2 er slig majlys en nat
alverne danser over enge?

Det er nat så vide over vei og vang.
Jeg hører der bæve gjennem luften en sang,
men tonerne kan jeg ikke finde.
Det er drømme som kommer, og drømme som går,
drømme fra ivinter og drømme fra ivår,
og [vemod]3, som vugger mig isinde.

Og [vemod]3, som vugger sig så vide over land,
[vemod]3 indtil verdens den yderste rand,
og længsler, som flokkes og trænges.
Det hulker i skoge og det græder i krat.
Å Gud, hvor det er tungt slig majlys en nat,
at sidde her så ensom og længes!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   C. Sinding 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Sinding: "der"
2 Sinding: "ei det"
3 Sinding: "vermod"

Text Authorship:

  • by Vilhelm Krag (1871 - 1933), "Majnat", appears in Digte, first published 1891 [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 Agathe Ursula Backer-Grøndahl (1847 - 1907), "Mainat", op. 29 (Ti sange) no. 8, published 1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Christian Sinding (1856 - 1941), "Majnat", op. 22 no. 3 [ voice and piano ], from Fem Galmandssange = Fünf Verrücktenlieder, no. 3, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Henzen (1850 - 1910) , "Mainacht" ; composed by Christian Sinding.
    • Go to the text.

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

  • ENG English [singable] (Aubertine Woodward Moore) , "A May night"
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Nuit de mai", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 145

Mainacht
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Norwegian (Bokmål) 
Nun um Weg und Wiese nächtges Dunkel graut:
alle Lüfte schweigen, und doch wird es laut
wie von wunderfeinen Mondstrahlensaiten.
Wie seltsam, hier zu sitzen so einsam und allein!
Wer weiss, ob nicht bei solchem Maimondenschein 
Elfen im Grünen tanzend gleiten?

Nun um Weg und Wiese nächtges Dunkel graut.
Ich hör wohl erbeben durch die Luft einen Laut,
Doch kann ich die Töne nimmer finden.
Das sind Träume die kommen und Träume die gehn,
Träume bald vom Winter und bald von Frühlingswehn,
und wiegend ein wehmuthvoll Empfinden.

Und Wehmuth, ja Wehmuth wiegt so weit sich übers Land,
weit bis zu des Weltmeeres äusserstem Rand,
und Sehnsucht in drangvollem Schwärmen.
Im Walde wie schluchzt es, und im Busch wie das klagt!
Ach Gott wie ist das schwer solch mailichte Nacht 
so einsam und allein sich zu härmen!

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation by Wilhelm Henzen (1850 - 1910), "Mainacht" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Norwegian (Bokmål) by Vilhelm Krag (1871 - 1933), "Majnat", appears in Digte, first published 1891
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Christian Sinding (1856 - 1941), "Mainacht", op. 22 no. 3, published [1893] [voice and piano], Christiania: Brödrene Hals, also set in Norwegian (Bokmål) [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2011-04-15
Line count: 18
Word count: 136

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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