Nacht umhüllt Mit wehendem Flügel Thäler und Hügel, Ladend zur Ruh. Und dem Schlummer, Dem lieblichen Kinde, Leise und linde Flüstert sie zu: "Weißt du ein Auge, Wachend im Kummer, Lieblicher Schlummer, Drücke mir's zu." Fühlst du sein Nahen? Ahnest du Ruh? Alles deckt Schlummer, [Schlummre]1 auch du.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Janus. [Eine Zeitschrift. Herausgegeben von Friedrich Wähner. Schrämbl, Wien, 1818-1819] No. 1, Sonnabend, den 3. Oktober 1818, page 3; and with Grillparzers Sämmtliche Werke in zehn Bänden. Dritte Ausgabe. Erster Band. Stuttgart. Verlag der J. G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. 1878, pages 11-12 (here with the title Bertha's Lied). This edition and later editions change stanza 3, line 2, word 1 ("im") to "in".
Note: The poem was initially destined for Grillparzer's drama Die Ahnfrau.
Notes for Schubert's song
In the repetition within the first stanza, line 3 becomes "umhüllet die Täler und Hügel".
In the repetition of the final stanza, line 3 becomes "Alles deckt der Schlummer".
Text Authorship:
- by Franz (Seraphicus) Grillparzer (1791 - 1872), "Berthas Lied in der Nacht", written 1816, first published 1818 [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 Ella Georgiyevna Adayevskaya (1846 - 1926), "Nachtgesang", 1895, published 1899 [ voice and string quartet ], in an anthology called Zweites Heft Baltischer Gesänge aus der Sammlung von Dr. Robert von Zur Mühlen, Selbstverlag [self-published] in St. Petersburg by Bessel & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ella Georgiyevna Adayevskaya (1846 - 1926), "Nachtgesang" [ voice and piano ], unpublished, lost [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ignaz von Mosel (1772 - 1844), "Bertas Lied in der Nacht", published c1820/1 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Gedichte, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Xaver Mozart (1791 - 1844), "Bertha´s Lied in der Nacht", op. 27 no. 3 (1820) [ voice and piano ], from Drei Deutsche Lieder, no. 3, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Bertas Lied in der Nacht", D 653 (1819), published c1842 [ voice, piano ], A.Diabelli & Co., VN 7418, Wien (Nachlaß-Lieferung 40) [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Richard Morris , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 49