There are such wondrously white nights

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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Es gibt so wunderweiße Nächte

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Es gibt so wunderweiße Nächte,
drin alle Dinge Silber sind.
Da schimmert mancher Stern so lind,
als ob er fromme Hirten brächte
zu einem neuen Jesuskind.

Weit wie mit dichtem Demantstaube
bestreut, erscheinen Flur und Flut,
und in die Herzen, traumgemut,
steigt ein kapellenloser Glaube,
der leise seine Wunder tut.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Marx

About the headline (FAQ)

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Confirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Die Gedichte, Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag, 1997, pages 82-83.

Text Authorship:

by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Traumgekrönt, in Träumen, no. 21 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2007-06-08
Line count: 10
Word count: 51

There are such wondrously white nights

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

There are such wondrously white nights,
in which all things are silver.
Within them, many a star shimmers so gently
as if it were leading pious shepherds
to a new Christchild.

Far away, as if bestrewn with dense diamond dust,
meadows and rivers appear,
and into human hearts, as if in a dream,
a chapel-less faith enters,
which quietly performs its miracles.

Available sung text translations: ← What is this?

• J. Marx

About the headline (FAQ)

View text with all available footnotes

Translations of titles:
"Es gibt so wunderweiße Nächte" = "There are such wondrously white nights"
"Traumgekrönt" = "Crowned with dreams"
"Wunderweiße Nächte" = "Wondrously white nights"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Traumgekrönt, in Träumen, no. 21
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2026-06-17
Line count: 10
Word count: 63