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.
Schon fängt es an zu dämmern,
Der Mond als Hirt erwacht,
Und singt den Wolkenlämmern
Ein Lied zur guten Nacht;
Und wie er singt so leise,
Da dringt vom Sternenkreise
Der Schall ins Ohr mir sacht,
Schlafet in Ruh, schlafet in Ruh!
Vorüber der Tag und sein Schall,
Die Liebe Gottes deckt euch zu
Allüberall.
Nun suchen in den Zweigen
Ihr Nest die Vögelein,
Die Halm' und Blumen neigen
Das Haupt im Mondenschein,
Und selbst des Mühlrads Wellen
Lassen das wilde Schwellen
Und schlummern murmelnd ein.
Schlafet in Ruh, schlafet in Ruh!
Vorüber der Tag und sein Schall;
Die Liebe Gottes deckt euch zu
Allüberall.
Von Thür zu Thüre wallet
Der Traum, ein lieber Gast,
Das Harfenspiel verhallet
Im schimmernden Pallast;
Im Nachen schläft der Ferge,
Die Hirten auf dem Berge
Halten um's Feuer Rast.
Schlafet in Ruh, schlafet in Ruh!
Vorüber der Tag und sein Schall;
Die Liebe Gottes deckt euch zu
Allüberall.
Und wie nun alle Kerzen
Verlöschen durch die Nacht,
Da schweigen auch die Schmerzen,
Die Sonn' und Tag gebracht;
Lind säuseln die Cypressen,
Ein seliges Vergessen
Durchweht die Lüfte sacht.
Schlafet in Ruh, schlafet in Ruh!
Vorüber der Tag und sein Schall;
Die Liebe Gottes deckt euch zu
Allüberall.
Und wo von heißen Thränen
Ein schmachtend Auge blüht,
Und wo in bangem Sehnen
Ein liebend Herz verglüht,
Der Traum kommt leis und linde
Und singt dem kranken Kinde
Ein tröstend Hoffnungslied.
Schlafet in Ruh, schlafet in Ruh!
Vorüber der Tag und sein Schall;
Die Liebe Gottes deckt euch zu
Allüberall.
Gute Nacht denn, all' ihr Müden,
Ihr Lieben nah' und fern!
Nun ruh' auch ich in Frieden
Bis glänzt der Morgenstern.
Die Nachtigall alleine
Singt noch im Mondenscheine
Und lobet Gott den Herrn.
Schlafet in Ruh, schlafet in Ruh!
Vorüber der Tag und sein Schall;
Die Liebe Gottes deckt euch zu
Allüberall.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• F. Abt • F. Abt • F. Lachner • F. Lachner • F. Lachner • J. Rheinberger • N. StollewerkF. Abt sets stanzas 1, 4, 6 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
J. Rheinberger sets stanzas 1, 3, 6 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
F. Abt sets stanzas 1, 6 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
N. Stollewerk sets stanzas 1, 2
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesConfirmed with Gedichte von Emanuel Geibel, Vierte Auflage, Berlin: Verlag von Alexander Duncker, 1845, pages 255-257.
Text Authorship:
- by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884), "Gute Nacht", appears in Jugendgedichte, in 3. Drittes Buch, in Athen [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Go to the general view
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2005-07-14
Line count: 66
Word count: 320
Twilight has already commenced,
The moon awakens as a shepherd
And to his cloud-lambs he sings
A song to wish them a good night;
And as he sings so softly,
From the circle of stars the sound
Comes delicately to my ears,
Sleep in peace, sleep in peace!
The day and its noises are past,
God's love is your coverlet
Everywhere, everywhere.
Now the birdlets in the branches
Are seeking their nest,
The haulms and flowers are inclining
Their heads in the moonlight,
And the even the waves of the millwheel
Leave off their wild surging
And, murmuring, they fall into slumber.
Sleep in peace, sleep in peace!
The day and its noises are past,
God's love is your coverlet
Everywhere, everywhere.
From door to door wanders
The dream, a welcome guest,
The harp-playing dies away
In the shimmering palace;
In the boat the ferryman is sleeping,
The shepherds upon the mountain
Are resting beside their fire.
Sleep in peace, sleep in peace!
The day and its noises are past,
God's love is your coverlet
Everywhere, everywhere.
And as all candles now
Are extinguished through the night,
The hurts that sun and day have brought
Also fall silent;
The cypresses sough softly,
A blessed forgetting
Wafts gently through the air.
Sleep in peace, sleep in peace!
The day and its noises are past,
God's love is your coverlet
Everywhere, everywhere.
And where a soulful eye
Blooms with hot tears,
And where a loving heart
Is consumed by uneasy yearning,
The dream comes quietly and gently
And to the sick child it sings
A comforting song of hope.
Sleep in peace, sleep in peace!
The day and its noises are past,
God's love is your coverlet
Everywhere, everywhere.
Good night then, all ye weary ones,
Ye dear ones far and near!
Now I, too, shall rest in peace
Until the morning star sparkles.
The nightingale alone
Still sings in the moonlight
And praises the Lord God.
Sleep in peace, sleep in peace!
The day and its noises are past,
God's love is your coverlet
Everywhere, everywhere.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesTranslations of titles:
"Abendstimmung" = "Sentiments at eventide"
"Gute Nacht" = "Good night"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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 Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884), "Gute Nacht", appears in Jugendgedichte, in 3. Drittes Buch, in Athen
Go to the general view
This text was added to the website: 2025-06-28
Line count: 66
Word count: 356