by Emanuel Geibel (1815 - 1884)
Translation © by Michael P Rosewall

Gute Nacht
 (Sung text for setting by N. Stollewerk)
 See original
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  DUT ENG ENG FRE
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
Ihr 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,
Und 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.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,2 of the original text.

Composition:

    Set to music by Nina (Anna) Stollewerk (1825 - 1914), "Gute Nacht", 1854, stanzas 1,2 [ ttbb quartet and chorus ], unpublished, confirmed with the manuscript in Huldigung der Tonsetzer Wiens an Ihre Majestät die allerdurchlauchtigste Frau Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, Kaiserin von Österreich, Königin von Ungarn und Böhmen etc. Überreicht von der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde des österreichischen Kaiserstaates 1854 held in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

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

  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Corien Sleeswijk) , "Goede Nacht", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


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

The twilight has already come upon us
 (Sung text translation for setting by N. Stollewerk)
 See original
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
The twilight has already come upon us,
The shepherding moon awakens,
And sings to the cloud lambs
A good night song;
And how quietly he sings,
So that, down from the stars’ orbit,
The sound gently reaches my ear:
Slumber in peace! Slumber in peace!
The day and its noises have ended;
God’s love blankets you
Completely.

Now, in the tree branches,
Little birds seek their nest.
The shoots and flowers bow
Their heads in the moon’s glow,
And even the waves of the millstream
Renounce their wild rushing
And, murmuring, fall asleep.
Slumber in peace! Slumber in peace!
The day and its commotion have ended;
God’s love blankets you
Completely.

 ...

About the headline (FAQ)

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,2 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2022 by Michael P Rosewall, (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.
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This text was added to the website: 2022-08-26
Line count: 66
Word count: 331