Auf, hebe die funkelnde Schale empor zum Mund,
Und trinke beim Freudenmahle dein Herz gesund.
Und wenn du sie hebst, so winke mir heimlich zu,
Dann lächle ich und dann trinke ich still wie du...

Und still gleich mir betrachte um uns das Heer
Der [trunknen Schwätzer]1 -- verachte sie nicht zu sehr.
Nein, hebe die blinkende Schale, gefüllt mit Wein,
Und laß beim lärmenden Mahle sie glücklich sein.

Doch hast du das Mahl genossen, den Durst gestillt,
Dann verlasse der lauten Genossen festfreudiges Bild,
Und wandle hinaus in den Garten zum Rosenstrauch,
Dort will ich [dich dann erwarten]2 nach altem Brauch,

Und will an die Brust dir sinken, eh du's [erhofft]3,
Und deine Küsse trinken, wie ehmals oft,
Und flechten in deine Haare der Rose Pracht.
O [komme]4, du wunderbare, ersehnte Nacht!

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ d'Albert: "trunkenen Schwätzer"; Strauss: "trunknen Zecher"
² d'Albert: "dich erwarten"
³ Strauss: "gehofft"
⁴ Strauss: "komm'"

Text Authorship:

• by John Henry Mackay (1864 - 1933), "Heimliche Aufforderung" [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 Eugen (Francis Charles) d'Albert (1864 - 1932), "Heimliche Aufforderung", op. 21 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1899 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "Heimliche Aufforderung", op. 27 (Vier Lieder) no. 3 (1894) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Exhortació secreta", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Heimelijke uitnodiging", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Lawrence Snyder) (Rebecca Plack) , "Secret invitation", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff)
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Invitation secrète", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Invito segreto", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• JPN Japanese (日本語) (Naoyuki Okada) , "ひそかな誘い", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , "Slaptas kvietimas", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "Invitación secreta", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Lawrence Snyder , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 138

Up, lift now the sparkling gold cup to the lip, and drink!
And leave not a drop in the goblet fill'd to the brink.
And as thou dost pledge me, let thine eyes rest on me,
Then I will respond to thy smile and gaze all silent on thee.

Then let thy eyes bright wander around o'er the comrades 
Gay and merry -- O [do]1 not despise them, love; 
Nay! lift up the sparkling goblet and join the sway.
Let them rejoice and be happy this festive day.

But, when thou hast drunk and eaten, no longer stay;
Rise and turn thine eyes from the drinkers, and hasten away!
And wending thy steps to the garden, where blush the roses
Fair, come the sheltering arbour! I'll meet thee there,

And soft on thy bosom resting let me adore
Thy beauty, drink thy kisses as oft before[.]
I’ll twine around thy fair forehead the roses white[.]
O, come, thou wondrous blissbestowing longed for night!