[Wann]1 über Berge sich der Nebel breitet,
Und Luna mit Gewölken kämpft,
So nimmt der Alte seine [Harf']2, und schreitet,
Und singt waldeinwärts und gedämpft:
      "Du heil'ge Nacht!
      Bald ist's vollbracht.
      Bald schlaf ich ihn
      Den langen Schlummer,
      Der mich erlöst 
      Von [jedem]3 Kummer."
   Die grünen Bäume rauschen dann,
   Schlaf süß du guter alter Mann;
   Die Gräser lispeln wankend fort,
   Wir decken seinen Ruheort;
   Und mancher [traute]4 Vogel ruft,
   O [laßt]5 ihn ruh'n in Rasengruft! -

Der Alte horcht, der Alte schweigt -
Der Tod hat sich zu ihm geneigt.

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Johann Mayrhofer. Wien. Bey Friedrich Volke. 1824, page 12.

¹ Schubert: "Wenn"
² Schubert: "Harfe"
³ Schubert: "allem"
⁴ Schubert: "liebe"
⁵ Schubert (Alte Gesamtausgabe): "laß"

Authorship:

• by Johann Baptist Mayrhofer (1787 - 1836), "Nachtstück" [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 Franz Wilhelm Abt (1819 - 1885), "Nachtstück", op. 148 (Drei Gesänge für vierstimmigen Männerchor) no. 1, published 1857 [ ttbb chorus a cappella ], Braunschweig: C. Weinholtz [sung text not yet checked]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Nachtstück", op. 36 (Zwei Lieder) no. 2, D 672 (1819), published 1825 [ voice, piano ], Cappi und Comp., VN 60, Wien [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Nocturn", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Nachtstuk", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Nocturne", copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Nocturne", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Paolo Pupillo) (Claretta Manara) , "Notturno", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• SPA Spanish (Español) (Juan Henríquez Concepción) , "Nocturno", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 90

 Quando sui monti si spande la nebbia
 e Luna combatte contro le nuvole,
 prende il vecchio la sua arpa e s'incammina,
 inoltrandosi nel bosco canta sommesso:

 "Tu notte santa:
 presto sarà compiuto,
 presto mi addormenterò, nel lungo sonno
 che mi libera da ogni pena". 

 Allora mormorano gli alberi verdi:
 "dormi pure tranquillo, buon vecchio";
 le erbe bisbigliano, sempre inchinandosi:
 "noi proteggiamo il luogo del suo riposo";

 e gli uccelletti cantano:
 "oh, fatelo riposare nella tomba del prato!" 
 Il vecchio ascolta, il vecchio tace,
 la morte gli è accanto.