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by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827)
Translation Singable translation by Eleonore D'Esterre-Keeling (1856 - 1939)

Guten Abend, lieber Mondenschein!
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE
"Guten Abend, lieber Mondenschein!
Wie [blickst]1 mir so traulich ins Herz hinein!
Nun sprich, und laß dich nicht lange fragen,
Du hast mir gewiß [einen]2 Gruß zu sagen,
    [Einen]2 Gruß von meinem Schatz!" --
 
"Wie [sollt']3 ich bringen den Gruß zu dir?
[Du hast ja]4 keinen Schatz bei mir;
Und was mir da unten die [Burschen]5 sagen,
Und was mir die Frauen und Mädchen klagen,
    Ei, das versteh' ich nicht." --
 
"Hast Recht, [mein]6 lieber Mondenschein,
Du darfst auch Schätzchens Bote nicht sein;
Denn thätst [du zu tief]7 ihr ins Auge sehen,
Du könntest ja [nimmermehr]8 untergehen,
    [Schienst]9 ewig nur für sie.“
 
[Dies]10 Liedchen ist ein Abendreih'n,
Ein Wandrer sang's im Vollmondschein;
Und die es lesen bei Kerzenlicht,
Die Leute [verstehen]11 das Liedchen nicht,
    Und ist doch kinderleicht.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   F. Draeseke •   R. Fischhof •   N. Gade •   L. Grünberger 

N. Gade sets stanzas 1-3

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Wilhelm Müller, mit Einleitung und Anmerkungen herausgegeben von Max Müller, Erster Theil, Leipzig: F.A. Brockhaus, 1868, page 34

1 Grünberger: "blickst du"
2 Grünberger: "'nen"
3 Draeseke, Fischhof: "soll"
4 Draeseke, Fischhof: "Hab' ich doch"; Grünberger: "Hast ja"
5 Draeseke, Grünberger: "Bursche"
6 Draeseke, Fischhof: "du"
7 Gade: "zu tief du"
8 Grünberger: "nimmer"
9 Grünberger: "Scheinst"
10 Grünberger: "Das"
11 Grünberger: "versteh'n"

Text Authorship:

  • by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Abendreihn", appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 1, in Reiselieder, in Wanderlieder eines rheinischen Handwerksburschen, no. 5 [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 Louis Anger (1813 - 1870), "Abendreihn", op. 2 (Sechs Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1841 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Whistling [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Felix (August Bernhard) Draeseke (1835 - 1913), "Abendreih'n", op. 17 no. 1, published 1894 [ high voice and piano ], from Buch des Frohmuths. Sechs heitere Gesänge, no. 1, Dresden, Hoffarth [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Robert Fischhof (1856 - 1918), "Abendreih'n", from Drei Lieder, no. 3, Wien: J. Gutmann, Kunst- u. Musikalienhandlung [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817 - 1890), "Abendreihn", op. 9 no. 2, published 1845, stanzas 1-3 [ vocal duet for 2 sopranos with piano ], from Lieder im Volkston [first published as Neun Lieder im Volkston], no. 2, Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel, also set in English, also set in French (Français) [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Carl Georg Peter Grädener (1812 - 1883), "Abendreihn", op. 44 no. 6, published 1869 [ medium voice, piano ], from Zehn Reise- und Wanderlieder von Wilhelm Müller, no. 6, Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann  [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ludwig Grünberger (1839 - 1896), "Abendreih'n", op. 51 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte), Heft 1 no. 3, published 1889 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt Nachf. [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Fanny Hensel (1805 - 1847), "Abendreihn", 1823 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ferdinand von Hiller (1811 - 1885), "Guten Abend lieber Mondenschein", op. 28 (6 Gesänge für vierstimmigen Männerchor) no. 2, published 1844 [ four-part men's chorus ], Offenbach, André [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Friedrich Gustav Jansen (1831 - 1910), "Abendreih'n", op. 41 no. 1, published 1875 [ voice and piano ], in Die musikalische Welt, Braunschweig, Litolff [sung text not yet checked]
  • by R. von Knebel-Döberitz , "Guten Abend, lieber Mondenschein", published 1880 [ vocal duet for 2 sopranos with piano ], from Zwei Duette für zwei Soprane mit Pianoforte, no. 2, Berlin, Bahn [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Guten Abend, lieber Mondenschein!", op. 61 (Sechs Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte) no. 2 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Erik Meyer-Helmund (1861 - 1932), "Abendreihn", op. 37 (Zwei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 2, published 1887 [ voice and piano ], Magdeburg, Heinrichshofen Verl. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Emil Nauwerk , "Abendreih'n", op. 10 (Drei Lieder) no. 3, published 1880 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Franz Otto (1809 - 1842), "Liebchens Bote", op. 20 no. 4, published 1877 [ vocal quartet of male voices ], from Sechs vierstimmige Lieder für Männerstimmen, no. 4, Regensburg, Coppenrath [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Max Reger (1873 - 1916), "Abendreihn", op. 38 (Sieben Männerchöre) no. 6, published 1900 [ men's chorus ], München, Aibl Verl. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824 - 1910), "Abendreih'n", published 1892 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder-Album für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung , no. 4, Berlin, Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824 - 1910), "Abendreih'n", published 1875 [ alto and piano ], from Zwei Lieder für Alt mit Pianoforte, no. 2, Berlin, Erler [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Karl Gottlieb Reissiger (1798 - 1859), "Guten Abend, lieber Mondenschein ", op. 96 (Ernste und heitere Lieder) no. 4, published 1834, from Ernste und heitere Lieder für Mezzosopran, Alt, Bariton oder Bass, no. 4, Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Otto Schmidt , "Im Mondenschein", op. 9 (Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1881 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Weinholtz [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Richard Senff (1858 - 1932), "Abendreih'n", op. 9 no. 5, published 1886 [ men's chorus a cappella ], from Wanderlieder. Fünf Quartette für Männerchor, no. 5, Berlin, Paez [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl Friedrich Zöllner (1800 - 1860), "Guten Abend, lieber Mondenschein", op. 14 no. 4, published 1854 [ four-part men's chorus a cappella ], from Wanderlieder, no. 4, Leipzig: A. H. Hirsch [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, a translation by Eleonore D'Esterre-Keeling (1856 - 1939) ; composed by Niels Wilhelm Gade.
      • Go to the text.
  • Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Niels Wilhelm Gade.
      • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant du soir", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2007-07-04
Line count: 20
Word count: 126

Good evening, dearest moon, to thee
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Good evening, dearest moon, to thee!
Why look’st thou so merrily down on me?
Now speak, nor let me my brain be tasking;
Thou hast, I am sure, a gift for the asking,
    A message from my belov’d.
 
How should I bring a gift to thee?
No treasure of thine was left with me:
And with no message can I be laden,
Since for vain prattle of wife or maiden
    Nothing at all care I.
 
Thou art not, gentle moon, to blame!
I would not tell thee my darling’s name;
For, did’st thou look in her eyes so bright,
The rest of the world would lose thy light,
    Thou would’st shine for her alone.

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation by Eleonore D'Esterre-Keeling (1856 - 1939) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Abendreihn", appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 1, in Reiselieder, in Wanderlieder eines rheinischen Handwerksburschen, no. 5
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817 - 1890), "Good evening, dearest moon, to thee", op. 9 no. 2, published 1845 [vocal duet for 2 sopranos with piano], from Lieder im Volkston [first published as Neun Lieder im Volkston], no. 2, Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel, also set in German (Deutsch), also set in French (Français) [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2016-05-05
Line count: 15
Word count: 114

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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