At midnight | At midnight

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by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Um Mitternacht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FIN FRE ITA NOR POL POR SPA SWE

Um Mitternacht
[Hab']¹ ich gewacht
Und aufgeblickt [zum]² Himmel;
Kein Stern [vom]³ Sterngewimmel
Hat mir gelacht
Um Mitternacht.

Um Mitternacht
Hab' ich gedacht
Hinaus in dunkle Schranken.
Es hat kein Lichtgedanken
Mir Trost gebracht
Um Mitternacht.

Um Mitternacht
Nahm ich in Acht
Die Schläge meines Herzens;
Ein einz'ger Puls [des Schmerzens]⁴
War angefacht
Um Mitternacht.

Um Mitternacht
Kämpft' ich die Schlacht,
O Menschheit, deiner Leiden;
Nicht konnt' ich sie entscheiden
Mit meiner Macht
Um Mitternacht.

Um Mitternacht
Hab' ich die Macht
In deine Hand gegeben!
Herr über Tod und Leben
Du hältst die Wacht
Um Mitternacht!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Hiller • E. Zumsteeg

F. Hiller sets stanzas 1-3, 5

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Puchtler: "Bin"; further changes may exist not shown above. May be instead this text by B. Auerbach
² Hiller: "gen"
³ Hiller: "am"
⁴ Hiller: "der Schmerzen"

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), "Mitternacht" [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 Albert Hermann Dietrich (1829 - 1908), "Um Mitternacht", op. 16 (Sechs Lieder) no. 5 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Felix (August Bernhard) Draeseke (1835 - 1913), "Mitternacht", op. 24 no. 6, published 1884 [ voice and piano ], from Trauer und Trost. Sechs Gesänge, no. 6, Dresden, Hoffarth [sung text checked 1 time]
by Hans Fleischer (1896 - 1981), "Um Mitternacht", op. 81 (4 Männerchöre) no. 1 (1931) [ men's chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Ferdinand von Hiller (1811 - 1885), "Mitternacht", op. 129 (Zwölf Gesänge für Altstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 9, published 1867, stanzas 1-3,5 [ alto and piano ], Bremen, Cranz [sung text checked 1 time]
by Hugo Wilhelm Ludwig Kaun (1863 - 1932), "Mitternacht", op. 100 (Zwölf Lieder für eine Singstimme und Klavier) no. 2, published 1917 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Wilh. Zimmermann [sung text not yet checked]
by Hermann Linke , "Mitternacht", op. 3 (Zwanzig Lieder meist im Volkston) no. 14, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
by Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911), "Um Mitternacht", 1901-2, published 1905, from Fünf Rückertlieder, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Um Mitternacht", op. 128 ([Sieben] Lieder und Gesänge für Bass) no. 4, published 1844 [ bass and piano ], Hannover, Nagel [sung text not yet checked]
by Wilhelm Maria Puchtler , "Um Mitternacht bin ich erwacht", op. 6 (Drei Lieder für Sopran mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1879 [ soprano and piano ], Hannover, Nagel [sung text not yet checked]
by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824 - 1910), "Um Mitternacht", op. 18 (Sechs Lieder und Gesänge) no. 5 (1847/8) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Hermann Reutter (1900 - 1985), "Um Mitternacht", op. 54 (Vier Lieder) no. 3, published 1941 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Mitternacht", published 1881? [ voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder, no. 1, Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
by Max Zenger (1837 - 1911), "Mitternacht", op. 68 (5 Lieder für Männerchor) no. 2, published <<1892 [ men's chorus ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

by Emilie Zumsteeg (1796 - 1857), "Mitternacht", op. 6 (Lieder) no. 5, published 1842 [ voice and piano ], Stuttgart, Zumsteeg

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

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 30
Word count: 100

At midnight

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

 At midnight
 I awoke
 and gazed up to heaven;
 No star in the entire mass
 did smile down at me
 at midnight.

 At midnight
 I projected my thoughts
 out past the dark barriers.
 No thought of light
 brought me comfort
 at midnight.

 At midnight
 I paid close attention
 to the beating of my heart;
 One single pulse of agony
 flared up
 at midnight.

 At midnight
 I fought the battle,
 o Mankind, of your suffering;
 I could not decide it
 with my strength
 at midnight.

 At midnight
 I surrendered my strength
 into your hands!
 Lord! over death and life
 You keep watch
 at midnight!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), "Mitternacht"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 30
Word count: 104