by Johann Gabriel Seidl (1804 - 1875)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Nachthelle
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA
Die Nacht ist heiter und ist rein,
Im allerhellsten Glanz:
Die Häuser schaun verwundert drein,
Stehn übersilbert ganz.

In mir ist's hell so wunderbar,
So voll und übervoll,
Und [waltet drinnen]1 frei und klar,
Ganz ohne Leid und Groll.

Ich faß' in meinem Herzenshaus
Nicht all das reiche Licht:
Es will hinaus, es muß hinaus,
[Ich halt' es länger nicht]2!

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Joh. Gabr. Seidl's Dichtungen. Zweiter Theil. Lieder der Nacht. [...] Von Johann Gabriel Seidl. Wien. Druck und Verlag von J. P. Sollinger. 1826, page 35; with Lieder der Nacht. Von Johann Gabriel Seidl. Zweite, verbesserte und vermehrte Auflage. Wien, 1851. Druck und Verlag von J. P. Sollinger's Witwe, page 42; and with Joh. Gabr. Seidl's gesammelte Schriften. Mit einer Einleitung von Julius von der Traun. Herausgegeben von Hans Max. Erster Band. [...] Wien, 1877. Wilhelm Braumüller k.k. Hof- und Universitätsbuchhändler, pages 38-39.

1 Seidl (1851 and 1877 editions): "innen waltet's"
2 Schubert, and Seidl (1851 and 1877 editions): "Die letzte Schranke bricht"

Text Authorship:

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 Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Nachthelle", op. posth. 134, D 892 (1826), published 1839, first performed 1827 [ tenor and vocal quartet of male voices with piano ], A. Diabelli & Co., VN 6265, Wien [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Claror de la nit", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Heldere nacht", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Bright night", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Nuit brillante", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Gianni Franceschi) , "Chiarore della notte", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Thierry Morice , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 62

Bright night
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
The night is calm and pure,
in brightest radiance;
the houses look out with astonishment,
standing shimmering with silver.

Within me it is also wonderfully bright,
so full and overflowing,
and it prevails there free and clear,
entirely without sorrow or complaint.

I cannot contain within my heart
all of this rich light;
it wants to burst out, and it must burst out;
the last barrier breaks.

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.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 67