Ein endlos breites Schweigen
Fällt durch die Nacht wie steinern Schnee
Und aus der unermessnen Flucht der See
Die Fische in das Dunkel steigen.
Sie singen eine Weise
Dreitönig kaum.
Danach zuckt eigensam der Raum.
Danach legt sich in Sand die [Woge]1 leise.
Und wenige, die es hören,
Wissen: die Nacht ist wunderbar;
Den vielen andern wird dies nimmer klar.
Das [ists]2 warum sie sich empören.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• J. Gessinger Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with Hellmut Draws-Tychsen, Mein Westpreußenland: ein Cyclus Heimatlieder, Danzig: Danziger Verlags-Gesellschaft, 1929, page 11.
Note for Gessinger's song: when stanza 1, line 4 is repeated at the end of the song, the altered text "aus dem Dunkel" becomes "aus dem Dunkeln".
1 Gessinger: "Welle"
2 Gessinger: "ist' "
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):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The fish are singing", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Sharon Krebs
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2022-09-28
Line count: 12
Word count: 68
A broad, endless silence
Falls through the night like stony snow
And from the immeasurable fleeing of the sea
The fish [descend into]1 the darkness.
They sing a lay
Of barely three tones.
Thereafter, the expanse twitches peculiarly.
Thereafter, the wave lies down softly in the sand.
And few who hear it
Know: night is wondrous;
The many others shall never comprehend it.
That is why they are outraged.