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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation Singable translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Um Mitternacht, wenn die Menschen erst...
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE
Um Mitternacht, wenn die Menschen [erst]1 schlafen,
[Dann]2 scheinet uns der Mond,
[Dann]2 leuchtet uns der Stern,
Wir wandeln und singen,
Und tanzen erst gern.

Um Mitternacht, wenn die Menschen [erst]1 schlafen,
Auf Wiesen an den Erlen
Wir suchen unsern Raum,
[Und]3 wandeln und singen
Und tanzen einen Traum.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Stöhr •   E. Wolff 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
Poem headed by:
   ...Der Mond ist unendlich schön, 
   Ich bin durch die neuen Wege gelaufen 
   da sieht die Nacht himmlisch drein. Die Elfen sangen.
1 omitted by Wolff
2 Wolff: "Da"
3 Stöhr: "Wir"

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, from Briefe an Charlotte Stein [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 Robert Kahn (1865 - 1951), "Elfenliedchen", op. 75 (45 Lieder für dreistimmigen Chor a capella) no. 27 (1924) [ three-part chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Julius Kniese (1848 - 1905), "Elfenliedchen", op. 12 (Fünf Lieder für 1 mittlere Stimme und Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1900 [ medium voice and piano ], Berlin, Fürstner [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Bohuslav Martinů (1890 - 1959), "Elfenliedchen", H 94 no. 2 (1915) [ voice and piano ], from Čtyři malé písně na Goethův text = Four Little Songs to a Text by Goethe, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), "Elfenliedchen", op. 6 no. 3, from Neun Lieder von W. Goethe, no. 3, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Friedrich Niggli (1875 - 1959), "Um Mitternacht", op. 14 (Sechs Lieder) no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Margarete Schweikert (1887 - 1957), "Elfenliedchen", op. 3 (Sechs Lieder) no. 3 (1910), published 1912 [ voice and piano ], München: Wunderhorn-Verlag [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Richard Stöhr (1874 - 1967), "Elfensang", op. 20 (5 Lieder nach Gedichten von Goethe) no. 2 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Karl Weigl (1881 - 1949), "Die Elfen sangen", op. 8 (Fünf Frauenlieder für eine mittlere Stimme und Klavier = 5 Songs for young women for a middle voice and piano) no. 1 (1904-6), published 1914 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Karl Weigl (1881 - 1949), "Die Elfen sangen", op. 25 (8 Frauenchöre a capella) no. 7 (1906), published 1933 [ three- or four-part women's chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Julius Weismann (1879 - 1950), "Elfenliedchen", op. 4 (Zehn Lieder) no. 9 (1900/1) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Erich J. Wolff (1874 - 1913), "Elfensang", op. 15 (Drei Lieder von Goethe) no. 2, published 1907 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942), "Elfenlied", op. 22 (Sechs Lieder) no. 4 (1934), published c1977 [ soprano and piano ], Hillsdale, N. Y. : Mobart Music Publications [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Hermann Karl Josef Zilcher (1881 - 1948), "Elfenlied", op. 51 no. 9, published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Dorel Handman.
    • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
  • Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner.
    • Go to the text.

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

  • ENG English [singable] (A. Rosenthal) , "The fairies sang"
  • ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff) , "Song of the elves"
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant des elfes", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 49

Pesenka E`l`fov
Language: Russian (Русский)  after the German (Deutsch) 
V polnochny'j chas, kogda lyudi zasnuli,
Nam svet svoj l`et luna, 
siyaet nam zvezda, 
Porxaem, manczuem, 
poem my' togda.

V polnochny'j chas, kogda lyudi zasnuli,
Chrez roshhu po polyane 
my' mchimsya na prostor,
Porxaem, poem 
i manczuem grezu sna.

Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST

Note on Transliterations

Show untransliterated (original) text

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, from Briefe an Charlotte Stein
    • 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 Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), "Песенка Эльфов", op. 6 no. 3, from Neun Lieder von W. Goethe, no. 3, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-10-20
Line count: 10
Word count: 39

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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