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Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Ruhe, heilige Nacht!
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Russian (Русский) 
Our translations:  ENG ITA
Ruhe, heilige Nacht!
Dämmerig scheint der Mond.
Süß ist, o Mädchen, dein Kuß
Während der ruhigen Nacht.

Freundin, im Dunkel der Nacht
Wie kann ich traurig noch sein?
Hell wie die Sterne bist du
Während der ruhigen Nacht.

Freundin, die Sterne sind schön.
Und auch die Trauer ist süß;
Du bist das Liebste mir doch
Während der heiligen Nacht.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Russian (Русский) by Afanasy Afanas'yevich Fet (1820 - 1892), written 1842
    • 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 Pauline Viardot-García (1821 - 1910), "Ruhige, heilige Nacht", VWV 1038 (1862) [ voice and piano ], also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942), "Heilige Nacht", op. 2 (Dreizehn Lieder für eine Singstimme und Klavier), Heft 1 no. 1 (1894-6), published 1897 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Holy night", copyright ©
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Gianni Franceschi) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 59

Holy night
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
 Be calm, holy night!
 Dimly shines the moon.
 Sweet is your kiss, O maiden,
 during the calm night.
 
 My friend, in the darkness of the night
 how can I still be sad?
 You are bright as the stars
 during the calm night.
 
 My friend, the stars are fair,
 and sadness is also sweet;
 but for me, you are the loveliest
 during the holy night.

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.
    licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892)
    • Go to the text page.

Based on:

  • a text in Russian (Русский) by Afanasy Afanas'yevich Fet (1820 - 1892), written 1842
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 65

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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