June night | Fill the goblets, flourish your hats

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by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Juninacht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Füllt die Becher, schwenkt die Hüte, 
Weckt mit Jubelklang die Nacht, 
Kränzt mit Ros' und Rebenblüte 
Eure Stirne glutentfacht! 
  Denn die Blüte fällt,
  Und das Glas zerschellt,
Eh' ihrs genossen und eh' ihrs gedacht! 

Nur das flüss'ge Gold der Rebe,
Nimmer das Metall im Schacht,
Nur das Blut des Weines lebe,
Nicht das Blut, das schmeichelnd lacht:
  Ach! die Münze rollt,
  Ach! die Lippe grollt,
Eh' ihrs genossen und eh' ihrs gedacht! 

Lernt den Augenblick erhaschen 
Als den Geist, der schafft und wacht, 
Und in Zügen, vollen, raschen,
Sei ihm höchste Huld gebracht:
  Denn die Glut verraucht,
  Denn der Geist verhaucht,
Eh' ihrs genossen und eh' ihrs gedacht.

Confirmed with Gesammelte Werke von Adolf Böttger, Erster Band: Lyrische Gedichte, Leipzig: Verlag der Dürr'schen Buchhandlung, 1865, pages 345-346.

Text Authorship:

by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870), "Juninacht", appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in 5. Vermischte Gedichte [author's text checked 2 times 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 Victor Ernst Nessler (1841 - 1890), "Juninacht", op. 62 no. 4, published 1873 [ four-part men's chorus a cappella ], from Vier Frühlingslieder für vierstimmigen Männerchor, no. 4, Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "June night", subtitle: "(Drinking song)", copyright © 2024, (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: 2012-05-03
Line count: 21
Word count: 108

June night

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Fill the goblets, flourish your hats,
Waken the night with rejoicing sounds,
Garland with roses and grape blossoms
Your hot, enflamed brow!
  For the blossoms fall
  And the glass shatters,
Before you have savoured and before you would think!

May only the liquid gold of the grapevine,
Never the metal in the mineshaft,
May only the blood of the wine live,
Not the blood that enticingly laughs:
  Alas, the coin rolls,
  Alas, the lips grumble,
Before you have savoured and before you would think!

Learn to seize the moment
As the spirit that achieves and keeps watch,
And in draughts, full, rapid [draughts],
May the greatest favour be bestowed upon it:
  For the blaze dies in smoke,
  For the spirit wafts away,
Before you have savoured and before you would think!

Subtitle: "(Drinking song)"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870), "Juninacht", appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in 5. Vermischte Gedichte
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-06-07
Line count: 21
Word count: 131