I hear in the night

by Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (1846 - 1908)

Translation Singable translation by Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934)

Jeg hører i Natten

Language: Danish (Dansk)

Jeg hører i Natten
fra stille Skove
et Raab, som af: hjælp mig,
min Gud!
Jeg rejser mig, lytter,
kan ikke sove,
jeg kaldes, jeg kommer
derud.

Jeg vækker i Natten
de slumrende Skove
med hviskende Stemme:
hvem dér?
I Natten, med Ret til
at tie og sove,
staar søvntunge Buske
og Trær.

Jeg ængstes, som var det
for meget at vove,
jeg løfter min Stemme:
hvem dér?
Jeg lytter. Fra søvntunge,
slumrende Skove
spørger mig Ekko:
hvem dér?

Jeg iler i Natten
fra stille Skove,
jeg grubler, jeg grunder;
min Gud!
Jeg lægger mig, lytter,
kan ikke sove.
Hvem er jeg? hvordan ser
jeg ud?

About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship:

by Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (1846 - 1908), no title, appears in Sange til en Søster, no. 3 [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 Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934), "Jeg hører i Natten", 1901, from Five Danish Songs, no. 4, also set in English, also set in German (Deutsch) [ sung text checked 1 time]
by Christian Sinding (1856 - 1941), "Jeg hører i Natten", op. 8 (6 Sänge til Tekster af H. Drachmann) no. 4, published 1889 [medium voice and piano], Christiania (Oslo): Carl Warmuth [ sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, a translation by Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934) , "I hear in the night" ; composed by Frederick Delius.
Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jelka Rosen (Delius) (1868 - 1935) , "Ich hör' in der Nacht" ENG ; composed by Frederick Delius.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-07-25
Line count: 32
Word count: 106

I hear in the night

Language: English after the Danish (Dansk)

I hear in the night
From the sleeping forest 
A cry: Ah help me
My God!
I listen trembling, 
Cannot sleep,
They call me, 
I hasten 
Outside.

I wake in the night
The sleeping forest 
With whispering voice: 
Who’s there?
In darkness, where all 
Is still and silent
Stand sleepily bushes 
And trees.

I’m frightened as if
I had dared too much
And call again:
Who’s there?
I listen. From sleepheavy
Slumbering forests
There comes back the echo: 
Who’s there?

I hasten at night 
From the quiet forest, 
I anxiously think
My God!
I lie still, I listen,
Can sleep no more. 
Who am I? And where 
Am I bound?

Authorship:

Singable translation by Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934), "I hear in the night" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Danish (Dansk) by Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (1846 - 1908), no title, appears in Sange til en Søster, no. 3

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934), "I hear in the night", 1901, from Five Danish Songs, no. 4, also set in Danish (Dansk), also set in German (Deutsch) [ sung text verified 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2017-06-01
Line count: 33
Word count: 110