[Gelassen]1 stieg die Nacht an's Land,
Lehnt träumend an der Berge Wand,
Ihr Auge sieht die goldne Wage nun 
Der Zeit in gleichen Schalen stille ruhn;
  Und [kecker]3 rauschen die Quellen hervor,
  Sie singen der Mutter, der Nacht, in's Ohr
    Vom Tage,
  Vom heute gewesenen Tage.

Das uralt alte Schlummerlied,
Sie achtet's nicht, sie ist es müd';
Ihr klingt des Himmels Bläue süßer noch,
Der flücht'gen Stunden gleichgeschwung'nes Joch.
  Doch immer behalten die Quellen das Wort,
  Es singen die Wasser im Schlafe noch fort
    Vom Tage, 
  Vom heute gewesenen Tage.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Eduard Friedrich Mörike, Gesammelte Schriften, Erster Band, G. J. Göschen'sche Verlagshandlung, 1878, page 138.

¹ Franz, Wallnöfer: "Bedächtig" (from an earlier version of Mörike's poem)
² Wallnöfer: "ins"
³ Franz: "kecker nur"

Text Authorship:

• by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "Um Mitternacht" [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 Hans Erich Apostel (1901 - 1972), "Um Mitternacht", published 1957, Wien: Universal-Edition, Nr. 12826 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Helmut Barbe (b. 1927), "Um Mitternacht", 1999, published 2000 [ mixed chorus and harp ], from Gedanken über die Zeit, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Wilhelm Bein (1883 - 1966), "Um Mitternacht" [ men's chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Gottfried Bohnnblust (1883 - 1960), "Um Mitternacht" [sung text not yet checked]
• by John Böie (1822 - 1900), "Um Mitternacht", op. 18 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1856 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Fr. Schuberth [sung text not yet checked]
• by Max Bruch (1838 - 1920), "Um Mitternacht", op. 59 (Fünf Lieder) no. 1, published 1892 [ baritone and piano ], Brüssel, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Hugo Distler (1908 - 1942), "Um Mitternacht", op. 19 (Mörike-Chorliederbuch), Heft 1 no. 10 (1939) [ chorus ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Heimo Erbse (1924 - 2005), "Um Mitternacht", op. 17 (3 Mörike-Lieder) no. 2, published 1959 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Clara Mathilda Faisst (1872 - 1948), "Um Mitternacht ", op. 20 (Drei Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Klavierbegleitung ) no. 2 (1924-8) [ medium voice or low voice and piano ], Karlsruhe: Selbstverlag, später: Karlsruhe: Müller [sung text not yet checked]
• by Klaus Fischbach (b. 1935), "Um Mitternacht" [ mixed chorus a cappella or with four woodwinds ], from So im Vorüberwehn, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Dorothee Fischer (1894 - 1981), "Um Mitternacht" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "Um Mitternacht", op. 28 (Sechs Gesänge) no. 6, published 1857 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Whistling [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Detlev Glanert (b. 1960), "Um Mitternacht", 2003/4, published 2004, first performed 2004 [ tenor, mixed chorus, and orchestra ], from Mörike-Kantate, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hans Martin Gräbner (b. 1967), "Um Mitternacht", from Solang Du lebest, ist es Tag - Ein Liederzyklus für BL, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Hermann Große-Schware (b. 1931), "Um Mitternacht" [ chorus ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Josef Peter Heinzer (b. 1935), "Um Mitternacht", 1996/7 [ soprano or alto, violin, violoncello, and piano ], from 2 Lieder nach Gedichten von Eduard Mörike, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Thomas Hennig (b. 1964), "Um Mitternacht", 1992/3 [ soprano and piano ], from Neun kurze Lieder nach Gedichten von Eduard Mörike, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ferdinand von Hiller (1811 - 1885), "Um Mitternacht ", op. 100 (Neue Gesänge für eine Stimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte), Heft 3 no. 5, published 1863 [ voice and piano ], Stuttgart, Cotta [sung text not yet checked]
• by Tobias Hiller (b. 1966), "Um Mitternacht", 2004 [ mixed chorus a cappella ], from Musikalische Mörike-Kommentare, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Werner (Erich) Josten (1885 - 1963), "Mitternacht", published 191-? [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ernst Friedrich Kauffmann (1803 - 1856), "Um Mitternacht " [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Peter Jona Korn (b. 1922), "Um Mitternacht", op. 24 no. 2 (1954), published 1964 [ medium voice and piano ], from Der Pfarrer von Cleversulzbach, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Paul Lachner (1803 - 1890), "Um Mitternacht", op. 169 (Neun Gesänge für S., A., T. und B.) no. 3, published 1875 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], Leipzig, Forberg [sung text not yet checked]
• by Franz Paul Lachner (1803 - 1890), "Um Mitternacht", op. 145 (Drei leichte Terzetten für drei Frauenstimmen mit Begleitung des Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1871 [ vocal trio for female voices with piano ], Leipzig, Seitz [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Roland Leistner-Mayer (b. 1945), "Um Mitternacht", op. 69 no. 6 (1991), published 2001 [ chorus a cappella ], from Ein Lebenstag, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Emil Link , "Um Mitternacht", op. 15 (Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1880 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Raabe & Plothow [sung text not yet checked]
• by Gerhard Rabe (b. 1944), "Um Mitternacht", published 2003 [ mixed chorus a cappella or with chamber orchestra or piano ], from Flücht'ge Stunden, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Günter Raphael (1903 - 1960), "Um Mitternacht", 1943 [ six-part mixed chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Joseph (Gabriel) Rheinberger (1839 - 1901), "Um Mitternacht", op. 31 (Fünf Lieder für gemischten Chor) no. 3, published 1870 [ mixed chorus ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Frédéric Louis Ritter (1826 - 1891), "Um Mitternacht", op. 19 (Fünf Lieder für Männerchor) no. 2, published 1894 [ men's chorus ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
• by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Um Mitternacht", op. 62 (Sechs Gesänge) no. 4 (1861) [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Manfred Schlenker (1926 - 2023 ), "Um Mitternacht", published 2002 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Manfred Schlenker (1926 - 2023 ), "Um Mitternacht", published 2005 [ chorus ], from Sechs Mörike-Chorlieder, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Max Seifriz (1827 - 1885), "Um Mitternacht", op. 6 (Vier Gedichte für vierstimmigen Männerchor) no. 3, published 1877 [ four-part men's chorus ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
• by Manfred Trojahn (b. 1949), "Um Mitternacht" [ voice and piano ], from Drei Gesänge an Philomene, no. 1, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Adolf Wallnöfer (1854 - 1946), "Um Mitternacht", op. 97 (Duette für hohe und tiefe stimmen) no. 3 [ vocal duet with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Um Mitternacht", 1888, from Mörike-Lieder, no. 19 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Zebinger (b. 1946), "Um Mitternacht", 2001 [ eight-part mixed chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Max Zenger (1837 - 1911), "Um Mitternacht", op. 49 (Sieben fünfstimmige Chorgesänge) no. 5, published 1886 [ SSATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in German (Deutsch), [adaptation] ; composed by Michael Ostrzyga.
  • Go to the text.
    

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Wijtse Rodenburg) , no title, copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
• ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2013, (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: 16
Word count: 92

Night stepped on land at measured pace,
Leans dreaming on the mountains' face,
Her eye beholds time's golden pair of scales
Completely balanced at that time of day.
More boldly the springs rush forth and they ring,
In the ear of the night, their mother, they sing
Of the day 
that was today.

That age-old, ancient lullaby,
It tires her, shuts ear and eye;
To her the heaven's blue still sounds more sweet
And all the curvèd spans of hours that fleet.
But ever the springs their carols repeat,
The waters continually sing in their sleep
Of the day 
that was today.