Night prayer | Oh, if you could see me worship now

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by Ernst Heinz Hess (b. 1881)

Translation © by Linda Godry

Nachtgebet

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

O sähst du mich jetzt beten
zu deinen [heiligtiefen]¹ Augen,
die fragend zu mir flehten
wie nach Liebe,
du schlössest deine tiefen Augen,
daß ich nicht drein [versinke]²
wie in Liebe.

O sähst du, wie ich bete
zu deiner kinderfrohen Seele,
[die bittend zu mir flehte
wie nach Leben,]³
es schwiege deine Kinderseele,
daß sie nicht untergehe
in meiner Liebe.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Marx

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Marx: "heilig tiefen"
² Marx: "vergehe"
³ omitted by Marx

Text Authorship:

by Ernst Heinz Hess (b. 1881) [author's text not yet checked 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 Ernst Adolf Boehe (1880 - 1938), "Nachtgebet", op. 1 no. 4 (1900), published 1900 [ voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 4, München, Schmid Nachf. [sung text checked 1 time]
by Joseph Marx (1882 - 1964), "Nachtgebet", 1910, published 1912 [ tenor and piano ], in Lieder und Gesänge, II. Folge, Nr. 26 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Linda Godry) , "Night prayer", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Prière de la nuit", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: John Versmoren , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 63

Night prayer

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Oh, if you could see me worship now
your sacred deep eyes,
who beseechingly question me
as if for love;
you would close your deep eyes,
so that I wouldn't drown
in your love.

Oh, if you could see me worship now
your innocent soul,
[that beseechingly questions me
as if for love;]
your innocent soul would remain silent
so that it wouldn't drown
In my love.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2004 by Linda Godry, (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 Ernst Heinz Hess (b. 1881)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2004-11-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 67