Nuit d'été | Ô sombre rayonnement de la nuit d'été !

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Sommernacht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

O dunkelglühende Sommernacht!
Geigen locken im lauen Garten,
Leuchtkugeln blühen in weichen, zarten
Bogen empor. Meine Tänzerin lacht.

Heimlich schleich' ich davon. Die Zweige 
Blühender Träume dämmern blaß.
Ach, alle Lust geht so bald zur Neige,
Nur das Verlangen brennt ohne Unterlaß.

Wunderherrliche Sommernachtfeste
Meiner Jugend, wo seid ihr hin?
Alle Tänze, ob ich auch fröhlich bin,
Gleiten so kühl, es fehlt das Beste.

O dunkelglühende Sommernacht,
Laß mich doch einmal den träumeschweren
Becher der Lust bis zum Grunde leeren,
Der mich sättigt und endlich stille macht!

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, pages 185-186.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Sommernacht", subtitle: "(April 1909)", written 1909, appears in Unterwegs, first published 1911 [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 Heinz-Otto Hoffmann (b. 1902), "Sommernacht", 1932-47 [ voice and piano ], from 21 Lieder, no. 21 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Summer night", subtitle: "(April 1909)", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Nuit d'été", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2013-03-04
Line count: 16
Word count: 87

Nuit d'été

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Ô sombre rayonnement de la nuit d'été !
Des violons appellent dans les jardins tièdes,
Des lampions en doux et délicats arceaux
Fleurissent en l'air. Ma danseuse rit.

Je m'éclipse en secret. Les rameaux
De rêves fleuris pâlissent dans le soir.
Hélas, tout plaisir s'amenuise,
Seul le désir brûle sans cesse.

Merveilleuse fêtes des nuits d'été
De ma jeunesse, où êtes-vous passées ?
Toutes ces danses, même si j'en fus heureux,
Glissent froidement, il manque le meilleur.

Ô sombre rayonnement de la nuit d'été !
Laisse-moi encore une fois vider le gobelet
Lourd de rêves de plaisirs, jusqu'à la dernière goutte.
Il m'assouvira et finalement me calmera !

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2019 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Sommernacht", subtitle: "(April 1909)", written 1909, appears in Unterwegs, first published 1911
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2019-12-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 105