by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884)
Translation © by Malcolm Wren

Nun die Schatten dunkeln
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Available translation(s): ENG ENG ENG FRE
[Nun]1 die Schatten dunkeln,
Stern [an]2 Stern erwacht:
Welch ein Hauch der Sehnsucht
Flutet [in der]3 Nacht!

Durch das [Meer]4 der Träume
Steuert ohne Ruh',
[Steuert]5 meine Seele
Deiner Seele zu.

Die sich dir ergeben,
Nimm sie ganz dahin!
Ach, du weißt, daß nimmer
Ich mein eigen bin.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Emanuel Geibel, Juniuslieder, Stuttgart und Tübingen: J.G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1848, page 34.

1 Lewy: "Wenn"; further changes may exist not shown above.
2 Bolko von Hochberg: "bei"
3 Bolko von Hochberg, Hermann, Rubinstein, Zumpe: "durch die"
4 Bolko von Hochberg: "Reich"
5 Hermann: "Sehnend"

Authorship:

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

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), [adaptation] ; composed by Johann Wenzeslaus Kalliwoda.

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

  • ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "Now the shadows are darkening", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , "For music", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English [singable] (Constance Bache) (William Stigand, né Stigant) , "Now the shades are deep'ning"
  • ENG English (Andrew Schneider) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 48

Now the shadows are darkening
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Now the shadows are darkening
star after star is waking up:
what a breath of longing
is flooding through the night!

Across the sea of dreams,
steering ceaselessly
my soul is steering
towards your soul.

Anything that surrenders to you
is to be taken completely.
Oh, you know, that I am no longer
my own.

Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2005 by Malcolm Wren, (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.
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Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2005-04-11
Line count: 12
Word count: 55