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Wie schön bist du, Freundliche Stille, himmlische Ruh! - Sehet, wie die klaren Sterne Wandeln in des Himmels [Aun]1, Und auf uns [herniederschaun]2, Schweigend [aus der blauen Ferne]3. Wie schön bist du, Freundliche Stille, himmlische Ruh! - Schweigend naht des Lenzes Milde Sich der Erde weichem Schooß, Kränzt den Silberquell mit Moos, Und mit Blumen die Gefilde. Wie schön bist du, Freundliche Stille, himmlische Ruh! - Wenn nicht mehr des Wetters Wogen Um den Himmel tobend ziehn, Donner krachen, Blitze sprühn, Blüht des Friedens stiller Bogen. Wie schön bist du, Freundliche Stille, himmlische Ruh! - Wo der Wellen rauh Getümmel Schweigt, des Meeres Brausen ruht, In der unbewegten Fluth Glänzt der klare, blaue Himmel. Wie schön bist du, Freundliche Stille, himmlische Ruh! - Nicht zu Salems hohen Thoren, Zu der Königsstädte Pracht Stieg die heil'ge Wundernacht, Aus des Urlichts Quell gebohren. Wie schön bist du, Freundliche Stille, himmlische Ruh! - Engelchöre sangen Lieder In des Nachthauchs leisem Wehn, Und auf Bethlehms stille Höhn Schwebten Seraphim hernieder. - Wie schön bist du, Freundliche Stille, himmlische Ruh! - In des Kindes zarter Hülle, In der heil'gen Mutter Schooß, Auf der Krippe weichem Moos Lag des ew'gen Lichtes Fülle!
F. Schubert sets stanzas 1-2
G. Höller sets stanzas 1-2
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Festbüchlein. Eine Schrift für das Volk von F. A. Krummacher. Zweites Bändchen. Das Christfest. Duisburg und Essen, bei Bädeker und Kürzel, Universitätsbuchhändlern. 1810, pages 170-171.
Note: This is the first version of Krummacher's Die Stille. He published a different version of this poem in 1821, see below.
1 Höller, Schubert: "Auen"2 Höller, Schubert: "hernieder schauen"
3 Höller: "auf den weiten See-en"
Text Authorship:
- by Friedrich Adolf Krummacher (1768 - 1845), "Die Stille", first published 1810 [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 Georg Augustin Höller (1744 - 1814), "An die Stille", stanzas 1-2 [ four-part men's chorus a cappella ], note: the score misattributes the poem to Lenau ; confirmed with Die Sängerhalle: allgemeine deutsche Gesangvereinszeitung für das In- und Ausland, issue no. 16, published 1863, in Musikalischer Lorbeerkranz, Leipzig: Ernst Schäfer, pages 127 - 128 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Die Nacht", op. 17 no. 4, D 983C (<<1823), published 1823, stanzas 1-2 [ ttbb quartet ], Cappi & Diabelli, VN 1176, Wien [sung text checked 1 time]
Another version of this text exists in the database.
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) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Michael Berridge) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Daniel Faure) , copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 42
Word count: 188
How beautiful you are, Friendly silence, heavenly calm! - Look at how the bright stars Are moving across the meadows of heaven, And how they are looking down on us In silence out of the blue distance. How beautiful you are, Friendly silence, heavenly calm! - The gentleness of spring is approaching in silence Towards the soft womb of the earth, It is garlanding the silver spring with moss And the fields with flowers. How beautiful you are, Friendly silence, heavenly calm! - When the waves of the storm Are no longer raging around the sky, With thunder rumbling and lightning flashing, The quiet bow of peace will blossom. How beautiful you are, Friendly silence, heavenly calm! - Wherever the rough tumult of the waves Falls silent, where the roaring of the sea calms down, In the unruffled waters The clear, blue sky shines out. How beautiful you are, Friendly silence, heavenly calm! - It was not to Salem's lofty gateways Or to the majesty of royal cities That the sacred miraculous night ascended, Born from the spring of primeval light. How beautiful you are, Friendly silence, heavenly calm! - Choirs of angels sang In the gentle stirring of the night air, And over the quiet heights of Bethlehem, Seraphim floated down. How beautiful you are, Friendly silence, heavenly calm! - In the tender covering of a child, In the sacred womb of a mother, On a crib of soft moss The fullness of eternal light lay down!
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"An die Stille" = "To silence"
"Die Nacht" = "Night"
"Die Stille" = "Silence"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Adolf Krummacher (1768 - 1845), "Die Stille", first published 1810
This text was added to the website: 2020-12-25
Line count: 42
Word count: 241