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Der Mond ist aufgegangen,
[Die goldnen Sternlein prangen]1
Am Himmel hell und klar.
Der Wald steht schwarz und schweiget,
Und aus den Wiesen steiget
Der weisse Nebel wunderbar.
Wie ist die Welt so stille,
Und in der Dämmrung Hülle
So traulich und so hold!
Als eine stille Kammer,
Wo ihr des Tages Jammer
Verschlafen und vergessen sollt.
Seht ihr den Mond dort stehen? -
Er ist nur halb zu sehen,
Und ist doch rund und schön!
So sind wohl manche Sachen,
Die wir getrost belachen,
Weil unsre Augen sie nicht sehn.
Wir stolze Menschenkinder
Sind eitel arme Sünder,
Und wissen gar nicht viel.
Wir spinnen Luftgespinnste
Und suchen viele Künste,
Und kommen weiter von dem Ziel.
Gott, laß [uns dein Heil]2 schauen,
Auf nichts Vergänglichs trauen,
Nicht Eitelkeit uns freun!
Laß uns einfältig werden,
Und vor dir hier auf Erden
Wie Kinder fromm und fröhlich seyn!
* * *
Wollst endlich sonder Grämen
Aus dieser Welt uns nehmen
Durch einen sanften Tod!
Und, wenn du uns genommen,
Laß uns [im]3 Himmel kommen,
Du [unser Herr und unser]4 Gott!
So legt euch denn, ihr Brüder,
In Gottes Namen nieder;
Kalt ist der Abendhauch.
Verschon' uns, Gott! mit Strafen,
Und laß uns ruhig schlafen!
Und unsern kranken Nachbar auch!
F. Schubert sets stanzas 1-5
P. Geisler sets stanzas 1-2, 5
F. Gernsheim sets stanzas 1-5
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with ASMUS omnia sua SECUM portans, oder Sämmtliche Werke des Wandsbecker Bothen, IV. Theil. Beym Verfasser, und in Commißion bey Friedrich Perthes in Hamburg. [1782], pages 91-92; with Poetische Blumenlese für das Jahr 1779. Herausgegeben von Joh. Heinr. Voß. Hamburg, bei Carl Ernst Bohn, pages 184-186; and with Johann Gottfried Herder's Volkslieder. Nebst untermischten andern Stücken. Zweyter Theil. Leipzig, in der Weygandschen Buchhandlung, 1779, pages 297-298.
Note: Herder's Volkslieder prints only the first five stanzas, and Claudius (in his ASMUS complete edition) separates the first five stanzas with three asterisks from the remaining two.
1 This line is a quotation from Paul Gerhardt's 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder' (a text in the same verse form used by Claudius here)2 Geisler, Gernsheim, Schubert: "dein Heil uns"
3 Claudius (Musenalmanach), Geisler, Gernsheim: "in"
4 Claudius (Musenalmanach): "lieber treuer frommer"
Text Authorship:
- by Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815), "Abendlied" [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 Stephan Baekers , "Abendlied", 1977, from Die Tageszeiten, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Barth (1818 - 1897), "In der Nacht", op. 2 no. 2, published 1834 [ voice and piano ], from Trümmer : Vier Gedichte, no. 2, Wien, Diabelli et Co.; note: this may be the wrong text for this setting [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Friedrich Hugo, Freiherr von Dalberg (1760 - 1812), "Abendlied", c1795 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich Elkamp (1812 - 1868), "Der Mond ist aufgegangen", op. 5 (12 Lieder), Heft 2 no. 7, published 1834 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gottfried Emil Fischer (1791 - 1841), "Abendlied", published 1842 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Geisler (1856 - 1919), "Abendlied", stanzas 1-2,5 [ alto, mixed chorus, and orchestra or piano ], from Sansara für Chor, Soli und Orchestra, no. 9, the piano reduction by Friedrich Spiro was published in 1889 by Raabe & Plothow, Berlin [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Friedrich Gernsheim (1839 - 1916), "Abendlied", subtitle: "Aus Herder's Stimmen der Völker", published 1903, stanzas 1-5 [ voice and piano ], in the collection Im Volkston: moderne Volkslieder komponiert für Die Woche, Druck und Verlag von August Scherl G.m.b.H. Berlin [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Miriam Gideon (1906 - 1996), "Abendlied", 1937 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Ferdinand Halter (1750 - 1806), "Abendlied", published 1782 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antonio Müller-Herrneck , "Abendlied", published 1899 [ alto and piano ], from Acht Lieder für Alt-Stimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 6, Frankfurt a/M., Steyl & Thomas [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Abendlied", 1779-81 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1739 - 1796), "Abendlied", published 1784 [ voice and piano ], from Oden und Lieder aus den besten deutschen Dichtern, Erste Sammlung, no. 15 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Abendlied", op. 52 no. 10 (1937) [ voice and piano ], from Wandsbecker Liederbuch: Liederfolge nach Gedichten von Matthias Claudius, no. 10, Wien: Universal Edition [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Abendlied", D 499 (1816), published 1885, stanzas 1-5 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (1747 - 1800), "Abendlied", published 1782-90 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Carl Theodor) Oskar Ulmer (1883 - 1966), "Abendlied", op. 42 (Drei Abendlieder) no. 3 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Carsten Hauch (1790 - 1872) ; composed by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Avondlied", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Evening Song", copyright ©
- ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "Evening song", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant du soir", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Canto della sera", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 43
Word count: 206
The moon has been arising,
the stars in golden guising
adorn the heavens bright.
The woods stand still in shadows,
and from the meads and meadows
lift whitish mists into the night.
The world in stillness clouded
and soft in twilight shrouded,
so peaceful and so fair.
Just like a chamber waiting,
where you can rest abating
the daytime's mis'ry and despair.
Behold the moon - and wonder
why half of her stands yonder,
yet she is round and fair.
We follow empty visions
and artisans' ambitions
because our minds are unaware.
We vain and wretched sinners
presume to be the winners,
but we know nothing yet.
So many neat solutions
are nought but great delusions
that farther off the path us get.
God, grant us Thy salvation!
No worldly aspiration,
no vanity allow!
Like children simple-hearted,
and joyful like we started,
let us become and teach us how!
* * *
And lastly, grant us leaving
the world without much grieving,
let peaceful be our death.
When from the earth You take us,
let heaven's joy await us:
stand by us, Lord, at our last breath.
So, brothers, in His keeping
prepare yourself for sleeping;
cold is the evening breeze.
Spare us, oh Lord, Your ire,
let rest us by the fire,
and grant our ailing neighbour peace.
The translator wishes to acknowledge many helpful suggestions from fellow translator Walter A. Aue.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815), "Abendlied"
This text was added to the website: 2006-11-19
Line count: 43
Word count: 218