LiederNet logo

CONTENTS

×
  • Home | Introduction
  • Composers (20,138)
  • Text Authors (19,558)
  • Go to a Random Text
  • What’s New
  • A Small Tour
  • FAQ & Links
  • Donors
  • DONATE

UTILITIES

  • Search Everything
  • Search by Surname
  • Search by Title or First Line
  • Search by Year
  • Search by Collection

CREDITS

  • Emily Ezust
  • Contributors (1,114)
  • Contact Information
  • Bibliography

  • Copyright Statement
  • Privacy Policy

Follow us on Facebook

×

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Robert Reinick (1805 - 1852)
Translation © by Corien Sleeswijk

Wellen blinkten durch die Nacht
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT DUT ENG FRE
Wellen blinkten durch die Nacht,
Blass der Mond am Himmel stand,
Mägdlein saß an Ufers Rand,
Hielt bei ihren Leinen Wacht,
Sang in leisen Melodein
In die weite Nacht hinein:

Bleiche, bleiche weisses Lein,
In des stillen Mondes Hut!
Bist du bleich, dann bist du gut,
Bist du bleich, dann bist du rein,
Bleiche, bleiche weisses Lein!
Bleich muss alles Ende sein.

Sonne gibt zu lichten Schein,
Läßt dem Herzen keine Rast;
Ist der Tag nur erst erblasst,
Wird das Herz auch ruhig sein.
Bleiche, bleiche weisses Lein!
Bleich muss alles Ende sein.

War ein töricht Mägdelein,
Rot und frisch mein Angesicht;
Rote Wangen taugen nicht,
Locken Unglück nur herein.
Bleiche, bleiche weisses Lein!
Bleich muss alles Ende sein.

Eile dich und bleiche fein!
Hab' ja treu gewartet dein;
Legt man mich ins Grab hinein,
Deck' in Frieden mein Gebein!
Bleiche, bleiche weisses Lein!
Bleich muss alles Ende sein!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Schumann 

R. Schumann sets stanzas 2-5

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Reinick (1805 - 1852), appears in Lieder eines Malers mit Randzeichnungen seiner Freunde, first published 1838 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Wilhelm Reinhard Berger (1861 - 1911), "Wellen blinkten durch die Nacht", op. 13 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte ) no. 4, published 1883 [ voice and piano ], Bremen, Praeger & Meier [sung text not yet checked]
  • by (Ludwig) Bernhard Hopffer (1840 - 1877), "Der Bleicherin Nachtlied", published 1886 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 2, Berlin, Ries & Erler  [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Der Bleicherin Nachtlied", op. 91 (Romanzen für Frauenstimmen (Heft 2)) no. 5 (1849), published 1851, stanzas 2-5 [ vocal quartet for 2 sopranos and 2 altos with piano ], Bonn, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Paul Trauttenfels (b. 1849), "Der Bleicherin Nachtlied", published 1886 [ three-part women's chorus ], from [Vier] Gesänge und Lieder für dreistimmigen Frauenchor, no. 1, Leipzig, Robolsky [sung text not yet checked]

Set in a modified version by Julie Baroni-Cavalcabò, Joseph Dessauer, Ernest Fritsch, Joseph Rheinberger, Louis [Ludwig] Spohr.

  • Go to the text. [ view differences ] ENG

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Corien Sleeswijk) , "Nachtlied van een bleekster", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Nachtlied van de bleekster", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Night Song of the Bleaching Girl", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant de nuit de la blanchisseuse", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2007-02-24
Line count: 30
Word count: 149

Nachtlied van een bleekster
Language: Dutch (Nederlands)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Bleek, wit linnen,
onder de hoede van de stille maan!
Ben je bleek, dan ben je goed,
ben je bleek dan ben je schoon.
Bleek, wit linnen!
Bleek moet alles eindigen.
 
Zonneschijn is te hel,
gunt het hart geen pauze;
Als de dag maar eerst verbleekt,
zal het hart ook rust vinden.
Bleek, wit linnen!
Bleek moet alles eindigen.
 
'k Was een dwaas maagdeken,
rood en fris mijn aangezicht;
rode wangen deugen niet,
trekken maar ongeluk aan.
Bleek, wit linnen!
Bleek moet alles eindigen.
 
Haast je en bleek zorgvuldig!
Ik heb immers trouw op je gewacht;
legt men mij in het graf,
dek dan in vrede mijn gebeente!
Bleek, wit linnen!
Bleek moet alles eindigen.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2007 by Corien Sleeswijk, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.

    Corien Sleeswijk.  Contact: ejacobs (AT) chello (DOT) nl


    If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to: licenses@email.lieder.example.net


Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Robert Reinick (1805 - 1852), appears in Lieder eines Malers mit Randzeichnungen seiner Freunde, first published 1838
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-12
Line count: 24
Word count: 115

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

Donate

We use cookies for internal analytics and to earn much-needed advertising revenue. (Did you know you can help support us by turning off ad-blockers?) To learn more, see our Privacy Policy. To learn how to opt out of cookies, please visit this site.

I acknowledge the use of cookies

Contact
Copyright
Privacy

Copyright © 2025 The LiederNet Archive

Site redesign by Shawn Thuris