Light in the night | Dark night all around, enveloping me in black

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by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910)

Translation © by Elisabeth Siekhaus

Licht in der Nacht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE FRE

Ringsum dunkle Nacht, hüllt in Schwarz mich ein,
zage flimmert gelb fern her ein Stern!
Ist mir wie ein Trost, eine Stimme still,
die dein Herz aufruft, das verzagen will.

Kleines gelbes Licht, bist mir wie der Stern
überm Hause einst Jesu Christ, des Herrn
und da löscht es aus. Und die Nacht wird schwer!
Schlafe Herz. Schlafe Herz. Du hörst keine Stimme mehr.

Text Authorship:

by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910), "Licht in der Nacht", appears in Irrgarten der Liebe. Verliebte, launenhafte und moralische Lieder, Gedichte und Sprüche aus den Jahren 1885 bis 1900, in Lieder [author's text not yet checked 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 Heinrich, Freiherr von Bach (1835 - 1915), as Heinrich Molbe, "Licht in der Nacht", op. 105 (Sechs Lieder von Otto Julius Bierbaum für eine Singstimme mit Klavierbegleitung) no. 4, published 1903 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Rudolf C. Lindner & Rörich [sung text not yet checked]
by Alma Mahler (1879 - 1964), "Licht in der Nacht", published 1915 [ voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Hans Heinz Scholtys (1900 - 1945), "Licht in der Nacht" [ voice and piano ], from 94 Lieder, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Elisabeth Siekhaus) , "Light in the night", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Lumière dans la nuit", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Lumière dans la nuit", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 64

Light in the night

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Dark night all around, enveloping me in black,
Timidly a star flickers yellow from afar!
It's to me like a comfort, a quiet voice,
Which calls on your heart that wants to give up.

Little yellow light, you are like a star to me
Above the house of Jesus Christ the Lord, once,
And there it goes out!  Und the night turns heavy!
Sleep, my heart!  You hear no voice any more!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2007 by Elisabeth Siekhaus, (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 Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910), "Licht in der Nacht", appears in Irrgarten der Liebe. Verliebte, launenhafte und moralische Lieder, Gedichte und Sprüche aus den Jahren 1885 bis 1900, in Lieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2007-10-15
Line count: 8
Word count: 72