by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation Singable translation by Florence T. Jameson
Dämmrung senkte sich von oben
Language: German (Deutsch)
Dämmrung senkte sich von oben, Schon ist alle Nähe fern; Doch zuerst emporgehoben Holden Lichts der Abendstern! Alles schwankt in's Ungewisse, Nebel schleichen in die Höh'; Schwarzvertiefte Finsternisse Widerspiegelnd ruht der See. [Nun]1 [am]2 östlichen Bereiche Ahn' ich Mondenglanz und Gluth, Schlanker Weiden Haargezweige Scherzen auf der nächsten Fluth. Durch bewegter Schatten Spiele Zittert Luna's Zauberschein, Und durch's Auge [schleicht]3 die Kühle Sänftigend in's Herz hinein.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• J. Brahms • A. Diepenbrock • J. Grimm • F. Hensel • O. SchoeckAbout the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Goethe's Werke Stuttgart und Tübingen, Cotta'schen Buchhandlung, 1833, Band 47, page 52. Note: modern spelling would change "Gluth" to "Glut" and "Fluth" to "Flut".
1 Diepenbrock: "Dort,"2 some recent editions of Goethe's work have "im"
3 Grimm: "zieht"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in Chinesisch-deutsche Jahres- und Tageszeiten, no. 8 [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", op. 59 (Acht Lieder und Gesänge) no. 1 (1871), published 1880 [ low voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Alphons Diepenbrock (1862 - 1921), "Dämmrung", 1884 [ chorus ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Albert Hermann Dietrich (1829 - 1908), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", op. 12 (Fünf Lieder von Goethe) no. 4, published 1861 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julius Otto Grimm (1827 - 1903), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", op. 18 (Sechs Lieder und Gesänge) no. 3, published 1873 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Fanny Hensel (1805 - 1847), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", 1843 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Konrad Heubner (1860 - 1905), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", op. 2 (Sechs Lieder von Goethe für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 6, published 1883 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gideon Klein (1919 - 1945), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", op. 1 no. 3 (1940) [ high voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder = Tři písně, no. 3, also set in Czech (Čeština) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hermann (Ernst?) Levi (1839 - 1900), "Dämm'rung senkte sich von oben", published 1899 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Drei Gedichte von Goethe für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 3, München, Halbreiter [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arnold Mendelssohn (1855 - 1933), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", published 1900 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge, no. 24, Berlin, Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfgang Michael Rihm (1952 - 2024), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", 2004-7, first performed 2007 [ baritone and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Dämmrung senkte sich von oben", op. 19a no. 2 (1909-14) [ voice and piano ], from Lieder nach Gedichten von Goethe, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Czech (Čeština), a translation by Erich Adolf Saudek (1904 - 1963) , copyright © ; composed by Gideon Klein.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
- ENG English [singable] (Florence T. Jameson) , "Twilight from above has fallen"
- FRE French (Français) [singable] (Frieda Boutarel) (Amédée Boutarel) , "L'ombre tombe lente et pâle"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , no title, copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2020, (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: 16
Word count: 66
Twilight from above has fallen
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Twilight from above has fallen, dimly mingling near and far, But, her light benign revealing, mounts aloft the evening star! In the wavering light uncertain shadowy wreaths of mist arise; Brooding blackness on the bosom of the waters mirrored lies. Now the eastern sky is brightening with the moon's first silver gleam; slender, airy waving willows sport and flutter o'er the stream. Luna sheds her light enchanting where the flitting shadows dart, and the peace and cool of evening charm the eye and soothe the heart.
From a Schoeck score.
Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation by Florence T. Jameson , "Twilight from above has fallen" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in Chinesisch-deutsche Jahres- und Tageszeiten, no. 8
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson
This text was added to the website: 2008-02-06
Line count: 16
Word count: 86