O komm zu mir, wenn durch die Nacht
Wandelt das Sternenheer,
Dann schwebt mit uns in Mondespracht
Die Gondel übers Meer.
Die Luft ist weich wie [Liebesscherz]1,
Sanft spielt [der goldne]2 Schein,
Die [Zither]3 klingt und zieht dein Herz
Mit in die Lust hinein.
[O komm zu mir, wenn durch die Nacht
Wandelt das Sternenheer,
Dann schwebt mit uns in Mondespracht
Die Gondel übers Meer.]4

[Das ist für Liebende die Stund',
Liebchen, wie ich und du;
So friedlich [blaut]5 des Himmels Rund,
Es schläft das Meer in Ruh.]6
Und wie es schläft, [da]7 sagt der [Blick]8,
Was [keine]9 Zunge spricht,
[Die Lippe]10 zieht sich nicht zurück,
[Und wehrt dem Kusse nicht.]11
[O komm zu mir, wenn durch die Nacht
Wandelt das Sternenheer,
Dann schwebt mit uns in Mondespracht
Die Gondel übers Meer.]4

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Grimm: "Liebesschmerz" [sic]
² Marschner: "im gold'nem"
³ Hensel: "Cither"
⁴ omitted by Petzold
⁵ Grimm: "ruht"
⁶ Schumann:

Dies ist für sel'ge Lieb' die Stund,
Liebchen, o komm und schau,
so friedlich strahlt des Himmels Rund,
es schläft des Meeres Blau.

⁷ Schumann: "so"
⁸ Grimm: "Mund"
⁹ Grimm, Hensel, Petzold, Schumann, Raff: "nie die"
¹⁰ Schumann: "Das Auge"
¹¹ Schumann: "zurück die Seele nicht"

Authorship:

• by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884), "Gondoliera", appears in Jugendgedichte, in 2. Zweites Buch, in Berlin [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

• a text in English by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Oh, come to me when daylight sets", appears in National Airs, volume I, first published 1818
  • Go to the text page.

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, "Gondoliera", op. 4 (Sechs Lieder) no. 6, published 1879 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Rörich [sung text not yet checked]
• by Günther Bartel (1833 - 1866), "Gondoliera", op. 18 (Zwei Gesänge für tiefere (oder mittlere) Stimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1884 [ medium voice or low voice and piano ], Düsseldorf, Modes [sung text not yet checked]
• by Sophie Bohrer (1828 - 1849), "Gondoliera", op. 7, published 1874 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Stuttgart, Stürmer [sung text not yet checked]
• by J. Ludwig Bruhns , "Gondoliera", published 1896 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 4, Lübeck, Kaibel [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ignaz Brüll (1846 - 1907), "Gondoliera ", op. 62 (Fünf Lieder für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1891 [ medium voice and piano ], Wien, Doblinger [sung text not yet checked]
• by Miquel Capllonch (1861 - 1935), "Gondoliera", op. 11 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1902 [ voice and piano ], Stuttgart, Luckhardt's Musik-Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
• by Karl Collan (1828 - 1871), "Gondoliera" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Robert Emmerich (1836 - 1891), "Gondoliera", op. 7 (2 Lieder) no. 1, published 1858 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Peters [sung text not yet checked]
• by Friedrich Wilhelm Franke (1862 - 1932), "Gondoliera", op. 5 (Fünfzehn Lieder und Gesänge), Heft 2 no. 2, published 1891 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
• by Peter Gast (1854 - 1918), "Gondoliera", op. 9 (Fünf Lieder für Tenor mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1900 [ tenor and piano ], Leipzig, Hofmeister  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Eugen Gottlieb , "O komm zu mir, wenn durch die Nacht", op. 2 no. 5, published 1900 [ tenor or mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Fünf Nachtlieder für Tenor (oder Mezzo-Sopran) und Pianofortebegleitung, no. 5, Leipzig, Weinberger [sung text not yet checked]
• by Julius Otto Grimm (1827 - 1903), "Gondoliera", op. 1 (Sechs Lieder) no. 5, published 1853 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Édouard de Hartog (1829 - 1909), "Gondoliera", op. 39 no. 2, published 1861 [ tenor and piano ], from Lieder-Cyklus : fünf Gedichte von Emanuel Geibel, no. 2, Winterthur, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text not yet checked]
• by Gustav Hasse (1834 - 1889), "Gondoliera ", op. 10 (Sechs Gesänge für gemischten Chor) no. 6, published 1875 [ mixed chorus ], Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
• by Fanny Hensel (1805 - 1847), "Gondellied", op. 1 (Sechs Lieder) no. 6 (1841) [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Alexis Holländer (1840 - 1924), "Gondoliera", op. 43 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1892 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
• by (Heinrich) Otto Jaritz , "Gondoliera", published 1876 [ voice and piano ], from Jugendträume. Acht Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 2, Hamburg, Hentze [sung text not yet checked]
• by Johann Wenzeslaus Kalliwoda (1801 - 1866), "Gondoliera ", op. 139 (Fünf Lieder) no. 1, published 1845 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Peters [sung text not yet checked]
• by Al. Kern , "Gondoliera", op. 2 (Drei Gedichte für Bariton (oder Alt) mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1855 [ baritone or alto and piano ], Wien, Haslinger [sung text not yet checked]
• by Karl August Kern (1836 - 1897), "Gondoliera", op. 4 no. 3, published 1845 [ voice and piano ], Hannover, Nagel [sung text not yet checked]
• by Richard Kleinmichel (1846 - 1901), "Gondoliera", op. 29 (Sechs Gesänge für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 6, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
• by Carl Machts (1846 - 1903), "Gondoliera", op. 29 (Vier Lieder für Sopran oder Tenor mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1874 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
• by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Gondoliera", op. 142 (Drei Gesänge) no. 1, published 1850 [ voice and piano ], Hannover, Nagel [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Erik Meyer-Helmund (1861 - 1932), "Gondoliera", op. 71 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1888 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Junne [sung text not yet checked]
• by Emil Nauwerk , "Gondoliera", op. 2 (Zwei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
• by Walter Rudolph Niemann (1876 - 1953), "Gondoliera", op. 3 (Vier Gesänge) no. 1 (1904) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hermann Nürnberg (1831 - 1894), "Gondoliera", op. 116, published 1875 [ voice and piano ], in Die musikalische Welt, Braunschweig, Litolff [sung text not yet checked]
• by Eugen Karl Petzold (1813 - 1889), "Gondoliera" [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Henry Hugo Pierson (1816 - 1873), "Serenade", published 1864 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Schuberth? [sung text not yet checked]
• by (Joseph) Joachim Raff (1822 - 1882), "Gondoliera", op. 51 (Fünf Lieder) no. 5 (1849-50), published 1853 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824 - 1910), "Gondoliera", op. 18 (Sechs Lieder und Gesänge) no. 2 (1847/8) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Franz Ries (1846 - 1932), "Gondoliera", op. 11 (4 Lieder für Bariton ) no. 3, published 1872 [ baritone and piano ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
• by Georg Rijken (1863 - 1948), "Gondoliera", op. 4 ([Vier] Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1885 [ voice and piano ], Rotterdam, Lichtenauer [sung text not yet checked]
• by Clara Schumann, née Wieck (1819 - 1896), "Gondoliera" [ mixed chorus ], from Drei gemischte Chöre, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Hugo Christian Ludwig Herkules Staehle (1826 - 1848), "Gondoliera" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Josef Stritzko (1861 - 1908), "Gondellied", op. 1 (4 Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 2, published 1890 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Rörich [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ernst Tschiderer (1830 - 1916), "Gondoliera", published 1883 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 3, Innsbruck, Gross [sung text not yet checked]
• by Max Wilhelm Karl Vogrich (1852 - 1916), "Gondoliera", published 1890 [ voice and piano ], from Erstes Lieder-Album, no. 2, Leipzig, Hofmeister [sung text not yet checked]
• by Severin Warteresiewicz (1852 - 1923), "Gondoliera", op. 10 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebleitung) no. 2, published 1889 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]

Set in a modified version by Charlotte Bauer, Heinrich Esser, Johanna Kinkel, née Mockel, Friedrich [Fritz] Kirchner, Karl Krall, Friedrich Wilhelm Kücken, Carl Pohlig, Karl Gottlieb Reissiger, Louis Schlottmann, Rudolf Eduard Thiele.

• Go to the text. [ view differences ] ENG
  

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

• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Gondola song", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Barcarolle", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Gianni Franceschi) , "Gondoliera", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2004-06-30
Line count: 24
Word count: 132

Oh come to me, when the legion of stars
wanders through the night!
Then, in the glory of moonlight,
the gondola will gently float with us over the sea!
The air is as soft as love's teasing,
the golden glow is playing gently. 
The zither sounds and draws your heart
along with it into joy. 
Oh come to me, when the legion of stars
wanders through the night!
Then, in the glory of moonlight,
the gondola will gently float with us over the sea!

[This is the blessed hour of love!]1
My darling, oh come and see!
The heavenly vault is glowing so peacefully,
the blueness of the sea is sleeping!
And as it sleeps, [our] glances speak
what [our] lips never dare to say. 
[Our] eyes do not retreat,
our souls do not shrink back. 
Oh come to me, when the legion of stars
wanders through the night!
Then, in the glory of moonlight,
the gondola will gently float with us over the sea!