When it is already night in the valley | When it is already night in the valley

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wenn es Nacht schon im Thale

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  Wenn es Nacht schon im Thale,
Doch von oben noch glüht, 
Wenn mit blutrothem Strahle 
Die Sonne versprüht: 
  O wie klar sind zu sehen, 
O wie scharf alle Höhn, 
O wie prangend sie stehen, 
O wie wunderbar schön! 

  Jede Zacke hell schimmernd, 
Als wär sie von Gold, 
Jedes Zweiglein hell flimmernd 
Malt am Himmel sich hold; 
  Und je höher du spähest 
Hinauf aus dem Thal, 
Ist's nicht, ob du sähest 
Alle Blättlein zumal? 

  Mein Herz, und hast geweinet 
Du bang noch zur Stell, 
Wenn fort dir nur scheinet 
Das Himmelslicht hell! 
  Ach, je mehr dir will grauen
Blick nach oben, und klar 
Wirst Alles du schauen, 
Was dunkel dir war.

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, pages 102-103.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Wenn es Nacht schon im Thale", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 114 [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 Johann Gottlieb Laib (1806 - 1866) [sung text not yet checked]
by Karl Franz Lauterberg (1825 - 1871) [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Müller (1830 - 1905), "Wenn es Nacht schon im Thale", op. 22 (Vier geistliche Lieder von Friedrich Oser) no. 2, published 1871 [ ttbb chorus ], Leipzig: R. Seitz [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl Santner (1819 - 1885) [sung text not yet checked]
by Philipp Tietz (1816 - 1878) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "When it is already night in the valley", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-07-25
Line count: 24
Word count: 111

When it is already night in the valley

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  When it is already night in the valley,
Yet from above there is still a glow,
When with a blood-red beam
The sun dissolves:
  Oh, how clearly may be seen
Oh, how sharply defined are all the heights,
Oh, how resplendently they stand,
Oh, how wondrously beautiful!

  Every peak shimmers brightly,
As if it were made of gold,
Flickering brightly, every little branch 
Outlines itself beautifully against the sky;
  And the higher you look
Up out of the valley,
Is it not as if you could see
All the little leaflets individually?

  My heart, and if you only just
Wept anxiously at this spot,
If only the heavenly light continues
To shine brightly for you!
  Ah, the more dread you feel,
Gaze upward and you shall
Clearly see everything
That you could only perceive darkly.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 by Sharon Krebs, (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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Wenn es Nacht schon im Thale", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 114
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-08-12
Line count: 24
Word count: 136