Message of love | The moon is shining above the heath

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by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Liebesbotschaft

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Der Mond scheint über die Heide,
Die Luft ist mild und rein: 
Und wär' ich bei meinem Liebchen, 
Wie fröhlich wollt' ich sein! 

Ein Vogel kommt geflogen:
Ach, wüßt' er mein Herzeleid!
Er würde gern mein Bote,
Ihm wäre kein Weg zu weit.

Der Vogel flog zum Walde --
Wer will mein Bote sein? 
Schon kommen düstre Wolken
Und hüllen den Himmel ein. 

So trag du meine Gedanken,
Du goldner Mondenstrahl! 
Grüß mir mein fernes Liebchen,
Viel tausend-tausendmal!

Confirmed with Hoffmann's von Fallersleben Gesammelte Werke. Herausgegeben von Dr. Heinrich Gerstenberg, Zweiter Band: Lyrische Gedichte: Kinderleben. Die vier Jahreszeiten, Berlin, F. Fontane, 1891, pages 77-78.

Text Authorship:

by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874), "Liebesbotschaft", written 1854 [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 Franz Wilhelm Abt (1819 - 1885), "Liebesbotschaft", op. 150 (3 Lieder für Mezzo-Sopran oder Bariton mit Begleitung des Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1857 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], Hamburg, Fritz Schuberth [sung text not yet checked]
by Benjamin Hamma (1831 - 1911), "Liebesbotschaft", op. 62 (Lieder für Mezzosopran (Alt oder Bariton) mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1885 [ low voice and piano ], Stuttgart: Arnold [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Message of love", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2020-07-29
Line count: 16
Word count: 77

Message of love

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The moon is shining above the heath,
The air is soft and pure:
And were I only with my love,
How happy I should be!

A bird comes a-flying:
Ah, if it but knew the sorrow of my heart!
It would gladly become my messenger,
No journey would be too long for it.

The bird flew to the forest --
Who wishes to be my messenger?
Dark clouds are already coming
And shrouding the heavens.

Therefore you, carry my thoughts,
You golden moonbeam!
Greet my distant beloved
Many thousand, thousand times!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874), "Liebesbotschaft", written 1854
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-01-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 91