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by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857)
Translation © by Jakob Kellner
Möcht wissen, was sie schlagen
Language: German (Deutsch)
Möcht wissen, was sie schlagen So schön bei der Nacht, 's ist in der Welt ja doch niemand, Der mit ihnen wacht. Und die Wolken, die reisen, Und das Land ist so blaß, Und die Nacht [wandert]1 leise Durch den Wald übers Gras. Nacht, Wolken, wohin sie gehen, Ich weiß es recht gut, Liegt ein Grund hinter den Höhen, Wo meine Liebste jetzt ruht. Zieht der Einsiedel sein Glöcklein, Sie höret es nicht, Es fallen ihre Löcklein Übers ganze Gesicht. Und daß sie niemand [erschrecket]2, Der liebe Gott hat sie hier Ganz mit Mondschein bedecket, Da träumt sie von mir.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 some versions of Eichendorff (and Franz and Pfitzner): "wandelt"
2 Herzogenberg: "wecket"
Text Authorship:
- by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Die Nachtigallen", appears in Gedichte, in 5. Totenopfer [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 Gottfried) Heinrich Bellermann (1832 - 1903), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 39 (Drei Gedichte für Bariton (oder hohen Alt) mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1890 [ bass or alto and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Elise Breiderhoff, née Frey (1849 - 1940), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 1 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Friedrich) August Bungert (1845 - 1915), "Sie schlummert", op. 49 no. 63, published 1894 [ low voice and piano ], from Neue Volkslieder nach alten und neuen Gedichte und Handwerker-Lieder, no. 63, Leipzig, Leede [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antal Doráti (1906 - 1988), "Die Nachtigallen", 1923-1924 [ voice and piano ], from Vier frühe Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Emmerich (1836 - 1891), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 16 (3 Lieder) no. 1, published 1860 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], Offenbach, André [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alexander von Fielitz (1860 - 1930), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 70 (Zwei Gedichte für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1899 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Wilhelm Franke (1862 - 1932), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 6 (Fünf Lieder für Alto oder Bariton mit Pianoforte) no. 5, published 1891 [ alto or baritone and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "Möcht wissen, was sie schlagen", op. 18 (Sechs Gesänge) no. 5, published 1853 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Whistling [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Gustav Hasse (1834 - 1889), "Möcht' wissen, was sie schlagen", op. 61 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1888 [ alto and piano ], Berlin, Simon [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Leopold) Heinrich (Picot de Peccaduc), Freiherr von Herzogenberg (1843 - 1900), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 91 no. 3, published 1895 [ high voice and piano ], from Elegische Gesänge für 1 hohe Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 3, Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Egon Kornauth (1891 - 1959), "Die Nachtigallen (Nächtliches Gedenken)", op. 37 (Sechs Lieder nach Eichendorff) no. 5 (1932) [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henry Mansfeldt , "Die Nachtigallen", published 1900 [ vocal duet for soprano and alto with piano ], from Drei Gedichte als Duette für Sopran und Alt mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 3, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Felix Josef Mottl (1856 - 1911), "Die Nachtigallen", published 1892 [ men's chorus ], from 19 Gedichte deutscher Dichter, Heft III, no. 1, Berlin, Fürstner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869 - 1949), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 21 no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824 - 1910), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 59 (Fünf Gesänge) no. 3 (1851) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Gottlieb Reissiger (1798 - 1859), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 140 (Sechs Lieder und Gesänge für Bass mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1838 [ bass and piano ], Dresden, Paul [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Heinrich Stuckenschmidt (1819 - 1870), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 5 (Vier Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1855 [ voice and piano ], Breslau, Leuckart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julius Weismann (1879 - 1950), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 43 (Fünf Lieder) no. 3 (1909/10), published 1912 [ voice and piano ], Tischer & Jagenberg [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Moritz Weyermann (1832 - 1888), "Die Nachtigallen", op. 1 (10 Gesänge für hohe Stimme) no. 1, published 1866 [ high voice and piano ], Elberfeld, Arnold [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Manuel Capdevila i Font) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Jakob Kellner) , "I would like to know what they sing", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Les rossignols", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Jakob Kellner
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 103
I would like to know what they sing
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
I would like to know what they sing so beautifully at night, though it is no one in the world who watches with them. And the clouds, they travel, and the land is so pale, and the night wanders silent through the forest over grass. Night, clouds, where they go to, I know it quite well, there lies a ground behind the Heights, where my love now rests. The hermit rings his bell, she cannot hear it, her locks fall whole over her face. And lest anyone startle her, God has covered her full with moonlight; there she dreams of me.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Jakob Kellner, (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 Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Die Nachtigallen", appears in Gedichte, in 5. Totenopfer
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 101