The moonlit evening | The sky is pure and friendly as it laughs

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by Johann Gottfried Kumpf (1781 - 1862), as Ermin

Translation © by Malcolm Wren

Der Mondabend

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

Rein und freundlich lacht der Himmel
Nieder auf die dunkle Erde;
Tausend goldne Augen blinken
Lieblich in die Brust der Menschen,
Und des Mondes lichte Scheibe
Segelt heiter durch die Bläue.

Auf den goldnen Strahlen zittern
Süßer Wehmuth Silbertropfen,
Dringen sanft mit leisem Hauche
In das stille Herz voll Liebe,
Und befeuchten mir das Auge
Mit der Sehnsucht zartem Thaue.

Funkelnd prangt der Stern des Abends
In den lichtbesäten Räumen,
Spielt mit seinen Demantblitzen
Durch der Lichte Duftgewebe,
Und viel' holde Engelsknaben
Streuen Lilien um die Sterne.

Schön und hehr ist wohl der Himmel
In des Abends Wunderglanze;
Aber meines Lebens Sterne
Wohnen in dem kleinsten Kreise:
In das Auge meiner Silli
Sind sie alle hingezaubert.

Confirmed with Selam. Ein Almanach für Freunde des Mannigfaltigen, Herausgegeben von I.F.Castelli, Vierter Jahrgang 1815, Wien, gedruckt und im Verlage bey Anton Strauß, pages 288-289.

Text Authorship:

by Johann Gottfried Kumpf (1781 - 1862), as Ermin, "Der Mondabend", first published 1815 [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 (Joseph) Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896), "Der Mondabend", 1850-1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Der Mondabend", op. posth. 131 (Drei Lieder) no. 1, D 141 (1815), published 1830 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El vespre a la llum de la lluna", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Avond met maanlicht", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "The moonlit evening", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le soir au clair de lune", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Richard Morris , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 116

The moonlit evening

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The sky is pure and friendly as it laughs
Down onto the dark earth.
A thousand golden eyes glow
Lovingly in human breasts
And the bright disc of the moon
Sails serenely through the blueness.

Glittering on the golden rays are
Silver drops of sweet sadness.
With light breath they gently infuse
The quiet heart, filling it with love,
And they moisten my eye
With the gentle dew of longing.

The evening star gleams magnificently
In the light strewn firmament.
With its diamond sparkle it plays
Through the hazy veil of light
And many noble angel children
Scatter lilies around the stars.

The sky is truly beautiful and sublime
In the miraculous glow of evening,
But the stars of my life
Live in the smallest of circles:
In the eye of my Silli
That is where a spell has cast them.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Malcolm Wren, (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 Johann Gottfried Kumpf (1781 - 1862), as Ermin, "Der Mondabend", first published 1815
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-09-10
Line count: 24
Word count: 141