by (Ferdinand August) Otto Heinrich, Graf von Loeben (1786 - 1825), as Heinrich Goeble
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA
Wenn die Sonne niedersinket,
Und der Tag zur Ruh sich neigt,
Luna freundlich leise winket,
Und die Nacht herniedersteigt;

Wenn die Sterne prächtig schimmern,
Tausend Sonnenstrahlen flimmern:
Fühlt die Seele sich so groß,
Windet sich vom Staube los.

Schaut so gern nach jenen Sternen,
Wie zurück ins Vaterland,
Hin nach jenen lichten Fernen,
Und vergißt der Erde Tand;

Will nur ringen, will nur streben,
Ihre Hülle zu entschweben:
Erde ist ihr eng und klein,
Auf den Sternen möcht sie sein.

Ob der Erde Stürme toben,
Falsches Glück den Bösen lohnt:
Hoffend blicket sie nach oben,
Wo der Sternenrichter thront.

Keine Furcht kann sie mehr quälen,
Keine Macht kann ihr befehlen;
Mit verklärtem Angesicht,
Schwingt sie sich zum Himmelslicht.

Eine leise Ahnung schauert
Mich aus jenen Welten an;
Lange nicht mehr dauert
Meine Erdenpilgerbahn,

Bald hab ich das Ziel errungen,
Bald zu euch mich aufgeschwungen,
Ernte bald an Gottes Thron
Meiner Leiden schönen Lohn.

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Cançó de capvespre sota un cel estrellat", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Avondlied onder een sterrenhemel", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Evening song under a starry sky", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant du soir sous un ciel étoilé", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Canto della sera sotto il cielo stellato", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 153

Evening song under a starry sky
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
 When the sun sets
 and the day tilts to its rest,
 Luna beckons gently and kindly,
 and night descends.

 When the stars gleam splendidly,
 and a thousand sunbeams shimmer:
  the soul feels so wonderful,
 it wrenches loose from the dust.

 It gazes so gladly at those stars,
 as if it were looking back to its homeland;
  it gazes at those far things,
 and forgets all worldly trifles.

 It wants only to struggle, it wants only to strive,
 and to float free of its mortal frame:
 the world is too narrow and small;
  among the stars would it like to live.

 Whether earth's storms rage,
 or false fortune rewards evil,
 it gazes hopefully upward,
 to where the Star-judge sits enthroned.

 No fear can torment it any longer,
 no power can command it; 
 with a transfigured face,
 it soars upward toward the heavenly light.

 A vague premonition creeps up on me
 from another world:
 not much longer will last
 my earthly pilgrimage.

 Soon I will have attained my goal,
 soon I will have risen up to you.
 I will soon reap at God's throne
 the beautiful reward of my earthly sorrows.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 190