by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Der du von dem Himmel bist
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Available translation(s): AFR CAT DUT ENG FRE FRL GRE HUN ITA SPA
Der1 du [von dem Himmel]2 bist,
[Alles Leid]3 und Schmerzen [stillest]4,
Den, der doppelt elend ist,
Doppelt mit [Erquickung füllest]5,
Ach ich bin des Treibens müde!
[Was soll all der Schmerz und Lust?]6
Süßer Friede,
Komm, ach komm in [meine]7 Brust!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Goethe’s Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Erster Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. 1827, page 109.

First published in Christliches Magazin Herausgegeben von Joh. Konrad Pfenninger, Dritter Band, 1780, page 243, with the musical setting by Ph. Ch. Kayser.

1 Backer-Grøndahl’s score has a comma after this word (likely a typo)
2 Kirchner: "von den Himmeln"; Hiller, Milcke: "vom Himmel" (further changes may exist not shown above)
3 Rust: "Kummer, Leid"
4 Schubert: "stillst"
5 Schubert: "Entzückung füllst"
6 Rust: "Bangen Schmerzes, wilder Lust,"; Arnim and J. Marx: "Was soll all der Schmerz, die Lust?"
7 Backer-Grøndahl: "meiner" (likely a typo)

Authorship:

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

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

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

  • AFR Afrikaans [singable] (Robert Schall) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Trekkers nachtlied", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Wanderer's night song", copyright ©
  • ENG English (Edgar Alfred Bowring) , "The wanderer's night-song", appears in The Poems of Goethe, first published 1853
  • ENG English [singable] (Charles Fonteyn Manney) , "O thou who from heaven art", first published 1911
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le chant de nuit du voyageur I", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRL Friulian (Ermes Culos) , "Tu ch'i ti vèns dal paradìs", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Canto notturno del viandante II", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Lewis Grenville) , "La cancion nocturna del caminante", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 41

Wanderer's night song
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
You who are from heaven,
You quiet all sorrow and pain;
And he who is doubly wretched
You fill with twice as much [comfort]1.
Ah! I am tired of being driven!
For what is all this pain and joy?
Sweet peace,
Come, ah, come into my heart!

View original text (without footnotes)
1 for Schubert's version: "delight"

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 -- https://www.lieder.net/

    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: 8
Word count: 47