Sie [haben]1 heut' abend Gesellschaft
Und das Haus ist lichterfüllt.
Dort oben am [hohen]2 Fenster
Bewegt sich ein Schattenbild.

Du [siehst]3 mich nicht, im Dunkeln
Steh' ich hier unten allein,
Noch weniger kannst du schauen
In mein dunkles Herz hinein.

Mein dunkles Herze liebt dich,
Es liebt dich und es bricht,
[Es]4 bricht und zuckt und verblutet,
[Du aber]5 siehst es nicht.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Geisler, Thalberg: "hat"
² Lachner, Molitor, Pfitzner: "hellen"
³ Lachner, Molitor, Pfitzner: "schaust"
⁴ Pfitzner: "Und"
⁵ Lachner, Molitor, Pfitzner: "Aber du"

Text Authorship:

• by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 60 [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 Paul Geisler (1856 - 1919), "Sie hat heut abend Gesellschaft", op. 1 no. 2, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], from Gesänge für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung. 1. Folge. Zwölf Dichtungen von Heine und Rückert, no. 2, Berlin, Bote & Bock  [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Paul Lachner (1803 - 1890), "Ihr Schattenbild", op. 49 (Sechs deutsche Gesänge) no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Adolf Fredrik Lindblad (1801 - 1878), "Sie haben heut' abend Gesellschaft", 1870-1880 [ voice and piano ], from Sånger och Visor vid Pianoforte. Efterlemnade Sånger, no. 191 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Richard Metzdorff (1844 - 1919), "Sie haben heut' abend Gesellschaft", op. 9 (Drei Lieder) no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Gregor Molitor (1867 - 1926), "Sie haben heut' abend Gesellschaft", published 1890 [ voice and piano ], from Elf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 9, München, Lederer [sung text checked 1 time]
• by H. Neupert , "Sie haben heut' abend Gesellschaft", from Fünf Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Marlos Nobre de Almeida (b. 1939), "Sie haben heut abend Gesellschaft", op. 90 no. 3 (2000) [ baritone and piano ], from Kleine Gedichte, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869 - 1949), "Sie haben heut' abend Gesellschaft", op. 4 no. 2 (1888-9), published 1893 [ medium voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder für mittlere Stimme und Klavier nach Texten von Heinrich Heine, no. 2, Frankfurt a/M., Firnberg [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Louis Samson , "Sie haben heut' abend Gesellschaft" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Leander Schlegel (1844 - 1913), "Sie haben heut' abend Gesellschaft", op. 22 (Vier Lieder) no. 2, published 18--? [sung text not yet checked]
• by Sigismund Thalberg (1812 - 1871), "Im Dunkeln", op. 13 (Sechs deutsche Lieder, Drittes Heft) no. 6 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Das Schattenbild", op. 21 (Liebesleiden : Gedichte von H. Heine) no. 2, published 1840, from Die Heimkehr : 88 Gedichte aus H. Heine's Reisebildern, no. 60 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Sie haben heut' abend Gesellschaft", 1878, published 1927, from Liederstrauß : Sieben Gedichte aus dem Buch der Lieder von Heinrich Heine, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in English, a translation by Charles Godfrey Leland (1824 - 1903) ; composed by Sebastian Benson Schlesinger.
  • Go to the text.
    
• Also set in Romanian (Română), a translation by Ștefan Octavian Iosif (1875 - 1914) ; composed by Sabin Vasile Drăgoi.
  • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
    
• Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Lev Aleksandrovich Mey (1822 - 1862) , no title ; composed by Pyotr Leonidovich Grand-Mezon.
  • Go to the text.
    

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Tenen convidats aquest vespre", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "They have company tonight", copyright ©
• ENG English (Emma Lazarus) , appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Hanno ospiti stasera", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 67

 They have company tonight,
 and the house is full of light.
 Up there at the high window
 moves a shadowy figure.
 
 You do not see me; in the dark
 here below, I stand alone.
 Even less can you see
 into my dark heart.
 
 My dark heart loves you,
 it loves you and it breaks;
 it breaks and twitches and bleeds,
 but you see none of this.