Ist nicht der Himmel so blau?
Steh' am Fenster und schau'!
  Erst in der Nacht,
  Spät in der Nacht
[Komm' ich heim]1 von der Jagd.

Mädchen, der Himmel ist blau,
Bleib' am Fenster und schau'.
  Bis in der Nacht,
  Spät in der Nacht,
Heim ich [komm]2 von der Jagd.

"Anders hab' ich gedacht,
Tanzen will ich die Nacht!
  Bleib' vor der Tür,
  Spät vor der Tür
Willst du nicht tanzen mit mir!"

"Ist auch der Himmel so blau,
[Steh' ich doch nimmer]3 und schau'
  Ob in der Nacht,
  Spät in der Nacht
Heim du [kommst]3 von der Jagd."

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
First published with the title "Der Jäger und sein Liebchen" 1821 in Lieder und Romanzen; this version from 1834, confirmed with Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Gedichte, volume 1, Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus, 1834, p. 162.

¹ 1821 version: "Heim ich komm' "
² 1821 version and Brahms: "kehr' "
³ Brahms (in the repetition): "Steh' ich doch nicht"
⁴ Brahms: "kehrst"

Authorship

• by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874), no title, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in Volksleben, in Allerlei Klänge aus dem Volksleben, in Kirmeß und Tanz, no. 5 [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Der Jäger und sein Liebchen", op. 28 (Vier Duette für Alt und Bariton mit Pianoforte) no. 4 (1860), published 1864, first performed 1869 [vocal duet for alto and baritone with piano], Wien, Spina [ sung text verified 1 time]

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

• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De jager en zijn liefje", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le chasseur et sa bien-aimée", copyright © 2011, (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: 20
Word count: 98

"Isn't the sky so blue?
Stand at the window and look!
Not until night,
Late at night,
Will I come home from the hunt.
 
"Maiden, the sky is blue -
Stay at the window and look.
Until night,
Late at night,
I will return home from the hunt."
 
"But I planned differently -
I want to dance tonight.
You'll stay outside the door,
Late, outside the door
If you will not dance with me!
 
"The sky may be blue,
But I will never stay and look,
If at night,
Late at night
You return home from the hunt."