See, Aftnen er saa stille, og Himlen er saa blaae!
Nu sove alle Blomster og alle Fugle smaae;
De nikke og de drømme, forstyr ei deres Lyst!
En Verden der jo bygger, selv i det mindste Bryst.

I Drømme svinger Lærken sig i den friske Luft,
Og hvad hvert Blomster føler, det aander ud i Duft.
Den hele, vide Verden med sine Verdner smaae,
Og alle Himlens Himle, jo i mit Hjerte staae;

Jeg føler Øiet græde, og svimler dog af Lyst;
Jeg kunde salig trykke hver Skabning til mit Bryst!
See, alle Stjerner blinke - og Aftnen smelter bort;
- Lad Stormene kun stige og klæde Natten sort.

Sov sødt og drøm, I Fugle! - drøm kun I Blomster smaae!
I Hjertet er der stille, og der er Himlen blaae!

Note: the spellings used in Cormontan's score are slightly different:
See -> Se
blaae -> blaa
smaae -> smaa
hele -> helle
staae -> staa

Text Authorship:

• by Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875), "Aftendæmring" [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 Theodora Cormontan (1840 - 1922), "Aftendæmring", op. 4 (Tre sange) no. 1, published 1877 [ voice and piano ], Christiania, Warmuth [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Julius Thomson ; composed by Ludwig Hoffmann, Karl Gottlieb Reissiger, Carl Schuppert, Friedrich Robert Volkmann.
  • Go to the text.
    

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

• ENG English (Mark DeGarmeaux) , "Evening twilight", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Crépuscule du soir", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Leif Møller

This text was added to the website: 2012-05-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 128

See, the evening is so quiet; the sky is so blue!
All the flowers are now sleeping and all the little birds;
They're nodding and they're dreaming; do not disturb their joy.
For there a world is being built, even in the smallest breast.

In dreams the lark swoops in the fresh air,
And what each flower feels, it breathes out in the air.
The whole, wide world with its small worlds,
And all heaven's heavens indeed are in my heart.

I feel my eye now weeping; I swoon from joy;
I could blissfully press each creature to my breast!
See, all the stars are twinkling -- and the evening melts away;
-- Just let the storms arise and dress the night black,

Sleep sweetly and dream, you birds! -- just dream, you little flowers!
In the heart it is quiet, and there the sky is blue!