Dämmrung senkte sich von oben
German source:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Schon ist alle Nähe fern;
Doch zuerst emporgehoben
Holden Lichts der Abendstern!
Alles schwankt ins Ungewisse,
Nebel schleichen in die Höh’,
Schwarzvertiefte Finsternisse
Widerspiegelnd ruht der See.
Nun am östlichen Bereiche
Ahn’ ich Mondenglanz und -glut,
Schlanker Weiden Haargezweige
Scherzen auf der nächsten Flut.
Durch bewegter Schatten Spiele
Zittert Lunas Zauberschein,
Und durch’s Auge schleicht die Kühle
Sänftigend ins Herz hinein.
Dusk has fallen from on high
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
All that was near now is distant;
But first the evening star appears
Shining with its lovely light!
All becomes an uncertain blur,
The mists creep up the sky;
Ever blacker depths of darkness
Are mirrored in the silent lake.
Now in the eastern reaches
I sense the moon’s light and glow,
The branching hair of slender willows
Frolics on the nearby water.
Through the play of moving shadows,
The moon’s magic light quivers down,
And coolness steals through the eye
Soothingly into the heart.
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Dämmrung senkte sich von oben
German source:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Dusk has fallen from on high
English source:
Richard Stokes
Dämmrung senkte sich von oben,
Dusk has fallen from on high,
Schon ist alle Nähe fern;
All that was near now is distant;
Doch zuerst emporgehoben
But first the evening star appears
Holden Lichts der Abendstern!
Shining with its lovely light!
Alles schwankt ins Ungewisse,
All becomes an uncertain blur,
Nebel schleichen in die Höh’,
The mists creep up the sky;
Schwarzvertiefte Finsternisse
Ever blacker depths of darkness
Widerspiegelnd ruht der See.
Are mirrored in the silent lake.
Nun am östlichen Bereiche
Now in the eastern reaches
Ahn’ ich Mondenglanz und -glut,
I sense the moon’s light and glow,
Schlanker Weiden Haargezweige
The branching hair of slender willows
Scherzen auf der nächsten Flut.
Frolics on the nearby water.
Durch bewegter Schatten Spiele
Through the play of moving shadows,
Zittert Lunas Zauberschein,
The moon’s magic light quivers down,
Und durch’s Auge schleicht die Kühle
And coolness steals through the eye
Sänftigend ins Herz hinein.
Soothingly into the heart.
Composer
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna. Brahms has been considered, by his…
Poet
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a German writer and statesman. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of metres and styles; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on…
Performances
Previously performed at:
- 55. Yajie Zhang, Hartmut Höll: Gustav Mahler 25 Oct 2022
- Schubert, Fauré and Quilter: Klemens Sander & Sholto Kynoch 31 Mar 2020
- 29. Der Doppelgänger: Maria Forsström & Matti Hirvonen 16 Oct 2019
- Goethe - A Life in Songs: Christopher Maltman & Graham Johnson 07 Apr 2019
- Stephan Loges & Eugene Asti: Brahms songs 09 Mar 2018