Good Night | As a stranger I arrived

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by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827)

Translation © by Arthur Rishi

Gute Nacht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: AFR CAT CHI DUT ENG ENG FIN FRE FRI HEB IRI ITA KOR LIT POR SPA

Fremd bin ich eingezogen,
Fremd zieh' ich wieder aus.
Der Mai war mir gewogen
Mit manchem Blumenstrauß.
Das Mädchen sprach von Liebe,
Die Mutter gar von Eh' -
Nun ist die Welt so trübe,
Der Weg gehüllt in Schnee.

Ich kann zu meiner Reisen
Nicht wählen mit der Zeit:
Muß selbst den Weg mir weisen
In dieser Dunkelheit.
Es zieht ein Mondenschatten
Als mein Gefährte mit,
Und auf den weißen Matten
Such' ich des Wildes Tritt.

Was soll ich länger weilen,
[Bis]¹ man mich trieb' hinaus?
Laß irre Hunde heulen
Vor ihres Herren Haus!
Die Liebe liebt das Wandern, -
Gott hat sie so gemacht -
Von Einem zu dem Andern -
Fein Liebchen, gute Nacht!

Will dich im Traum nicht stören,
Wär' Schad' um deine Ruh',
Sollst meinen Tritt nicht hören -
Sacht, sacht die Thüre zu!
[Ich schreibe nur im Gehen]²
An's Thor [noch]³ gute Nacht,
Damit du mögest sehen,
[Ich hab' an dich]⁴ gedacht.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Schubert

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten. Herausgegeben von Wilhelm Müller. Zweites Bändchen. Deßau 1824. Bei Christian Georg Ackermann, pages 77-78; and with Urania. Taschenbuch auf das Jahr 1823. Neue Folge, fünfter Jahrgang. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. 1823, pages 209-210.

First published in Urania (see above) with the title "Gute Nacht!" as no. 1 of Wanderlieder von Wilhelm Müller. Die Winterreise. In 12 Liedern.

¹ Müller (Urania), and Schubert: "Daß"
² Müller (Urania), and Schubert: "Schreib' im Vorübergehen"
³ Müller (Urania), and Schubert: "dir"
⁴ Schubert: "An dich hab' ich"

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Gute Nacht", written 1821-22, appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 2, in Die Winterreise, no. 1, first published 1823 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Reiner Bredemeyer (1929 - 1995), "Gute Nacht", 1984, first performed 1985 [ baritone, horn, and piano ], from Die Winterreise, no. 1, VEB Deutscher Verlag [sung text checked 1 time]
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Gute Nacht", op. 89 no. 1, D 911 no. 1 (1827), published 1828 [ voice and piano ], from Winterreise, no. 1, Haslinger [sung text checked 1 time]
by Johannes (Hans) Wolfgang Zender (b. 1936), "Gute Nacht", 1993 [ tenor and small orchestra ], from Schuberts Winterreise, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]

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

Research team for this page: Ofer Sheinberg , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 152

Good Night

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

As a stranger I arrived,
As a stranger again I leave.
May was kind to me
With many bunches of flowers.
The girl spoke of love,
Her mother even of marriage, -
Now the world is bleak,
The path covered by snow.

I cannot choose the time
Of my departure;
I must find my own way
In this darkness.
With a shadow cast by the moonlight
As my traveling companion
I'll search for animal tracks
On the white fields.

Why should I linger, waiting
Until I am driven out?
Let stray dogs howl
Outside their master's house;
Love loves to wander
God has made her so
From one to the other.
Dear love, good night!

I will not disturb you in your dreaming,
It would be a pity to disturb your rest;
You shall not hear my footsteps
Softly, softly shut the door!
On my way out I'll write
"Good Night" on the gate,
So that you may see
That I have thought of you.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Arthur Rishi, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Gute Nacht", written 1821-22, appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 2, in Die Winterreise, no. 1, first published 1823
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 164