Talk:Wiegenlied, Op. 49, No. 4 (Johannes Brahms)

Missing files

The files on the Marco-cipoo site seem to have disappeared. I have marked the link as broken and have contacted cipoo.net --Arie 21:39, 23 September 2007 (PDT)

Due to copoyright restrictions I removed this entry. The files no no longer exist on cipoo.net. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Arie (talk • contribs) on 01:52, 25 September 2007.

In 'Original text and translation', I don't know where "um" (stanza 2, line 3) comes from, but I can't find any editions with it and I can't make it make any sense in German. Scherer writes "im" in the first edition of stanza 2 ('Alte und Neue Kinderlieder...', 1849, pp.43-4 - at https://books.google.de/books?id=MPCMOmIFvbEC&pg=PA34&q=%22Guten+Abend%22#v=onepage&q=%22Guten%20Abend%22&f=false) and this is followed in all the printed editions I've found; it also makes sense in German. Philip Corser (talk) 13:31, 29 November 2019 (UTC)

The English translation given here bears little resemblance to the German. https://www.oxfordlieder.co.uk/song/783 is accurate, though not singable. The only caveat is that it's not clear what "Näglein" means: it can mean either "cloves" or "carnations". While "carnations" is the more natural interpretation to the modern mind (especially alongside roses), the discussion at https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guten_Abend,_gut%E2%80%99_Nacht highlights medieval precursors of this poem that refer to a door of nutmeg with a bolt of "Näglein", which does seem to mean "cloves" (whose aroma was apparently thought to ward off monsters and germs). For the medieval texts, see https://www.archive.org/stream/meyergereimtenliebesbriefe/Die_gereimten_Liebesbriefe_des_Deutschen#page/n81/mode/1up (pp.77-8) - e.g. "got geb ewch ein gute nacht,/ von rosen ein dach,/ von liligen ein pet,/ von feyal ein dek,/ von muschschat ein tuer,/ von negellein ein rigellein dar fuer." ("God give you a good night,/ a roof of roses,/ a bed of lilies,/ a cover of violets,/ a door of nutmeg,/ a bolt of cloves for it."). Philip Corser (talk) 13:31, 29 November 2019 (UTC)