Songs of the Night

From the poems of Ḥaim Naḥman Bialik (1873–1934)
Sung in English

I. THE MOON'S ABROAD

The moon's abroad, and silence like a beast
creeps o'er the forest, and from every tree
there drips a secret silent light that steals
and paws its stealthy way from trunk to trunk;
of blue and silver weaves its embroideries.
And silence shrouds each clump and shrouds each tree,
and each in darkling leafage folds him round,
and thinks unto himself his secret thoughts.
Enwrapped in meditation, all the world
stands laden with a secret glorious old.
As though within her inmost fastness
there slept upon a golden couch
immured in spotless purity
perennial youth and priceless beauty
from the days of old.
A fairy princess charmed from her home.
And he the wood were charged to mark her breath
until her royal savior come to save perchance.
She dreams in secret that in vain in secret that it rain.
Through sylvan maze or barren wilderness,
through sylvan maze, or barren waste of water roams
the prince in quest of his beloved.
He little knows that she in all her loveliness
is hid deep in the bosom of the sleeping pool.

II. THROBS THE NIGHT WITH MYSTIC SILENCE

Throbs the night with mystic silence,
hushed the weary world and still;
and the ever flowing brooklet murmurs
neath the resting mill.
Darker grows the night and darker,
shadows upon shadows creep;
one bright star and then another
fall into the darkness deep.
All the world is wrapped in silence,
but my heart seeks no repose;
and within my heart a fountain softly
bubbles there and flows.
All the world is wrapped in silence,
as I sit here pensively;
one world have I yea,
no other than the world
which lives in me.

III. GNOMES OF THE NIGHT

In the light of the moon gently spraying
the blue tinted air with its gleam,
that blinds human eyes with its magic
and fires the heart with a dream;
when the whole world is shadowed with silence.
In the light of the moon of the night
when in dim-frosted light like a garment swoon,
the forest below the height;
when appears in the shadowy forest
a network of silvery white,
while shimmering there on the grasses
are circles and ringlets of light;
and when in the rays soft and filtered,
there gleam on the slope of the height
not jewels nor sapphires but droplets, yes,
myriads of droplets of light;
'tis then come the gnomes joyous trooping.

Descending the slope of the height;
as gently they come as the moonbeams,
like the dream of a child in the night.
And as they march on, they make tremble
the droplets of dew on the grass,
and bursting these crystals like droplets, cast
myriads of sparks as they pass.
Thus walking and singing, descending by sevens,
they march in the night
'till they come to the shadowy forest
that sleeps at the foot of the height.
Then all of them scatter with tumult
'neath bush and 'neath shadowy tree.
They come to a place where are hidden
the treasures that no light may see.
Then flickers the light pale and golden
on the black of the garments they wear.
Now it leaps on their hoods bright and shining
and is cast on the locks of their hair
and in the bright gleam of the moonlight

Their joy in laughter is told
with the pure ringing laughter of children,
They dance near their mine pit of gold.
The tinkle of coins and the sparkle
of gems that are strewn all around
soon mingle their light with the laughter;
the forest is stirred at the sound.
Thus the gold and the joy and the laughter, alas,
for this too must be gone!
Hurry, gnomes, for the dawn is approaching!
The rooster soon summons the dawn.
How quickly the gnome troop arises,
by sevens arrayed for their flight,
and sadly they march and in silence,
returning ascending the height.
And when the moon shamed hides its pallor
and wraps its pale face drained of light,
the gnomes march away to the shadows
and melt like a dream in the night.