Wie rafft ich mich auf in der Nacht
I felt torn from my bed in the night

von Platen

I felt torn from my bed in the night,
In the night, driven to go on, out
Through the alleyways guarded by watchmen.
Then, gently in the night, in the night,
I passed through the gothic-arched gateway.

The mill-stream rushed down the rocky gorge,
I hung over the parapet,
Deep down, below, I made out the waves
Flowing gently in the night, in the night,
Ever, unvaryingly onward.

Above, the myriad spinning spread of stars
In their harmonious orbit,
And the moon in her calm splendour,
All shone gently in the night, in the night,
Deceptive, distant, seeming closer.

I gazed up in the night
And then, in the night, again looked below.
Oh, oh, how you have spent your days!
Now, be calm, gently in the night,
In the night, my beating and remorseful heart.