ander er ' s ▁N ights ong ▁II ▁(" ") ▁is ▁often ▁considered ▁the ▁perhaps ▁most ▁perfect ▁ly ric ▁in ▁the ▁German ▁language . ▁Go ethe ▁probably ▁wrote ▁it ▁on ▁the ▁evening ▁of ▁September ▁ 6 , ▁ 1 7 8 0 , ▁onto ▁the ▁wall ▁of ▁a ▁wooden ▁game keeper ▁l odge ▁on ▁top ▁of ▁the ▁K ick el h ahn ▁mountain ▁near ▁Il men au ▁where ▁he , ▁according ▁to ▁a ▁letter ▁to ▁Charlotte ▁von ▁Stein , ▁spent ▁the ▁night . ▁ ▁Go ethe ' s ▁friend ▁Karl ▁Ludwig ▁von ▁K ne bel ▁mentioned ▁the ▁writing ▁in ▁his ▁di ary , ▁it ▁is ▁also ▁documented ▁in ▁trans cri ptions ▁by ▁Johann ▁Gott fried ▁Her der ▁and ▁Lu ise ▁von ▁Gö ch hausen . ▁It ▁was ▁first ▁published — without ▁authorization — by ▁August ▁Ad olph ▁von ▁H enn ings ▁in ▁ 1 8 0 0 ▁and ▁again ▁by ▁August ▁von ▁Kot z eb ue ▁in ▁ 1 8 0 3 . ▁An ▁English ▁version ▁appeared ▁in ▁the ▁Month ly ▁Magazine ▁in ▁February ▁ 1 8 0 1 . ▁The ▁second ▁poem ▁was ▁also ▁set ▁by ▁Franz ▁Sch ub ert , ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 3 . ▁As ▁Go ethe ▁wrote ▁to ▁Carl ▁Friedrich ▁Z elter , ▁he ▁revis ited ▁the ▁cabin ▁more ▁than ▁ 5 0 ▁years ▁later ▁on ▁August ▁ 2 7 , ▁ 1 8 3 1 , ▁about ▁six ▁months ▁before ▁his ▁death . ▁The ▁poet ▁recogn ised ▁his ▁wall - writing ▁and ▁reported ly ▁broke ▁down