Aboutkarinafp Expertise I`m a teacher from and in Sweden. I teach Swedish as well as English, French, Spanish and music. I`m also rather good at finding information on the Internet.
Experience I've been an expert at askme.com, and was rated # 1 in the "Language" category. Must have been doing something right, then...
Question Hello! My name is Eri, and I sing with a vocal group in Canada. We're working on a piece of Swedish music, and in order to perform it at its best, we feel that we need to understand the text. I've worked on my own a little to translate pieces, but I think it would be best to get a translation from someone who is fluently bilingual. If you could possibly translate these lyrics for me, I'd be very grateful.
The song is Kung Liljekonvalje, I'm not sure if you're familiar with it.
Kung Liljekonvalje av dungen
Kung Liljekonvalje är vit som snö
Nu sörjer unga kungen
Prinsessan liljekonvalje mö
Kung liljekonvalje han sänker
Sitt sorgsna huvud så tungt och vekt
Och silverhjälmen blänker
I sommerskymningen blekt
Kring bårens spindelvävar
Från rökelsekaren med blomsterstoft
En virak sakta svävar
All skogen är full av doft
Från björkens gungande krona
Från vindens vaggande gröna hus
Små sorgevisor tona
All skogen är uppfylld av sus
Det susar ett bud genom dälden
Om kungssorg bland viskande blad
I skogens vida välden
Från liljekonvaljernas huvudstad
And that's the song. Thank you -very- much in advance for any help you can give!
~*Eri Leigh
Answer Hi Eri! Of course I recognise this one. It's the final part of "Strövtåg i hembygden" (Wanderings through the home district), a suite of poems by one of our greatest poets, Gustaf Fröding. You can see the whole suite at this site:
I haven't heard it as a song. Who has written the music to it? Anyway, this is a poem that we all read at school, so we're fairly familiar with it. The title is also used for a detective novel, where this poem plays a significant role.
Anyway, here's a translation. It's more or less word by word. This is written in a medieval style, so Fröding uses some old-fashioned words and phrases.
"Kung Liljekonvalje av dungen,
kung Liljekonvalje är vit som snö,
nu sörjer unga kungen
prinsessan Liljekonvaljemö."
King Lily of the valley from the grove,
king Lily of the valley is as white as snow,
now the young king is mourning
the princess Lilly of the valley maiden.
"Kung Liljekonvalje han sänker
sitt sorgsna huvud så tungt och vekt,
och silverhjälmen blänker
i sommarskymningen blekt."
King Lily of the valley is lowering
his sad head, so heavy and weak,
and his silver helmet shines
so pale in the summer twilight.
"Kring bårens spindelvävar
från rökelsekaren med blomsterstoft
en virak sakta svävar,
all skogen är full av doft."
Around the spider's web of the bier
from the incenseplates with their scent of flowers
a virak (Sorry, can't find this in any dictionary. It's a kind of incense, also called olibanum) slowly flows,
the whole forest is full of fragrance.
"Från björkens gungande krona,
från vindens vaggande gröna hus
små sorgevisor tona,
all skogen är uppfylld av sus."
From the rocking crown of the birch,
from the waving green house of the wind
small songs of sorrow are sounding,
the whole forest is filled with whisper.
"Det susar ett bud genom dälden
om kungssorg bland viskande blad,
i skogens vida välden
från liljekonvaljernas huvudstad."
A message is whispered through the valley
about Royal mourning among whispering leaves,
in the wide kingdoms of the forest
from the capital of the Lillies of the valley.
