Längtan heter min arvedel

Längtan heter min arvedel,
slottet i saknadens dalar.
Sakta ett underligt strängaspel
tonar igenom dess salar.

Säg, vadan kväller du, klagande ström,
djupt ur de skumma gemaken,
du som mig sjunger om [dagen]1 i dröm,
sjunger om natten mig vaken?

Vem är den själ som i suck och i ton
andas från hemliga strängar,
ljuvligt som doften från humlornas bon
flyter på gulnande ängar?

Somrarna blekna och solar gå ner,
timmarna varda mig tunga,
rosorna dofta i vissna kvarter,
minnena viska och sjunga.

Klinga, du klagande strängaspel,
sällskap i drömmande salar!
Längan heter min arvedel,
slottet i saknadens dalar.

Translation(s): FIN GER

List of language codes

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ note: some songs may have "natten" here. (Peterson-Berger has "dagen").

Submitted by Emily Ezust [Administrator]

Authorship

• by Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1864 - 1931) [ author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by Erik Fritiof Fordell (1917 - 1981), "Längtan heter min arvedel", op. 95 no. 2 (1954). [voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
• by Erkki Gustaf Melartin (1875 - 1937), "Längtan heter min arvedel", op. 21 no. 1 (1903) [voice and piano], from Nya sånger = New songs, no. 1. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (1867 - 1942), "Längtan heter min arvedel", 1910, from Fridolins lustgård, no. 1. [ sung text checked 1 time]
• by Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957), "Längtan heter min arvedel", op. 86 (6 sånger (Six Songs)) no. 2 (1916). [ sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Kaipuu on minun perintöosani", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Sehnsucht heißt es, mein Erbeteil", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Last modified: 2018-12-28 13:34:15

Line count: 20
Word count: 99

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project, and I have been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated.      - Emily Ezust

Sehnsucht heißt es, mein Erbeteil

Sehnsucht heißt es, mein Erbeteil,
Schloss in sich sehnenden Tälern.   
Sachte ein seltsames Saitenspiel
freudlos ertönt in den Sälen.
 
Sag, warum sprudelst du, klagender Strom
tief aus den düstern Gemächern?
Du, der am Tage mich singt in den Traum,           
lässt mich des Nachts auch erwachen?
 
Wer ist die Seel´, die mit seufzendem Ton,
atmet aus heimlichen Saiten?
Lieblich die Düfte aus Grashummels Bau, 
über das Herbstland sich breiten.
 
Sommer verblassen und Sonnen verglühn,
zäher die Stunden verrinnen,
welkenden Ros´gärten Düfte entfliehn,  
Rückblicke wispern und singen.
 
Klinge, du klagendes Saitenspiel,
Freund mir in träumenden Sälen!
Sehnsucht heißt es, mein Erbeteil,
Schloss, in sich sehnenden Tälern.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

Note: the translator would like to acknowledge the kind help of Willi Grigor for this translation.

Authorship

• Translation from Swedish (Svenska) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2016 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
  
  Bertram Kottmann. Contact:
  <BKottmann (AT) t-online.de>
  
  
  If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact:
  
  (licenses at lieder dot net)
  
  
  
  

• a text in Swedish (Svenska) by Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1864 - 1931) FIN
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Erik Fritiof Fordell, Erkki Gustaf Melartin, Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, Jean Sibelius. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2016-10-23 00:00:00.

Last modified: 2018-12-28 13:35:35

Line count: 20
Word count: 104