Vain désir | Des lames innombrables errent

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by Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804 - 1877)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Fåfäng önskan

Language: Swedish (Svenska)

Our translations: ENG FIN FRE

Otaliga vågor vandra
På hafvets glänsande ban.
O, vore jag bland de andra
En bölja i ocean,
Så liknöjd djupt i mitt sinne,
Så sorglöst kylig och klar,
Så utan ett enda minne
Från flydda sällare dar!

Dock, skulle en våg jag vara,
Den samme jag vore väl då.
Här går jag ju bland en skara
Af svala vågor också.
De skämta med fröjd och med smärta,
På lek de tåras och le,
Blott jag har mitt brinnande hjerta:
O, vore jag utan som de!

Text Authorship:

by Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804 - 1877), "Fåfäng önskan", appears in Lyriska dikter I [author's text checked 1 time 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 Karl Collan (1828 - 1871), "Fåfäng önskan", 1852 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Robert Kajanus (1856 - 1933), "Fåfäng önskan", op. 4 (Fyra visor med piano = Vier Lieder für Mezzo-Sopran mit Pianoforte) no. 2 (1880), published 1880 [ voice and piano ], also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
by Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957), "Fåfäng önskan", op. 61 (8 sånger (Eight Songs)) no. 7 (1910) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Alma von Böhlendorff , "Vergeblicher Wunsch" ; composed by Robert Kajanus.

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

ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Vain desire", copyright © 2019
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Turha toive", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Vain désir", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-09-17
Line count: 16
Word count: 85

Vain désir

Language: French (Français) after the Swedish (Svenska)

Des lames innombrables errent
Sur les routes brillantes de la mer.
Ô, que ne suis-je parmi les autres
une vague dans l'océan,
l'esprit aussi indifférent,
aussi insouciant, froid et clair,
sans un seul souvenir
des jours heureux envolés !

Pourtant si je devais être une vague,
alors je choisirais d'être le même.
Ici je suis aussi parmi une multitude
de vagues froides.
Elles plaisantent avec joie et avec peine,
par jeu elles sont en larmes et elles rient,
je n'ai que mon cœur enflammé :
Ô si j'étais dehors comme elles !

Text Authorship:

Translation from Swedish (Svenska) to French (Français) copyright © 2013 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Swedish (Svenska) by Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804 - 1877), "Fåfäng önskan", appears in Lyriska dikter I
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2013-12-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 89