by Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804 - 1877)
Translation © by Laura Stanfield Prichard

Men min fågel märks dock icke
Language: Swedish (Svenska) 
Our translations:  ENG FIN FRE GER
Svanen speglas ren i sundet,
knipans vita vingar vina,
lärkan höres högt i höjden,
spovens rop kring kärret rullar,
våren samlar sina skaror,
får sin fågelflock tillbaka,
väntar dem med sol och värme,
lockar dem med långa dagar.

Och jag, arma flicka, fiker,
söker skingra saknans mörker,
vårda värmen i mitt sinne,
vill som våren vänlig vara,
synas ljus som sommardagen.
Och jag gläds, fast sorgen gnager,
ler, fast tåren trängs i ögat,
men min fågel märks dock icke.

Text Authorship:

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

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

  • ENG English (Laura Stanfield Prichard) , "For my bird hasn’t returned yet", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Mutta minun lintuani ei näy, ei kuulu", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Laura Stanfield Prichard) , "Mais mon oiseau est long à revenir", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Muss doch meinen Vogel missen", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 79

For my bird hasn’t returned yet
Language: English  after the Swedish (Svenska) 
The swan is reflected cleanly in the sound,
The goldeneye’s white wings whiz by,
The lark is heard loudly from high above,
The godwit’s shout rolls over the waves,
Spring marshalls its troops,
Herds its bird-flock back together,
Waiting for them with sunshine and warmth
Attracting them with longer days.

And I, a poor girl, envy them,
Seek to dispell the shadow of absence,
Nuture the warmth in my mind,
Seek to be as welcoming as spring,
As bright as a summer’s day.
And I’m happy, although my longing gnaws at me,
I laugh, but with a tear in my eye,
For my bird hasn’t returned yet.

Note for line 1: referring to the surface of the water in a small strait or bay.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Swedish (Svenska) to English copyright © 2017 by Laura Stanfield Prichard, (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.
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Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2017-10-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 107