Mörker rådde i mitt sinne,
Kallt mitt arma hjerta kändes,
Innan kärleken der inne
Af en vänlig ängel tändes.

Ser du solen efter natten
Strålande på fästet tåga,
Dimmor skingras, land och vatten
I ett helgon skimmer låga.

Ser du bilden af mitt hjerta:
Så dess första morgon grydde,
Så med fruktan, tomhet, smärta
Skuggan från dess verldar flydde.

Sol, som lifvets natt förjagar,
Kärlek, om ett bröst du glömmer,
Hvartill dessa mulna dagar,
Som man utan dig fördrömmer.

Dessa dagar evigt like,
Dessa hopplöst långa stunder,
Detta lif i dödens rike
Utan ljus och utan under.

Note: modernized spelling can be applied to the following words:
hjerta -> hjärta
Hvartill -> Vartill
lifvets -> livets
lif -> liv

Text Authorship:

• by Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804 - 1877), "Hjertats morgon", 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 Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957), "Hjertats morgon", op. 13 (Seitsemän yksinlaulua pianon säestyksellä Runebergin teksteihin = 7 sånger (Seven songs)) no. 3 (1890) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• ENG English (Laura Stanfield Prichard) , "Heart's morning", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Sydämen aamu", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le matin du cœur", copyright © 2009, (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: 20
Word count: 97

Darkness prevailed in my mind,
Cold, my poor heart felt,
Before the love in it
Was ignited by a friendly angel.

See the sun, after the night
Beaming in its march across the firmament,
The mists disperse, the land and water
Lie in a holy glow.

Picture the image of my heart:
Thus its first morning dawned,
So with fear, emptiness, pain
The shadow, from its world, fled.

Sun, that the night of life drives away,
Love, about which a heart forgets,
Where will these miserable days go,
That are dreamed without you.

These days seem eternal,
These hopeless, long hours,
This life in death’s realm
Without light and without wonder.