With a water-lily | Look, Marie, at what I'm bringing you

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by Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Med en vandlilje

Language: Norwegian (Bokmål)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA SPA

Se, Marie, hvad jeg bringer;
blomsten med de hvide vinger.
På de stille strømme båren
svam den drømmetung i våren.

Vil du den til hjemmet vie
fæst den på dit bryst, Marie;
bag dens blade da sig dølge
vil en dyp og stille bølge.

Vogt dig, barn, for tjernets strømme.
Farligt, farligt der at drømme!
Nøkken lader som han sover;
liljer leger ovenover.

Barn, din barm er tjernets strømme.
Farligt, farligt der at drømme;
liljer leger ovenover;
nøkken lader som han sover.

Text Authorship:

by Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906), "Med en vandlilje", written 1871, appears in Digte [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 Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907), "Med en vandlilje", op. 25 (Seks digt af Henrik Ibsen) no. 4 (1876), published 1876 [ voice and piano ], Copenhagen [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "With a water-lily", copyright © 2023
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Avec un nénuphar", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , "Mit einer Wasserlilie"
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Anna Maria Norberg-Schulz) , "Con una ninfea", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Juan Henríquez Concepción) , "Con un nenúfar", copyright © 2008, (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: 82

With a water‑lily

Language: English after the Norwegian (Bokmål)

Look, Marie, at what I'm bringing you:
A flower with white petals.
Carried by the tranquil current
It floated, heavy with dreams of spring.

Should you want to take it home,
Pin it on your chest, Marie;
Behind the leaves that conceal it
there will be a deep and quiet wave.

Beware, child, of the current of the lake.
It is dangerous, dangerous to dream there!
The Water-Sprite pretends to be asleep;
Lilies float above.

Child, your bosom is the current of the lake.
It is dangerous, dangerous to dream there!
Lilies float above;
The Water-Sprite pretends to be asleep.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Norwegian (Bokmål) to English copyright © 2023 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in Norwegian (Bokmål) by Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906), "Med en vandlilje", written 1871, appears in Digte
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-06-25
Line count: 16
Word count: 100