by Ludvig Holstein (1864 - 1943)
Translation by Charles Wharton Stork (1881 - 1971)
Far, hvor flyver Svanerne hen?
Language: Danish (Dansk)
Our translations: FRE
Far, hvor flyver Svanerne hen? Bort! Bort! Vingerne spiler de, Halsens strækker de, syngende iler de bort! Bort! Ingen hved hvorhen. Far, hvor sejler Skyerne hen? Bort! Bort! Jaget af Vindene udover Havene stryger de skinnende bort! Bort! Ingen hved hvorhen. Far, hvor løber Dagene hen? Bort! Bort! Ruller de, rinder de. Ingen kan gribe dem. Sporløse svinder de bort! Bort! Ingen hved hvorhen. Men Far, vi selv, hvor gaar vi saa hen? Bort! Bort! Øjnene lukker vi, Hovedet bøjer vi, klagende sukker vi, bort! Bort! Ingen hved hvorhen.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Ludvig Holstein (1864 - 1943), "Far, hvor flyver Svanerne hen?" [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 Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934), "Far, hvor flyver Svanerne hen", from Five Danish Songs, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Erasmus Lange-Müller (1850 - 1926), "Efteraar", op. 61 no. 3 [ voice and piano ], from Fire Sange af Ludvig Holstein, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Leevi Antti Madetoja (1887 - 1947), "Far, hvor flyver Svanerne hen?", op. 44 no. 2 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Frederick Delius.
- Also set in English, a translation by Charles Wharton Stork (1881 - 1971) , "Father, where do the wild swans go?" ; composed by Gary Bachlund.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Frederick Delius.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Père, vers où s'envolent les cygnes ?", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-12-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 89
Father, where do the wild swans go?
Language: English after the Danish (Dansk)
Father, where do the wild swans go?
Far, far. Ceaselessly winging,
Their necks outstraining, they haste them singing
Far, far. Whither, none may know.
Father, where do the cloud-ships go?
Far, far. The winds pursue them,
And over the shining heaven strew them
Far, far. Whither, none may know.
Father, where do the days all go?
Far, far. Each runs and races--
No one can catch them, they leave no traces--
Far, far. Whither, none may know.
But father, we--where do we then go?
Far, far. Our dim eyes veiling,
With bended head we go sighing, wailing
Far, far. Whither none may know.
First published in Poetry, November 1922
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Wharton Stork (1881 - 1971), "Father, where do the wild swans go?" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Danish (Dansk) by Ludvig Holstein (1864 - 1943), "Far, hvor flyver Svanerne hen?"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Father, where do the wild swans go?", 2010 [high voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-12-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 103