It is your duty | Man, it is your duty

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by Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818 - 1870)

Translation © by Nigel Parker

Det fyrste du har å gjera

Language: Norwegian (Nynorsk)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Det fyrste du har å gjera, Mann,
det er å døy,
når ikkje du længer elska kan
den fagre Møy.

For då er det ute med spræke Gut
og Mannes Værd,
for då er Livet alt brunni ut,
det Oske er.

Og derfor stødt som det beste galdt
eit Hjartelag,
Og derfor Mannen han elskar alt
til Døyan Dag,

Og lever der Nokon, som ikkje Liv
af Kjærleik saug,
då gjeng han atter og sviv og sviv
som bleike Draug.

Text Authorship:

by Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818 - 1870), "Det fyrste du har å gjera", written 1858, first published 1864 [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), "Det fyrste du har å gjera", op. 33 (Tolv melodier til Digte af A.O. Vinje) no. 8 (1873-1880), published 1881 [ voice and piano ], Copenhagen [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Nigel Parker) , "It is your duty", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La première chose à faire", copyright © 2012, (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: 80

It is your duty

Language: English after the Norwegian (Nynorsk)

Man, it is your duty
to die
when you are no longer able
to love the fair maid.

Forget all talk
of manly prowess and honour.
Life is already burnt out,
only ashes remain.

And therefore as always
it's a question of character,
A man must be devoted until
his dying day.

And if there should be one who doesn't seek
a life of love,
well then he will live his life
aimlessly as a pale shadow.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Norwegian (Nynorsk) to English copyright © 2013 by Nigel Parker, (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 Norwegian (Nynorsk) by Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818 - 1870), "Det fyrste du har å gjera", written 1858, first published 1864
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2013-04-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 77