by
Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906)
O, gräv mig en grav, dödgrävare snäll
Language: Swedish (Svenska)
Our translations: FIN FRE
O, gräv mig en grav, dödgrävare snäll,
jag längtar att komma till vila,
jag ser inga stjärnor ute i kväll,
där mörka skyarna ila.
Jag hade ett hjärta, som gav och som gav.
Nu har det ej mera att giva.
Ack, snälla dödgrävare, gräv mig en grav;
jag kan ej min ledsnad beskriva.
Nu står där blott åter ett svidande sår --
där riva de alla och sarga;
ack, snälla dödgrävare, red mig en bår,
så lugna [kanske sig]1 de arga.
[Så]2 kan jag måhända få fred i min grav;
där växa små blommor ur mullen.
Jag hade ett hjärta som gav och som gav. --
Ack, kasta ej stenar på kullen!
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• E. Sjögren About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
Note: this text employs modernized spelling.
1 Sjögren: "sig kanske"
2 Rängstrom: "Då"
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):
- by Yrjö Henrik Kilpinen (1892 - 1959), "Min grav", op. 29 no. 2 (1922), published 1924 [ voice and piano ], from Fantasi och verklighet III, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ture Rangström (1884 - 1947), "Min grav", 1911 [ voice and piano ], from Fyra dikter = Vier Gedichte, no. 2, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Johan Gustaf) Emil Sjögren (1853 - 1918), "O, gräv mig en grav", op. 53 no. 1 (1909) [ voice and piano ], from Svarta rosor och gula. Tre dikter av Ernst Josephson, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation possibly by Ture Rangström (1884 - 1947); composed by Ture Rangström.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Hautani", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Ma tombe", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 112
Ma tombe
Language: French (Français) after the Swedish (Svenska)
Ô creuse-moi une tombe, habile fossoyeur,
j'aspire à atteindre le repos,
je ne vois plus d'étoiles dans le soir,
ici courent de sombres nuages.
J'avais un cœur qui a donné et donné.
À présent il n'a plus rien à donner.
Ô, habile fossoyeur, creuse-moi une tombe ;
je ne puis décrire mon chagrin.
Il ne me reste plus qu'une douloureuse blessure
que tous déchirent et lacèrent ;
oh habile fossoyeur, prépare-moi une civière,
cela apaisera peut-être ma colère.
Je pourrai [peut-être]1 ainsi trouver la paix dans ma tombe ;
il y poussera sur sa terre de petites fleurs.
J'avais un cœur qui donna et donna.
Ô, ne jetez pas de pierre sur son tertre !
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Rängstrom: "alors"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Swedish (Svenska) to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Swedish (Svenska) by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Min grav", written 1887-8
This text was added to the website: 2014-09-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 112
