Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at 
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
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 de arga. Så 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!
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with footnotesNote: this text employs modernized spelling.
Authorship
- by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Min grav", written 1887-8 [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 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 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: 110
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 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 !
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: 
- 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: 115