from Volkslieder (Folksongs)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Som stjärnorna på himmelen
Language: Swedish (Svenska) 
Our translations:  ENG GER
Som stjärnorna på himmelen, 
när natten faller på, 
så tindrade hans ögon, 
så klara och så blå, 
så röder var hans mund 
som rosorna i lund 
om våren.

Men skyarne församlades 
och solen vände bort, 
ty livet liksom kärleken 
och våren är så kort. 
När löven föllo av, 
de föllo på hans grav 
den tida!

Om alla träd i skogarne 
och böljorna de blå, 
om all markens blomster 
hade fåglalungor små,
de kunde ej ändå 
min hjärtesorg förmå 
att sjunga.

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):

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

  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Like the stars in the sky", copyright © 2020
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "So wie die Stern’ am Himmelszelt", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Bertram Kottmann

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 21
Word count: 80

Like the stars in the sky
Language: English  after the Swedish (Svenska) 
Like the stars in the sky 
when night falls,
his eyes twinkled
so clear and so blue;
so red was his mouth 
like the roses in the grove
at spring-time.

But clouds gathered
and the sun retreated;
life as well as love
-- and spring -- are so short.
When the leaves dropped, 
they fell on his grave
back then!

If all the trees of the woods 
and all the waves of the oceans,
if all the flowers of the field
had little bird's lungs,
they still would be unable
to put my heartache
to song.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Swedish (Svenska) to English copyright © 2020 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.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2020-02-02
Line count: 21
Word count: 94