by
Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906)
En svane
Language: Norwegian (Bokmål)
Our translations: FRE ITA
Min hvide svane
du stumme, du stille,
hverken slag eller trille
lod sangrøst ane.
Angst beskyttende
alfen, som sover,
altid lyttende
gled du henover.
Men sidste mødet,
da eder og øjne
var lønlige løgne,
ja da, da lød det!
I toners føden
du slutted din bane.
Du sang i døden;
du var dog en svane!
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):
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Henzen (1850 - 1910) , written c1890 ; composed by Edvard Grieg.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Un cygne", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Anna Maria Norberg-Schulz) , "Un cigno", copyright © 2006, (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: 55
Un cigno
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the Norwegian (Bokmål)
Mio bianco cigno
Silenzioso e muto
che della tua voce in seno nascondi
il trillo e il canto.
Elfo che dall'ansia ripari,
che t'addormi in ascolto
che fluttui silente
fino all'ultimo convegno
quando la tua apparenza
ti smentisce
e la tua forma
altisonante suona.
S'arresta il tuo corso
alla nascita dei toni
ché morente gorgheggi
il canto del cigno che muore.
Text Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in Norwegian (Bokmål) by Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906), "En svane", written 1871, appears in Digte
This text was added to the website: 2006-06-23
Line count: 16
Word count: 61