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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 licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Karin Boye (1900 - 1941)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Brinnande ljus
Language: Swedish (Svenska) 
Our translations:  FRE GER
Nu ropar natten högt i nöd,
av okänd ångest full.
Nu tänder jag här två raka ljus
för eviga mörkers skull.

Om Herrens änglar drar här fram,
så kallar skenet dem,
så hör de, hur lågorna sjunger min bön,
och bär den med sig hem.

De är kämpar, som går i brynjor av eld
med bud från den Väldiges hus
Deras tal har ej ord för hårt och ljuvt,
men väl för brinnande ljus.

Det är därför de står på stormens rygg
mellan piskande vingars dån,
det är därför de ler åt mörkrets makt
och möter kölden med hån.

O Herre min Gud, förfärlige Gud,
jag hör din mantels brus.
Jag ber om blommor och ber om fred --
men ge mig brinnande ljus!

Text Authorship:

  • by Karin Boye (1900 - 1941), "Brinnande ljus", appears in Gömda land, first published 1924 [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 Ture Rangström (1884 - 1947), "Brinnande ljus", 1944 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Bougies ardentes", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Brennende Kerzen", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Bertram Kottmann

This text was added to the website: 2018-11-20
Line count: 20
Word count: 123

Bougies ardentes
Language: French (Français)  after the Swedish (Svenska) 
Maintenant la nuit crie puissamment sa détresse,
pleine d'une anxiété inconnue,
Maintenant j'allume ici deux bougies
pour les ténèbres éternelles.

Si les anges du Seigneur passent par ici,
alors la lumière les attirera,
alors ils entendront combien ardente est ma prière
et la porteront chez eux.

Ce sont des combattants qui vont en armure de feu,
porteurs des ordres de la maison du Tout Puissant,
leurs paroles ne sont ni trop dures ni trop douces
et conviennent à la flamme des bougies.

C'est pourquoi ils sont à l'arrière de la tempête,
dans le fracas de leurs ailes cinglantes,
c'est pourquoi ils sourient à la puissance des ténèbres
et affrontent le froid avec mépris.

Ô Seigneur, mon Dieu, terrible dieu,
j'entends le bruissement de ton manteau.
Je te demande des fleurs et la paix,
Donne-moi de lumineuses bougies.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Swedish (Svenska) to French (Français) copyright © 2022 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 Karin Boye (1900 - 1941), "Brinnande ljus", appears in Gömda land, first published 1924
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2022-07-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 137

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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