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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 licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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.

by Vilhelm Krag (1871 - 1933)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Valborgsnat
Language: Norwegian (Bokmål) 
Our translations:  FRE
Træd stilt, træd stilt, det er Valborgsnat !
Det hvisker så sært i det mørke krat,
og hæggen dufter i lunde.
Og nattågen breder sig blå som vang.
og bækken dæmper sin rislende sang,
og alle de blomster blunde.

Se der, de der under orekrat!
Der er dans i skoge ved Valborgsnat
og leg på lønlige veie.
Og guldhønen spiller på silkestreng,
og alverne danser på moseseng,
og blege violer neie.

Og se - der kommer en lygtemand,
han render omkring med en glorød brand
og gir sig til at lyse.
Og myggene vimser i florlet særk,
og græshoppen messer ret som en klerk,
og tussefar snur sin kyse.

Og hæggen dufter ved Valborgsnat,
det hvisker så sært i det mørke krat,
og alver danser i lunde.
Så stilt du sidder i søndagsskrud,
og taus jeg kysser min hvide brud,
mens alle de blomster blunde.

Text Authorship:

  • by Vilhelm Krag (1871 - 1933), "Valborgsnat", appears in Digte, in Sommersange, no. 2, first published 1891 [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 Agathe Ursula Backer-Grøndahl (1847 - 1907), "Valborgsnat", op. 31 (Ti Sange til Digte af Vilhelm Krag) no. 8, published 1894 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Conrad Baden (1908 - 1989), "Valborgsnat", op. 2 (Eleven Songs for Soprano and Piano) no. 5, published 1930-5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Sigurd Lie (1871 - 1904), "Valborgsnat" [ voice and piano ], from Seks sange til tekster af Vilhelm Krag, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-06-21
Line count: 24
Word count: 143

La nuit de Valpurgis
Language: French (Français)  after the Norwegian (Bokmål) 
Marche doucement, marche doucement, c'est la nuit de Walpurgis !
Quelque chose murmure étrangement dans les broussailles  obscures,
et l'aubépine embaume dans les bosquets.
Et la brume nocturne s'étend, bleue comme une prairie,
le ruisseau assourdit le murmure de son chant
et toutes les fleurs somnollent.

Regarde là-bas, sous les taillis d'aulnes !
Il y a des danses dans les bois en cette nuit de Walpurgis
et des jeux sur des sentiers secrets.
Et la poule d'or joue sur une corde de soie,
et les elfes dansent sur le pré marécageux,
et les pâles violettes font la révérence.

Et regarde, voici venir un feu follet,
il court ça et là avec une torche rougeoyante
et se met à éclairer.
Et les moustiques voltigent dans leur chemise de gaze,
et le grillon psalmodie comme un clerc,
et le vieux troll fait tourner son chapeau.

Et l'aubépine embaume en cette nuit de Walpurgis,
quelque chose murmure étrangement dans le fourré obscur,
et les elfes dansent dans les bosquets.
Toi, tu es assise si paisiblement dans ta tenue de fête,
et moi, silencieux, j'embrasse ma blanche fiancée,
tandis que toutes les fleurs sommeillent.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Norwegian (Bokmål) to French (Français) copyright © 2026 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 Norwegian (Bokmål) by Vilhelm Krag (1871 - 1933), "Valborgsnat", appears in Digte, in Sommersange, no. 2, first published 1891
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2026-10-07
Line count: 24
Word count: 188

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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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