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Hvad vil mit hjærte, hvor vil min fot? Skal skogen lates alene? Den var mit hjem som jeg nys forlot, jeg vanker og vandrer byen imot og stanser i natten sene. En sovende verden ser jeg på, det tier så godt i mit øre. Den stensatte by er stor og grå og dit vil alle de andre gå, og kjære, hvad skal jeg gjøre? Lul, lul —? Ringer det klokker i haugen? Så vender jeg om til skogens fred i midnatters sene tide. Jeg vet hvor det dufter en hægg et sted, der lægger jeg hodet i lyngen ned og sovner i skogen vide. Lul, lul! ringer de klokker i haugen.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Knut Hamsun, Samlede Verker, Bind 15, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, Oslo, 1964.
Text Authorship:
- by Knut Hamsun (1859 - 1952), "Så vender jeg om", appears in Det vilde kor [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 Magne Amdahl (b. 1942), "Saa vender jeg om", 1994 [ bass-baritone, narrator, violoncello, and piano ], from En Hamsun konsert, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-08
Line count: 17
Word count: 111
Que veut mon cœur, où vont mes pas ? Faut-il laisser la forêt seule ? Elle était ma demeure, que je viens de quitter ; j’erre, je marche, vers la ville, et je m’arrête dans la nuit profonde. Je contemple un monde endormi ; le silence est si bon à mon oreille. La ville de pierre est vaste et grise, et c’est là que tous les autres iront… Ah, mon Dieu, que dois-je faire ? Dormir, dormir… Les cloches sonnent-elles sur le tertre ? Alors je retourne à la paix de la forêt, aux les heures tardives de minuit. Je sais où, quelque part le merisier embaume ; là, je pose ma tête dans la bruyère et je m’endors au cœur de la vaste forêt. Dormir, dormir ! Les cloches sonnent sur le tertre.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Saa vender jeg om" = "Alors je retourne"
"Så vender jeg om" = "Alors je retourne"
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.
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Based on:
- a text in Norwegian (Bokmål) by Knut Hamsun (1859 - 1952), "Så vender jeg om", appears in Det vilde kor
This text was added to the website: 2026-08-20
Line count: 17
Word count: 126