The Winter may fade and the Spring disappear

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by Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906)

Translation © by Michael P Rosewall

Kanske vil der gå både vinter og vår

Language: Norwegian (Bokmål)

Our translations: ENG ENG FRE ITA

Kanske vil der gå både vinter og vår,
og næste sommer med, og det hele år; --
men engang vil du komme, det ved jeg vist;
og jeg skal nok vente, for det lovte jeg sidst.

Gud styrke dig hvor du i verden går!
Gud glæde dig, hvis du for hans fodskammel står!
Her skal jeg vente til du kommer igen;
og venter du hist oppe, vi træffes der, min ven!

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Romancer, ballader og sange: af norske, svenske, danske og finske forfattere, Kristiania, Forlagt af Alb. Cammermeyer, 1876, page 104.

Text Authorship:

by Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906), "Fortrøstning", appears in Peer Gynt [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 Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907), "Solveigs sang", op. 23 (Tre sanger fra "Peer Gynt") no. 19 (1874-1875), also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
by Peter Arnold Heise (1830 - 1879), "Kanske vil der gaae baade Vinter og Vaar", published 1870 [ voice and piano ], from Bergmanden og Solveigs Sange, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914) ; composed by Edvard Grieg, Bruno Walter.
- Go to the text.

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

ENG English [singable] (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Solveig's song", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chanson de Solveig", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Anna Maria Norberg-Schulz) , "Il canto di Solveig", 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: 8
Word count: 70

The Winter may fade and the Spring...

Language: English after the Norwegian (Bokmål)

The Winter may fade and the Spring disappear,
Next, Summer days are gone and then soon flies the year,
But one day you'll return, this my heart does know,
And I'll wait for you; I promised this long ago.

May God give you strength as you travel the land,
And may God grant you joy if before Him you stand.
Here shall I wait for you until you appear;
Yes here at home I'm waiting until you come, my dear.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"Fortrøstning" = "Assurance"
"Kanske vil der gaae baade Vinter og Vaar" = "The Winter may fade and the Spring disappear"
"Solveigs sang" = "Solveig's Song"

Text Authorship:

Singable translation from Norwegian (Bokmål) to English copyright © 2025 by Michael P Rosewall, (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 Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906), "Fortrøstning", appears in Peer Gynt
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-09-29
Line count: 8
Word count: 80