Poems and Songs

What's true and strong has growing-room, And will perhaps eternal bloom, Without black ink's salvation, And he will be, who least it planned, But in life's surging dared to stan...

She twined him a wreath of the flowers blue: "My eyes for you!" He tossed it and caught it and to her did bend: "Good-by, my friend!" And loudly he exulted at the field's far di...

Though each man with courage fired Hundreds forward bore, Though a thousand died inspired, There is need of more. May a Northern Spring come blowing Over wood and field, Wake th...

Oh, when will you stand forth? This detraction through years For my people has made me an oaf, Hides my poetry's fount in the fog of its fleers, So it merely a pool of self-wors...

The translation aims to reproduce as exactly as possible the verse-form, meter, and rhyme of the original. This has been judged desirable because music has been composed for so...

Note 16. MAGNUS THE BLIND. Magnus was born in 1115, and became King in 1130. He had Harald Gille as co-regent. Their agreement was that Harald could not demand a larger share in...

Now, brothers, sing out our song, Whose train of light shall follow long! With love are its measures beating And victory's joyous greeting, While round about it flower-seeds In...

Note 41. THOSE WITH ME. This poem of tender homage to his wife (see Note 12) and home was written during the summer of 1869, while Björnson was on a lecture tour, which took him...

I lived far more than e'er I sang; Thought, ire, and mirth unceasing rang Around me, where I guested; To be where loud life's battles call For me was well-nigh more than all My...

Then comes day's dawning! My soul bounds upward On beams of light to the vault of heaven; My ship-steed sniffing its flank is laving With buoyant zest in the cooling billow. Wit...

With thy sea-wide sway Thou hast might for aye, Fjords of blue convey thy life-blood through our country. Norway's spirit thou Dost with joy endow,-- Great thy past, no less thy...

Viking-abode, I hail you with wonder! High-built the wall, broad sea-floor thereunder, Hall lit by sun-bows on waterfall vapors, Hangings of green,--your dwellers the drapers. V...

Note 65. HAMAR-MADE MATCHES. To this poem Björnson appended a note: "The founder of Norway's first folk-high-school, Herman Anker, built later in Hamar a match factory [the firs...