by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906)
Translation Singable translation by Herbert Harper
Jag är ett träd
Language: Swedish (Svenska)
Jag är ett träd, som lofvat godt och säkert hållit vid, om storm ej plundrat mig på blad midt i min sommars tid. Nu sträcker nakna grenar jag förtviflad opp mot skyn, fast allt omkring bär sommarns färg och ter en härlig syn. O, när skall jag mig dölja få, när unnas jag att dö? O, hvad jag längtar efter dig, du kalla, hvita snö!
Confirmed with Ernst Josephson, Svarta Rosor och Gula, C. & E. Gernandts Förlags Aktiebolag, Stockholm, 1901, page 132.
Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
Authorship:
- by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Jag är ett träd", appears in Svarta Rosor och Gula [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), "Jag är ett träd", 1911 [ voice and piano ], from Fyra dikter = Vier Gedichte, no. 3, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957), "Jag är ett träd", op. 57 (8 sånger (Eight Songs)) no. 5 (1909) [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation possibly by Ture Rangström (1884 - 1947); composed by Ture Rangström.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (Herbert Harper) , "The tree"
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Minä olen puu", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Je suis un arbre", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Theobald Rehbaum) , "Der kahle Baum"
Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 65
The tree
Language: English  after the Swedish (Svenska)
I was a tree of promise fair and growing to my prime, But storms have plundered all my leaves amidst my summer time. I stretch my naked branches up despairing to the skies For all my peers hath summer clad in all her lovely dyes. O, when shall I my bareness hide? Death cometh far too slow: O, how I long and long for thee thou all concealing snow.
Note: from the Sibelius score.
Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson
Authorship:
- Singable translation by Herbert Harper , "The tree" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Swedish (Svenska) by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Jag är ett träd", appears in Svarta Rosor och Gula
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson
This text was added to the website: 2009-03-19
Line count: 6
Word count: 69