SWEDISH EMIGRANT BALLADS

Transcription

1 SWEDISH EMIGRANT BALLADS by Robert L. Wright UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PRESS UNCOLN

2 INTRODUCTION 3 BIBLIOGRAPHY 23 EXPLANATORY NOTE 25 SONGS OF JUSTIFICATION Virginiavisan. 33 (Aff Nordan strandh aft Swea landh) The Virginia Song 35 (From the Northern coast, from Sweden's land) Amerikavisan 37 (Broder vi ha lsngt att ga) ' The America Song 38 (Brothers, we have far to go) Samtal emellan twenne utwandrare 39 (Uppa guds nad wi bygga) Conversation Between Two Emigrants 41 (Upon God's grace we build) Jag reser nu bort 42 (Jag reser nu bort frsn mitt fadernesland) Now I Journey Away 44 (Now I journey away from my native land) Fr5n Nordens sorgbundna dalar 45 From the Northland's Grieving Valleys 47 y Emigranternas afsked till hemmet 49 (Wi wilja sssom afsked ifrsn wara kara hem) The Emigrants' Farewell to Their Home 50 (We shall, as a farewell from our dear home) Farwal till fosterjorden 51 (Ol mitt hem med dina minnen msnga) Farewell to the Native Land 53 (01 my home with your many memories) vii

3 Utwandrarens wisa 55 (Nog swider mitt hjerta, att lemna det land) The Emigrant's Song 57 (It makes my heart ache, to leave the land) Emigranten 58 (Min skona brud, mitt fosterland, farva'l jag sa'nder dig) The Emigrant 59 (My lovely bride» my native land, farewell I send to you) Den svenske emigrantens afskedswisa fran sin hemort 60 (Oflickadu som ensam synes sorja) The Swedish Emigrant's Farewell Song from His Native Land 61 (O maiden, you for whom alone I grieve) En visa jag diktat 63 (En visa jag diktat och den vill jag sjunga) A Song I've Composed 64 (A song I've composed and it shall I sing) En ny Amerika-visa 65 (Jag sa val som andra pa hafvet seglat har) A New America-Song 66 (I as well as others have sailed upon the sea) SONGS OF WARNING ' / Vi sslde vsra hemman [eller] Resa till Amerika [eller] Amerikavisan 69 (Vi sslde vira hemman och gav oss sedan ut) We Sold Our Farms [or] Journey to America [or] The America Song 72 (We sold our farms and went away) Utvandrarens visa, Maningsord till emigranten 75 (Det var en aftontimma det flog uti min h3g) The Emigrant's Song, A Word of Caution to the Emigrant 76 (It was an evening hour when I decided) Warningsord till utwandrare. 78 (Wilseforde, hwarfor flyr du farden) Warning Word to an Emigrant 80 (Misguided folk, why do you journey off) Om utwandringen 82 (En lykosam tid som vi lefwa uti) viij

4 Contents About the Emigration 84 (This is a prosperous time in which we live) En ny wisa om utwandringen till Amerika 85 (Nu will jag skrifwa och pennan min gripa) A New Song About the Emigration to America 88 (Now will I take my pen in my hand) SONGS OF DISILLUSIONMENT Den olycklige emigranten 95 (Jag star en framling i Nya varlden) The Unlucky Emigrant 97 (I am a stranger in the New World) Niklas Korps resa till Amerika och hemlangtan 98 (Wi gafwo oss si lustiga Sstad, tralera) Nicholas Raven's Trip to America and Homesickness 102 (Merrily we took our leave, tralera) / Petter Jonsson [eller] Resan till Amerika 106 (Och Petter Jonsson han sag i Faderneslandet) Peter Johnson [or] The Trip to America 108 (And Peter Johnson read in The Fatherland) Lundstrdms erfarenhcter i Amerika 110 (I Stockholm pa "Tennknappen" satt jag och titta) Lundstrom's Experiences in America 112 (In Stockholm at "Tennknappen" I sat and looked) SONGS OF NOSTALGIA AND FAREWELL Farwal, du Delawar, du Pennsylvani strom 117 Farewell, Thou Delaware, Thou Pennsylvania Stream 117 En emigrants afsked 118 (Med upprodt hjerta och sorgligt mod) An Emigrant's Farewell 121 (With troubled heart and melancholy mood) Afskeds-sahg till svenska emigranter 124 (Gode qvinnor och man) Farewell-Song to Swedish Emigrants 127 (Good women and men) En ny Amerikavisan 130 (Det war en ging jag stod pi strand, jag sig och horde pi) ix

5 A New America Song 131 (Once I stood on the shore and saw and heard about) Emigrantens afsked [eller] Farval O moder Svea 133 (Farval, O moder Svea! Jag far nu ifrsn dig) The Emigrant's Farewell [or] Farewell, O Mother Sweden 135 (Farewell, O Mother Sweden I Now I travel away from you) Barndomshemmet 137 (Dar som sadesfalten boja sig for vinden) The Childhood Home 138 (There where the cornfield sways before the wind) Nar som jag fyllde sjutton 5r 140 When I Was Seventeen 140 Emigrantvalsen 141 (Amerikaba 1 ten lagger ut) The Emigrant Waltz 142 (The boat for America puts out) SONGS OF DISASTER En ny och wacker sjomanswisa om en brigg som gick forlorad i Nordsjon 147 (Kom alia mina broder i som hafwen ett friskt mod) A New and Beautiful Sailor's Song About a Brig Which Was Lost in the North Sea 148 (Come all my brothers whose hearts are gallant) Emigrantingaren "Geisers" underging 150 (Hur msngen sjoman hvilar) Sinking of the Emigrant Steamer Geiser 153 (How many seamen rest) Danska cniigramfingaren "Norges" undergoing I Atlaiuen 157 (S4 lod den fjdrde juli rundt i vurlden), The Sinking in the Atlantic of the Danish Emigrant Steamship Norge 159 (So it resounded the fourth of July around the world) OTHER SONGS Amerika 163 (Wanner hor om wilda striden)

6 Contents America 165 (Friends, hear about the battle wild) Axel och Hilda 168 (Bland Warends, de skona.de rika lunder satt) Axel and Hilda 170 (In beautiful Warends, in the luxurious groves, sat) O Susanna! 172 (Jag ar fodd vid gamla Sveriges kust) O Susanna! 174 (I was born along old Sweden's coast) Den swenska flickan [eller] Nils som wille resa till Amerika 175 (O Nils dock, O Nils dock, O res ej frin mig ha'n) The Swedish Girl [or] Nils Who Will Travel to America 177 (O Nils dear, O Nils dear, don't go away from me) O, Swerge! 178 (O Swerge, O Swerige, du dyra skona land!) O, Sweden! 179 (O Sweden, O Sweden, O lovely land so dearl) Pelles fantasifyllda Yankee Doodle " 179 (Fr3n Goteborg jag reste hit) Pelle's Fanciful Yankee Doodle 181 (From Gothenburg I traveled here) Yankee Doodle 182 (En Yankee-pojk a' smart och lang) Yankee Doodle. 183 (A Yankee boy's slender and tall) Amerikabrev 184 (Ja, nu ska jag rita hem to you ett lite letters brev) America Letter 185 (Yes, now I'll write a little letter home to you) APPENDIX: MELODIES Amerikavisan 189 Den svenske emigrantens afskedswisa fran sin hemort 190 En visa jag diktat 191 Vi salde vira hemman [eller] Resa till Amerika [eller] Amerikavisan 192 xi

7 Amerikavisan 193 Utvandrarens visa, Manlngsord till emigranten 194 En ny wisa om utwandringen till Amerika 195 Den olycklige emigranten * 196 Den olycklige emigranten 197 Petter Jonsson [eller] Resan till Amerika 198 En emigrants afsked 199 Emigrantens afsked [eller] Farval O moder Svea 200 Barndomshemmet 201 Nar som jag fyllde sjutton ar 202 Axel och Hilda 203 O Susannal 204 Den svenska flickan [eller] Nils som ville resa till Amerika 205 Pelles fantasifyllda Yankee Doodle 206 Amerikabrev. 207 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 209 xii