Translation of VINTERSORG lyrics/titles

[Slynt]

The first three VINTERSORG albums/EPs are in Swedish, which many fans probably won't understand.

Perhaps people would like to contribute their translations to this thread, so foreign fans can understand what he is going on about.

Unfortunately I don't have the lyrics at hand at this moment, so I can't start this thing off. Perhaps some of you don't know what "vintersorg" means (though it seems pretty obvious), it means winter-sorrow.

 

[Mark]

I thought it meant "winter snow" for some reason... Very, uhm, metal...

 

[Russell]

Hehe they're obviously suffering from seasonal affective disorder (or whatever its called)

 

[Demonspell]

The official page has translations of the album titles:

Till Fjalls - Up In The Mountains
Odemarken's Son - Son Of The Wilderness

 

[tenebrose]

I wouldn't agree with Demonspell to 100% on those translations, but Swedish doesn't always translate well to English so whatever...
My translations though

Hedniskhjärtad = Heathen-hearted
....Norrland = (the most northern 3rd of Sweden)
....Stilla = still/silent/motionless
....Norrskensdrömmar = dreams of northern lights
....Hednaorden = the heathen order
....Tussmörkret = tuss-darkness (this is not standard Swedish)


Till Fjälls = To the mountains / in the mountains
....Rundans = rune dance
....För kung och fosterland = for king and country
....Vildmarkens förtrollande stämmor = the enchanting voices of the wilds
....Till fjälls = to the mountains / in the mountains
....Urberget, äldst av troner = the primary rocks, the oldest of thrones
....Jökeln = the glacier
....Isjungfrun = the maiden of ice
....Asatider = times of the Aesir
....Fångad utav nordens själ = captured by the spirit of the north


Ödemarkens son = son of the waste / wilds
....När alver sina runor sjungit = when elves their runes have sung
....Svältvinter = starvation winter
....Under norrskenets fallande ljusspel = under the falling lightworks of the northern light
....Månskensmän = moonlight men
....Ödemarkens son = son of the waste / wilds
....Offerbäcken = the sacrificial stream
....Den trolska dalens hjärta = the heart of the magical valley
....På landet = in the country[-side]


Cosmic Genesis
Om regnbågen materialiserades = if the rainbow materialized

 

[Slynt]

"Rundans" - isn't that a type of dance where people hold each other's hands while moving in a circle? - and not a 'rune dance'?

 

[Orchid]

Wouldn't that be "runddans" in Swedish?

 

[tenebrose]

Um... partially right there Orchid. In Swedish you'd make that a double-consonant, although, what is being refered to is called a "ringdans"...

 

[Protocol]

Someone requested this on the Opeth forum where I first posted it, but I guess it should go here too. It's a simple translation, not an interpretation - I've tried maintaining the order of words as to make the correlations between the English and Swedish expressions easier for non-swedish-speaking people to understand. A few words are missing (you'll notice where), and it might not be entirely correct. That said, here goes.

VILDMARKENS FÖRTROLLANDE STÄMMOR
____The Wilderness' Enchanting Voices

Utmed brådkalla rämnilars fors och fall
____Along sudden-cold runnels' streams and gushes
Yrvädrets svepduk i andaktsfull ton
____The snowstorms' wrapping in devoted tone
Jökelsnöns smältflod silar liv ur iskristall
___The glaciersnow's melt brook strains life out of icecrystals
Med stormfylld ande i vårfärd mot mon
____With storm-filled spirit in springjourney towards ?[the moon|the hills|the mountains]

Med frihetstrånad och kämpande vid vittringsblock
____With languish for freedom and fighting by "vittringsblock"*
Likt ärbar falk som skrämts på flykt
____Like a [decent|honest|modest] falcon scared into flight
Solen förvandlar nu ytan till ett smyckat lock
_____The sun now transforms the surface into an adorned lid
Snart återstundar den prakt som var förryckt
____Soon reappears the splendour that was corrupted

Bäckarnas symfoni
____The brooks' symphony
Vildmarkens förtrollande stämmor
____The Wilderness' Enchanting Voices

I naturens alla riken, svävar tonsvall spelmanslikt
____In nature's all kingdoms, soar abundant tones like those of a fiddler
Ett dämpat brus som stammar ur skymningstidens spel
____A muffled roar that [originates|descends] from the dusk[time|age]'s play
En cykel tusenårig,
____A thousand-year cycle
en allmakt som ej ännu svikt
____An omnipotence that has yet to yield
Där kärnsund furskog närs av myråns sel
____Where wholly healthy firforest is nourished by the fen-river's "sel"**

Med frihetstrånad...

Den giljande forsen porlande fri
____The alluring stream murmuring free
Hör! Vattenorgelns trollmelodi
____Hear! The water-organ's magic melody

Med frihetstrånad...

*: Parts of stone - that have withered from mountains / that are withering.
**: This is a wider part of a lake or stream where the water flows slow and calm.

Text file available here: http://www.djingis.se/memb/ijar/div/vfs.txt

Not to mention that there are english translations for Norrland, Hednaorden and För Kung och Fosterland at vintersorg.com.

[edit] Oops, found an error. A line went missing somewhere...

 

[Protocol]

Oops, almost forgot... Here's my translation of Trollslottet while I'm at it. Same disclaimer/explanation applies.

TROLSLOTTET (3:46)
____The Castle of Trolls

Om dunkel stig i mångmilaskogar förtäljs i bergasagan
____of a shady path in deep forests the mountaintales tell
En snårig led som kantas av gyger som har blivit till sten
____a snary passage edged with gygres* that have turned to stone
I grenars verk av vindars iver höres ödslig klagan
____in crown canopies of winds' ardour a desolate lament is heard
Vad lurar bortom nästa krök, bortom irrblossken**
____what lurks beyond the next turn, beyond the ghostly glow
Din rädsla är större än att bliva rovdjursföda
____your fear is beyond that of becoming predators' food
När du trampar stigens väg*** i mystisk labyrint
____when you walk the way of the path in a mysterious labyrinth
I ringlande vandring svår, en ändiös trälamöda
____in a difficult winding walk, an endless thralling burden
Genom kitteldalens djup upp mot högan klint
____through the depth of the kettledale, up to the summit high

Vid dess slut den digra skugga fägnar mänskligt öga
____at its end the grieve shadow entertains the human eye
Lockar trolskt i aftonbärgning med borglik silhuett
____magically enticing in the evening with a fort-like silhouette
Med vindbrygga över vallgrav tornen prålar höga
____with a drawbridge over the moat, the towers spire high
Som från en fyr det starka ljusspel äreporten beklätt
____like that of a lighthouse, a strong lightplay adorns the maingate
Ett avskorligt kungadöme i molnens vida kappor
____a hidden kingdom in the wide coating of clouds
Nedanför nu synes vandra midnattflammans hov
____down below now seemingly wanders the court of the midnight flame
Tunga steg uppför berget forna tempeltrappor
____heavy steps up the mountain's ancient temple stairs
När drängsol**** går i himlen högt, de prisar nattens lov
____when the moon wanders high in the sky, they praise the night

Ref:
I trollslottet
____in the castle of trolls
Trollslottet, sagovindars boning
____the castle of trolls, the dwelling of fairy winds
Trollslottet
Trollslottet

Skuggornas runokväde ifrån denna klunga
____the shadows' runechanting from this cluster
En dyster hymn av malmklangsstämmor ifrån hedna valv
____a dreary hymn of metallic voices from heathen vaults
De grymvulna urtidstroll i norrlänt mål nu sjunga
____the fierce ancient trolls now sing in northern tongue
För denna urlivsformens väsen själva berget skalv
____before these ancient lifeforms' beings even the mountain quakes

Som villebråd i stenlagt rike nidfullt du beskådas
____like prey in stoneclad kingdom, they watch you wickedly
De omvända synens bilder, även dina ord
____they turn your vision's images, even your words
Och aldrig skall du från urtidsborgens klor benådas
____and never shall you be spared from the claws of the ancient castle
Ty du bjöds på glömskebrygd vid trollkungens bord
____for you were given the potion of oblivion at the table of the troll king

Ref:
I trollslottet...

*: a gygra is a female mountain troll of some kind
**: irrbloss literarily translates to will-o'-the-wisp
***: tautology, yep yep, but it's quite legit in swedish.
****: drängsol literarily translates into 'sun of the workers'(or 'serfs'?)

As you can see, these are no easy texts to translate. Let me know if you have any further requests and I'll look into it. Text file at http://www.djingis.se/memb/ijar/div/ts.txt.

 

[Materia]

Originally posted by Demonspell
Tussmörkret = tuss-darkness (this is not standard Swedish)

Tusmørket is a dansk/norsk word, exact translation = "The Twilight"

 

[Morgana]

I'd would be very grateful if you do some more translation
Thank you all, blessed be!

 

[Protocol]

Request a track? These translations don't take me very long to do, so if I'm in a good mood you might get lucky. ;P

 

[Materia]

I'm not Swedish, but I'll give it a shot anyway. It's not all that different from those old Danish poems we were forced to read in school. So this is a slightly imperfect verse by verse translation of Isjungfrun. Help me out here, swedes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Isjungfrun (The Ice Maiden)

En skepnad som vintern kåra
I nattens stjärnaurora
Frostens dotter som fimbulkronan bär

--A figure born by winter winds
--In the aurora of stars in the night
--the daughter of frost, who bore the Fimbul crown


Den isblåa huldra tiga
Svept i slöjor vinterliga
En nysnöns ängel från vitklädd glaciär

--The ice-blue Huldra is silent
--Swept in a veil of winter(liga?)
--An angel of snow from the whiteclad glacier

Över skarbekrönta block i månskensglans
Med högväld barm i lyrisk och dyrkansvärd dans
Fjäten skrida fram mot frusen sjö
Dess kristalliska spegel giver bild åt fager mö

--Over (skar?)crowned plain in moonlight gleam
--With proud bosom, in a lyrical dance of worship
--(Fjäten?) glides towards the frozen lake
--It's chrystaline mirror shows a reflection of a fair maiden

Med fridsäll röst hon signar
De som under isvind dignar
En fordom sång till värn, en själens sköld

--With a peaceful voice she blesses
--those who fall under the icy wind
--an ancient song to guard, a shield of the soul

I nordskogen silvrigt skimmer
I hängdrivor vi förnimmer
Den hednasköna född ur Jökelköld

--In the nothern forrest, a silvery gleam
--in the icicles we sense
--the heathen beauty of the cold glacier

Likt tornerspel mellan frusna sfärer
Gryning ur natt sig tvingar
Stjärnevän, den nakna blekhet
Seglar på älvevingar

--Like (Tower/Thorn?)-play between frozen spheres
--The dawn forces away the night
--Friend of the stars, the naked paleness
--Soars on fairy wings

Hon åter träder genom frostportalen
När månljus dör för stigen sol
Det gnistrande stoft hon strör
Leder stigen till hennes drottningstol

--Again she steps through the portal of frost
--as moonlight dies before the rising sun
--She stray the sparkeling dust
--that leads the way to her throne
---------------------------------------------------------------------

hmm.. yes, I think it's quite beautiful.

 

[benny]

Hey Protocol, really cool of you to translate these songs for us. I was wondering if you have Sagovindars Boning by Otyg? If so could you translate the song "Bäckahästen"?

 

[Protocol]

Same disclaimer as for the others applies.

BÄCKAHÄSTEN
____The Brook Horse*

En reslig dräng av bergmans ätt
____A tall worker of mountainfolk family
I toglig alvskog gingo
____In [toglig?] elfwood walked
En höglandssång hans lynne klätt
____A highland's song his humour adorned
Som ton ur bäckar fingo
____That tones from brooks found
Där vattenandars serenad
____Where water-spirits' serenade
Manar liv ur djupet
____Summons life from the deep
Den sjtärnelysta hästdryad
____The star[lit|lusted]? horse dryad
Bär dräng mot forsfallstupet
____Carries worker towards the streamfall precipice

Sinnesvill, förutan värn
____Confused, without defense
Långt nord om hemlandsgärden
____Far north of the homeland estate
Vid hovmönstrad mosses tjärn
____By hoof-patterned bog tarn
Skrider midnattsfärden
____Proceeds the midnightjourney
Furomgjuten, skogens gäst
____Fir-encircled, the forests' guest
Av fagerlek förblindad
____By fairplay** blinded
Du ryttare av rännilshäst
____You, rider of runnelhorse
Med arm om manen lindad
____With arm in the mane entwined

Där som vitterdimmor tåga
____Where the [vitter?]fogs march
Vid den nådeslösa ström
____By the merciless stream
Skola bäckahästen kuva dig
____Shall the brook horse subdue you
In i sorgens dröm
____Into the sorrow's dream
Hjärtefäll*** du lyder
____Disheartened you obey
Under bäckahästens makt
____Under the brook horse's power
Förhäxad utav sagohamn
____Bewitched by the fairy-tale shape
Som friden ur dig bragt
____That drove piece out of you****

Furor skugga manshög vall
____Firs shadow man-high wall
Och forsen frisk i flöde
____And the stream fresh in flow
I hymnrik natt nu daggkristall
____In hymn-rich night now dewcrystal
Vävs på källan öde
____Is woven on the desolate spring
I rolös, ilsnabb månskensritt
____In restless, hurried moonlightsride
Blott silverman till tyglar
____Only silvermane for reins
På allt längre rygg i skenet vitt
____On still longer back in the white shine
Längs barrskogs mörka hyglar
____Along pinewood's dark [paths?]

På dunkelgröna hällen matt
____On the gloomy-green dull cliff
Stannar näckens frände
____Stops the watersprite's friend
En hednadsignad offerskatt
____A heathenblessed sacrificial treasure
Krävs vid rittens ände
____Is required at the ride's end
Av sagohamn i hogfälld skrud
____By fairy-tale shape in dispirited dress
Dess prakt i vattnet speglas
____Its splendour in the water is mirrored
Om du ej lyder nidrans gud
____If you don't obey the [sleep|nether]? god
Din själ i ån förseglas
____Your soul in the river is sealed

Där som vitterdimmor...

*: the brook horse is a mythological creature that was said to live in waters in the forest, appear in the shape of a horse with a very long and extendable back and spirit away lonely wanderers or children. Is there a better name for it?
**: 'fagerlek' literarily translates into 'fair play', but ironically has a tint of deception here - a nice dance/play to lure the protagonist away.
***: 'hjärta' translates to 'heart', 'fäll' can mean both '-less' ('modfälld' is 'discouraged', literarily 'courage-less') and 'fur' (which would be the horse's fur in this case). I feel 'disheartened' is correct, but it could mean something else.
****: maintaining the order of words isn't possible here. 'som' is 'that', 'friden' - 'the peace', 'ur' - 'out of', 'dig' - 'you', 'bragt' - paste tense of 'bring' or 'drive'.

(I noticed some of the rhymes turned out intact after tanslations, which is cool, but not intentional. ;D)

edit: Oh, and text file available at my webspace as usual: http://www.djingis.se/memb/ijar/div/bh.txt

 

[benny]

Thank you Protocol!

 

[Protocol]

Impressive Materia, considering you don't speak swedish. Here are a couple of corrections.

-En skepnad som vintern kåra

'Kåra' (modern:'kora') translates into 'choose' or 'appoint', so this sentences would be a 'a [shape|phantom] [chosen|appointed] by the winter'.

-Svept i slöjor vinterliga

'Vinterliga' is 'winter-ish', so this would be 'swept in winterish veils'.

-En nysnöns ängel från vitklädd glaciär

'Nysnöns' is a possessive form of 'new snow', so it would be more like 'an angel of the new snow' rather than 'of new snow'.

-Över skarbekrönta block i månskensglans

'Skare' is the ice rim that forms on the surface of snow when it's started tomelt from the top and then freezes again - I don't know the english word. 'Block' could refer to either snow-clad cliffs or stones or simply chunks of snow.

-Med högväld barm i lyrisk och dyrkansvärd dans

'Dyrkansvärd' means 'worthy of [worship|adore]', so 'lyrisk och dyrkansvärd dans' is more like 'lyrical and adorable dance'.

'Fjäten' is definitive plural form of 'fjät' which means trail.

'Bild' is 'picture', not 'reflection'.

'Hängdriva' is probabably a snowdrift hanging off a ledge or some such.

-Den hednasköna född ur Jökelköld

Translates into 'the heathen-beauty born from glacier-cold[ness]?'.

'Tornerspel' is a tournament (the medieval kind).

-Gryning ur natt sig tvingar

Literarily 'dawn out of night itself forces'. I guess this leaves a lot of artistic freedom in translating to correct grammar.

Other than these, I can't see any errors. Impressive indeed for someone who doesn't speak swedish.

I also took the liberty of typing in the lyrics for Sagovindars Boning from the booklet seeing as I couldn't find them on the net anywhere else: http://www.djingis.se/memb/ijar/div/sb.txt

 

[Protocol]

Oops, this just in... I think 'knave' might be a better translation of 'dräng'. That is all.

 

[Obyeybyeogone]

Is Swedish hard to learn if you speak English and German(kind of). I can already recognize a lot of words, but I don't know the grammar, anyways thanks for all the translations guys.. this may be dumb but how do you pronounce the å's, I always just pretend they are ä's when reading them.