Til Ungdommen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Til Ungdommen is a poem by Norwegian poet and writer Nordahl Grieg (a distant cousin of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg). The poem was written in 1936; it is often referred to by its first line, "Kringsatt av Fiender" ("Surrounded by Enemies").
It was set to music by Otto Mortensen in 1952; in 2000 it was orchestrated and sung by Norwegian actress and singer Herborg Kråkevik, in her CD titled Kråkeviks Songbok. Kråkevik's version excludes paragraphs 7-10.
Song is also recorded by Kim Larsen in his album Kim in Cirkus.
[edit] Text of the poem
Til Ungdommen
av Nordahl Grieg
Kringsatt av Fiender,
gå inn i din tid!
Under en blodig storm -
vi deg til strid!
Kanskje du spør i angst,
udekket, åpen:
hva skal jeg kjempe med
hva er mitt våpen?
Her er ditt vern mot vold,
her er ditt sverd:
troen på livet vårt,
menneskets verd.
For all vår fremtids skyld,
søk det og dyrk det,
dø om du må - men:
øk det og styrk det!
Stilt går granatenes
glidende bånd
Stans deres drift mot død
stans dem med ånd!
Krig er forakt for liv.
Fred er å skape.
Kast dine krefter inn:
døden skal tape!
Elsk og berik med drøm
alt stort som var!
Gå mot det ukjente
fravrist der svar.
Ubygde kraftverk,
ukjente stjerner.
Skap dem, med skånet livs
dristige hjerner!
Edelt er mennesket,
jorden er rik!
Finnes her nød og sult
skyldes det svik.
Knus det! I livets navn
skal urett falle.
Solskinn og brød og ånd
eies av alle.
Da synker våpnene
maktesløs ned!
Skaper vi menneskeverd
skaper vi fred.
Den som med høyre arm
bærer en byrde,
dyr og umistelig,
kan ikke myrde.
Dette er løftet vårt
fra bror til bror:
vi vil bli gode mot
menskenes jord.
Vi vil ta vare på
skjønnheten, varmen
som on vi bar et barn
varsomt på armen!
[edit] English translation
To the Young
Surrounded by enemies,
go into your time
Beneath a bloody storm,
devote yourself to battle.
Perhaps you ask,
with unhidden fear:
what shall I fight with,
what is my weapon?
Here is your courage,
here is your sword:
Believe in our lives,
Man’s worth.
As for all our future's sake,
search for it and gather it,
Die from that if you must - but
increase and strengthen it!
Still goes the gleaming
line of grenades.
Stop their drift towards death,
stop them with spirit!
War is contempt of life.
Peace is creating.
Throw your powers in:
death shall lose.
Love, and enrich with dreams
all greatness that was!
Go to the unknown;
wrestle answers out.
Unbuilt power-works,
unknown stars.
Make them, with saved life's
audacious minds!
Noble is mankind,
rich is the world.
If there is hunger,
treason's the cause.
Crush it! In life's name,
injustice shall fall.
Sunshine, and bread, and mind,
are the rights of all.
Then sink weapons
powerless down!
In making man's worth,
we create peace.
He that in his right arm
carries a burden,
precious and dear;
cannot murder,
This is our promise
from brother to brother:
be good to
to the human world.
We will care for
beauty, and passion -
as though we bore a child
gently on the arm.
