Across the seas we travel
through white waves,
through blood-red evenings,
through six springs,
through the tears of awaiting the seventh,
through the suffering of the eighth,
but the love doesn’t wane
but the love doesn’t wane.

In my own language, in this tongue of mine,
I want to tell you
that I carry you in my heart:

Forest. Mother. Land.Father.
My own. My own. Road. Husband. Home. Land. Sun. Day. Child. Joy. Fen. Sky.

With a tongue,
with a good and merry heart
you will go further.
In my own language, in this tongue of mine,
I want to tell you
that I carry you
in my heart.

On life’s sea, on this sea of life,
two logboats from one tree.
In my blood, in this blood of mine
your blood so dear.

If I could become a raindrop,
to then glitter on your eyelashes.
Ngadei!
Ngadei!
If I could become a snowflake,
to then sit on your fur coat’s collar,
fearing to touch your warm neck,
Ngadei!
Ngadei!
But when you fly on the reindeer sleigh
and the snow field sings you a song,
I would like to be the smile on your face.
Ngadei!
Ngadei!
Ngadei!

Across the seas
Through the sorrows
Through the cold of autumn
I will come to you
I will carry you with me

My heart beats for you
no matter where I am

How many
lives fit
into me?
How many tasks,
how much daily news,
how many memories?
How much daily news,
how much forgetfulness?
Daily news,
forgetfulness.

My heart beats for you
No matter where I am

I went through the forest,
sii-saale- soo-saale- seira!
Through the forest, squatting,
through the bog, through the fen.
Who did I meet on my way?
I met five brothers on my way.

Men as strong as oxen,
women as sharp as needles,
were sitting around the fire,
there they ate deer meat,
they drank moss soup,
they heated bog water,
they slept in moss beds.

Sii-saale-soo-saale,
Sii-saale, soo-saale…

The forest nurtures them,
the forest protects them,
the wings of the forest cover them,
in the forest like animals,
like the little birds of the sky.

’Come out, brother,
I will surely catch you!’
’No, today I cannot come…’

Dear daughter, my lovely,
my low little berry.
You were good at bringing water
skilled at sweeping the stairs,
six suitors came to see you,
suitor’s vodka every week.

Why did you go to the big city,
to see the big city,
among the rich people?
The villages became cold,
the townships became poor,
the parishes became woeful,
the forests became mournful,
your mother became all alone.

At times I find that I am
a voice in the wilderness.
A large, grey cloak
over my shoulders.
The grains of sand on my fingers,
the snowflakes on my eyelids,
they are falling, melting –
it is hot and cold at the same time.

There can be no two without one, nor one without two.
Let us walk through the forest,
hold me,
so I can hear the voice of this forest
and your breathing.

Let us put on red wedding mittens,
let us walk through the snowy forest.
Then we will not fear, we will not be afraid
of the world’s roaring.
Our ears will only hear the dance of the snow’s whirling.
He is drifting and drifting and drifting,
The Old Man Wind.

There can be no two without one, nor one without two.
Let us walk through the forest,
hold me.
You are the song of my life,
a shawl for my soul – dark and warm.

Ice, ice, ice, ice!
It’s melting
I am melting with it
the white is turning
into black turning
the high white
clear sky
is rising above
you from
underneath
the ice
blades of grass
are sprouting forth
with them
my heart
is growing
into this world.

From within the darkness,
out of the darkness,
spring is growing.
a tiny little stalk
is really all it seems to be
in the beginning.

It breaks
it breaks itself
breaks itself free from the ice.

Blinding,
the blinding
light of day fills the earth.

Just marvel,
just marvel,
marvel,
marvel,
marvel…

The wind, the wind, the wind, the wind,
A song, in mouth, in your mouth.

That which I sought,
it was waiting for me all along,
here, at my own gate.
It waited quietly,
it waited still.

I had to go through
seven cities
and journey across
the seven seas
to the world’s end.

I know you
very well.
Every curve of yours.
Every stone of yours.

Trad.:
Riddle me a riddle, young men,
Do you know, do you know, wise women,
what lies beneath our yard?
Beneath our yard is the sea.
What is in the midst of the sea?
In the midst of the sea there is a well.
What is beneath the well?
There is a pillar beneath the well.
What is at the top of the pillar?
There is a sieve at the top of the pillar.
What is at the rim of this sieve?
There is a cuckoo at the rim of the sieve.

The sun is making dark circles in my eyes. Ah! This is what I long awaited, this is what I looked for: my heart and the grass really are growing through the grey ice.

The veil of the temple
has finally been torn in two from top to bottom,
as was foretold.
It touches the dark circles beneath my eyes once
hot like iron,
your mouth burning to ashes.

Welcome,
true body! Once again, it squeezes my mouth shut and my wet armpits will not dry. This fast will not be the death of me ̶ and behold, my bloodstream will not run dry.

When winter arrives
we have no escape.
The earth sleeps a deep sleep,
it is as if its soul has frozen.

But behind the eyelids
dreams are twitching.
The world spins and shimmers,
spins and shimmers, turning slowly.

We need to become, we need to become glistening white,
we need to become, we need to become
the pure snow’s sleep.

Hoar frost
is falling from the tree tops.
The man folds his arms
across his chest.
He puts his arms
around the yard of his home.
As a last embrace
for the yard of his home.

One day you will wake up and you will see
the well which you used to look down into as a child.
In it is your own voice, your own voice, your own eyes.
The well is brimful, it is overflowing.

Like the river.
Like the river, which becomes free in spring.
Free from its bed
it flows over the shores into the world sea.

We need to become, we need to become glistening white,
we need to become, we need to become the pure snow’s sleep.
We must become, we must become glistening white,
we must become, we must become the pure snow’s sleep

Jump up and down,
jump up and down
It’s your birthday today.
Jump up and down,
jump up and down,
it’s your birthday, sweetie.

Linda, Linda, Linda, Linda!
Linda, Linda, Linda, Linda!

Fly, fly, fly, fly, fly
fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, my
Linda!

Around, around, around,
around, around, around, around.
Full circle.