Himlen hÀnger stjÀrnsvart: A Translation and History
Long ago, I discovered a song that I now listen to every Christmas/Advent season. How I found it is suitably oblique to memory, but I have since learned that it is a traditional Swedish song for St. Luciaâs Day. Sometimes called by its first line Himlen hĂ€nger stjĂ€rnsvart, this roughly translates to English as âthe sky hangs starry blackâ.
Although it isnât my favorite version, this is the best I could find on YouTube:
While not as musically rich, this second version contains the expanded text of the song, and also includes visuals that will be explained later:
Here are the lyrics, from JulsÄnger:
Himlen hÀnger stjÀrnsvart och snön ligger blÄ
och mörkret Àr sÄ beckmörkt och stjÀrnorna sÄ smÄ.
Skumma ligga stigarna dÀr mÀnskobarnen gÄ,
och tysta ruva stugorna med snöskÀgg pÄ.
DÄ komma vÀl de hundra, dÄ komma vÀl de tusen
Lusseknektar vandrande kring husen.
De vandra kring med stjÀrnljus, de vandra kring med bloss,
med masker och med narrspel, en jublande tross.
De bulta hÄrt pÄ rutorna sÄ isen gÄr loss,
de buga sig, de bjuda sig till gÀstning hos oss.
De vandra kring med visor som jubla och tralla,
sÄ backarna och skogarna de skalla.
For a long time I have wanted a verse translation of this song in English to sing with the tune. Sadly no matter how hard I have searched, I have never managed to find one.
I therefore took the work upon myself. With help from The Peopleâs Dictionary, Google Translate, a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary, I came up with something that I find satisfying enough:
Starry dark is heaven and blue is the snowÂ
The blackness presses hard and the stars are shining small
Gloomy are the winding paths where little children go
And round the silent village flow'ring bushes grow
Then come they in the hundreds, then come they in the thousands
With saffron buns they go around the houses.Â
They wander round in starlight with torches aglow
With masks and merrymaking, a fun and lively row
They rap the tiny windows so the ice a'falling goes
They bow themselves, and make themselves the guests in our homes.
They wander making bright song, cheers and trolling ring,
The hills and forests echo with their singing
All of the information I can find on this song comes from the Swedish Wikipedia. It appears to have been written in 1902 by K. G. Ossiannilsson, a writer and translator; it was later published in a collection called Samlede dikter. Ossiannilsson is also responsible for the anthem Sveriges flagga (Swedish Flag), indicating both his nationalist and religious feeling.
In 1928, Ossianilsson joined the National League of Sweden, now notorious for its pro-Nazi stance. After the end of WWII ended Ossianilsson left the league, seeming to renounce the Nazis in his poetry.
Himlen hĂ€nger stjĂ€rnsvart is well-known in Sweden as a popular childrenâs song, and it is frequently performed for St. Luciaâs day.
English speakers occasionally mistake the song for a Christmas carol, but this is not the case. Instead, it celebrates a figure known to Sweden as St. Lucia, or Lucy in the anglosphere, who has her own holiday on December 13th.
According to tradition, St. Lucia died during the Diocletian Persecution of the 4th century after being ousted as Christian to Roman authorities by her would-be pagan husband. The Swedish holiday surrounding her legacy is rich with symbolism, and most likely co-opts elements of pre-Christian Scandinavian culture.
In a country with long, harsh winters, the 13th of December is historically significant as the Winter Solstice, or longest night of the year. Not only does the day usher in a gradual nearing of the sun, but in spiritual terms, Lucia symbolizes the dawning of Christâs light as the year approaches His nativity.
[Lucia] is represented as a lady in a white dress (a symbol of a Christianâs white baptismal robe) and red sash (symbolizing the blood of her martyrdom) with a crown or wreath of candles on her head. In Norway, Sweden and Swedish-speaking regions of Finland, as songs are sung, girls dressed as Saint Lucy carry cookies and saffron buns in procession, which âsymbolizes bringing the light of Christianity throughout world darkness. In both Protestant and Catholic churches, boys participate in the procession as well, playing different roles associated with Christmas, such as that of Saint Stephen. -Wikipedia
We see here the procession of children, lights, and baked goods referenced in Ossiannilssonâs song, as well as the symbolic end of Winter (âDe bulta hĂ„rt pĂ„ rutorna sĂ„ isen gĂ„r lossâ).Â
The traditions and music represent a startling contrast between natural and divine, dark and light, mortal and immortal, trembling and joy; the hope of sun in a northern, wintry clime becomes the hope of Salvation for the entire world.Â
For all of its beauty and meaning, I think the holiday is well worth remembering by those in the English speaking world.
*This is not a word-for-word translation, but I have stayed as close to the original as I knew how to. I welcome input or corrections from any Swedish speaker!
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
dailybridgerton
gracieabrams
germansingergirl
kianamaiart
snowghoul
