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Host Garrison Keillor answers your questions about life, love, writing, authors, and of course, A Prairie Home Companion.
Hi Garrison, I'm wondering if
March 29, 2006 |
Hi Garrison,
I'm wondering if you could post the words to that song you so carefully memorized in Danish for your former wife. You told us you learned it phonetically, not realizing that it was---in typical Danish style---a warm wish of love and happiness from a spurned suitor. :-))
And, also in typical Danish style, she heard your true intention in spite of the inappropriate words. Could you furnish a translation?
Thanks!
Karen H
Reno, Nevada
I remember the first verse, Karen, all these years later:
Jeg fik en sorg saa stor
i imine ungdoms dage
den aldrig fra mig gaar,
saa lange som jeg leve.
Den storste sorg forvist
at man kan overgaa,
det er at elske en
som man kan aldrig faa.
I got a sorrow so great
in my younger days
that never will go away from me
as long as I live.
The greatest sorrow known
that one can experience,
which is to love someone
whom you can never have.
It goes on from there to wish the lost love as many happy days as there are leaves on the tree or sands on the beach. A beautiful melody. I sang it for several Danish friends and nobody had ever heard it.
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