Featuring 18 tracks of Icelandic traditional songs and hymns. It comes in a beautifully designed 3 fold digipak with a 36 page illustrated booklet containing notes about the songs and full lyrics in both Icelandic and English.
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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
The poem is by Halldór K. Laxness and was written in 1928 in San Fransisco, U.S.A. This beautiful melody comes from Reykjavík. Hallgrímur Helgason collected it with the help of folk singer, Jakobína Thorarensen.
lyrics
English lyrics follow the Icelandic ones.
Ég skal vaka og vera góð
vininum mínum smáa,
meðan óttan rennur rjóð,
roðar kambinn bláa
og Harpa sýngur hörpuljóð
á hörpulaufið gráa.
Stundum var í vetur leið
veðrasamt á glugga;
var ekki einsog væri um skeið
vofa í hverjum skugga?
Fáir vissu að vorið beið
og vorið kemur að hugga.
Sumir fóru fyrir jól,
-fluttust burt úr landi,
heillum snauðir heims um ból
hús þeir byggja á sandi.
Í útlöndum er ekkert skjól,
-eilífur stormbeljandi.
Þar er auðsýnt þurradramb
þeim sem út er borinn,
eingin sól rís yfir kamb
yfir döggvuð sporin.
Þar sést hvorki lítið lamb
né lambagras á vorin.
Þá er börnum betra hér
við bæarlækinn smáa,
í túninu þar sem trippið er.
Tvævetluna gráa
skal ég góði gefa þér
og gimbilinn hennar fráa.
Og ef þig dreymir ástin mín,
Oslóborg og Róma,
vængjaðan hest sem hleypur og skín,
hleypur og skín með sóma,
eg skal gefa þér upp á grín
alt með sykri og rjóma.
Einsog hún gaf þér íslenskt blóð,
úngi draumsnillíngur,
megi loks hin litla þjóð
leggja á hvarm þér fíngur,
-á meðan Harpa hörpuljóð
á hörpulaufið sýngur.
English
I shall wake and be good
to my friends small,
while fear runs red
the blue peaks flush
and Harpa sings a song of spring
on the grey harp leaf.
Sometimes in the winter past
weather beat the window;
was it not, just for a time,
as if wraithes hid in every shadow?
Few knew that spring awaited
and the spring comes to comfort.
Some they left before Christmas
moved out of the country,
comfortless, around the world
houses they build on sand.
In other lands no shelter find
endless storm a-raging.
It is clearly hollow joy
for those who are outcasted.
No sun rise above the peaks
over dewey footprints.
There they see no little lamb
or moss campion in springtime.
It´s better then for bairns to be
by the village brook-let
in the field where the colt is.
The grey of two winters
I will, my friend, give to you
and her foal so swift.
And if, my darling, dreams you dream
of Oslo and of Rome.
A winged horse that gallops and shines,
gallops and shines so greatly,
then I will give you just for fun
your fare with sugar and cream.
As she gave you Iceland´s blood,
my young and clever dreamer
may at last this nation small
dry away your teardrops,
while Harpa sings a song of spring
upon the harp leaf.
credits
from FUNI,
released June 1, 2004
Bára Grímsdóttir - vocal
Chris Foster - guitar
John Kirkpatrick - Button Accordion
FUNI, an old Icelandic word meaning flame or fire, are Bára Grímsdóttir & Chris Foster. Since 2001, they have been breathing
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