Eg veit i himmerik ei borg
Encyclopedia
Eg veit i himmerik ei borg is a Norwegian
folk song, coming from Hallingdal
. The text is German
, from before 1600. The text was translated into Norwegian
by Bernt Støylen
in 1905. The song has been sung by many artists, including Jan Werner Danielsen
, Bjøro Håland
, Andrea Een
, Arild Sandvold, Sissel Kyrkjebø
and the group Gåte
. English variations on the title include, I know a castle in heaven, castle in the sky, I know there is a castle in heaven, I know of a heavenly stronghold, and, I know a castle in heaven above. The German title is Ich weiß im Himmelreich.
Eg veit i himmerik ei borg,
ho skin som soli klåre,
der er kje synder eller sorg,
der er kje gråt og tåre.
Der inne bur Guds eigen Son
i herlegdom og æra,
han er mi trøyst og trygge von,
hjå honom eg skal vera.
Eg er ein fattig ferdamann,
må mine vegar fara
herfrå og til mitt fedreland,
Gud, meg på vegen vara!
Eg med mitt blod deg dyrt har løyst,
eg inn til deg vil treda,
og gjeva hjarta mod og trøyst
og venda sorg til gleda.
Er du meg tru og bruka vil
Guds ord og sakramente,
di synd er gløymd, di sorg vert still,
di heimferd glad du vente!
Når verdi all som drivesand
med gull og gleda viker,
då stend eg ved di høgre hand,
ein ven som aldri sviker.
Eg fattig hit til verdi kom
og rann av ringe røter,
fer herifrå med handi tom,
og dødens vald meg møter.
Men visst eg veit ein morgon renn
då dødens natt skal enda.
Min lekam opp or gravi stend
og evig fryd får kjenna.
Så hjelp oss du, vår Herre Krist,
ditt blod for oss har runne:
Din beiske død har sant og visst
oss himmelriket vunne.
Me takkar deg til evig tid,
Gud Fader, alle saman,
for du er oss så mild og blid
i Jesus Kristus! Amen.
I know of a heavenly stronghold
shining as bright as the sun;
there are neither sin nor sorrow
and never a tear is shed.
Eg er ein fattig ferdamann,
må mine vegar fara
herfrå og til mitt fedreland,
Gud, meg på vegen vara!
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
folk song, coming from Hallingdal
Hallingdal
Hallingdal is a valley and traditional district in Buskerud county in Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol.-History:Ancient routes went to Vestlandet through Valdres and Hallingdal and down Røldal to Odda...
. The text is German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, from before 1600. The text was translated into Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
by Bernt Støylen
Bernt Støylen
Bernt Støylen was a Norwegian psalmist and Lutheran bishop, born in Sande. He was the father of Kaare Støylen.Støylen served as bishop of the Diocese of Agder from 1914 to 1930. He published a series of readers for primary school, Lesebok for folkeskulen, from 1908 to 1911...
in 1905. The song has been sung by many artists, including Jan Werner Danielsen
Jan Werner Danielsen
Jan Werner Danielsen, artist name Jan Werner, was a Norwegian pop, classical, and rock singer, famous for his powerful voice which stretched over four and a half octaves...
, Bjøro Håland
Bjøro Håland
Bjøro Håland is a Norwegian country singer.He was born on Håland in Norway and grew up in Audnedal with five siblings. In 1960 he emigrated to the USA. He worked as a construction worker and sang in bars...
, Andrea Een
Andrea Een
Andrea Een is a violist/violinist and Associate Professor of Music at St Olaf College. She is a founding member of the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America and, in 2002, was awarded the St. Olav's Medal by H.M. Harald V of Norway for helping to reintroduce the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle...
, Arild Sandvold, Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...
and the group Gåte
Gåte
Gåte was a band from Trøndelag, Norway playing Norwegian folk music bred with metal and electronica. Their style has been referred to as progressive folk-rock...
. English variations on the title include, I know a castle in heaven, castle in the sky, I know there is a castle in heaven, I know of a heavenly stronghold, and, I know a castle in heaven above. The German title is Ich weiß im Himmelreich.
Lyrics
-
- Eg veit i himmerik ei borg
Eg veit i himmerik ei borg,
ho skin som soli klåre,
der er kje synder eller sorg,
der er kje gråt og tåre.
Der inne bur Guds eigen Son
i herlegdom og æra,
han er mi trøyst og trygge von,
hjå honom eg skal vera.
Eg er ein fattig ferdamann,
må mine vegar fara
herfrå og til mitt fedreland,
Gud, meg på vegen vara!
Eg med mitt blod deg dyrt har løyst,
eg inn til deg vil treda,
og gjeva hjarta mod og trøyst
og venda sorg til gleda.
Er du meg tru og bruka vil
Guds ord og sakramente,
di synd er gløymd, di sorg vert still,
di heimferd glad du vente!
Når verdi all som drivesand
med gull og gleda viker,
då stend eg ved di høgre hand,
ein ven som aldri sviker.
Eg fattig hit til verdi kom
og rann av ringe røter,
fer herifrå med handi tom,
og dødens vald meg møter.
Men visst eg veit ein morgon renn
då dødens natt skal enda.
Min lekam opp or gravi stend
og evig fryd får kjenna.
Så hjelp oss du, vår Herre Krist,
ditt blod for oss har runne:
Din beiske død har sant og visst
oss himmelriket vunne.
Me takkar deg til evig tid,
Gud Fader, alle saman,
for du er oss så mild og blid
i Jesus Kristus! Amen.
Translation
-
- I know of a heavenly stronghold
I know of a heavenly stronghold
shining as bright as the sun;
there are neither sin nor sorrow
and never a tear is shed.
I am a weary traveller;
may my path lead me
from here to the land of my father;
God, protect me on my way.
We thank you for eternity
God the Father, one in three.
For you are gentle and mild to us
in Jesus Christ! Amen.
Note
The English translation (made by Andrew Smith, 2005) excludes the two middle verses in Norwegian, but includes another Norwegian verse in the middle:Eg er ein fattig ferdamann,
må mine vegar fara
herfrå og til mitt fedreland,
Gud, meg på vegen vara!