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Monday, May 19, 2014

In the last message, Wednesday, May 14, I among other things wrote about the record 'Er Der En Mening Med Livet' (Is There a Meaning of Life) by the now living Danish singer Peter Abrahamse in 1978. This record has lyrics by the Norwegian poet Rudolf Nilsen 1901 ‐ 1929. After I had worked with that message, where I translated some of Rudolf Nilsen's words, I heard that the lyrics on this record have some changes.

First I heard the last words of the poem 'On stone grounds'. On this record, that are 'and only can be free inside.' The original words are, 'and only have a dream about forest and hillside.' This is totally different, but I did not start to write something here because of that.

But on the last song on the record, 'Is There a Meaning of Life (Confession)', which is the poem 'Confession'; the first words have been changed in a way, which I want to write about here.

Originally the words are 'There is no meaning of life?' On the record these words are. 'Is there a meaning of life?' This is a serious change. The original words ascertains that there is no meaning with such a life. But there is a question mark afterwards. Later in the poem, the meaning of life becomes to make it better for the future's generation. This is not the same as asking if there is a meaning of life. And I think the different is total. To ask if there is a meaning of life, can be a question by people who only are bored. But to ascertain that there is no meaning of life, that is to say that this is about something serious. These people had a life without meaning. But the poem tells about how it can be a meaning of life.

I got thoughts about that this poet Rudolf Nilsen used some symbolical words. That can be seen in many ways, trees which have strike roots, lifts their thin boughs etc. I also think that about words like rifles and powder. You shall not let someone shoot you, then you shall shoot back, but you shall work for peace. It is important to read all about such words, and not take a few words out of the context.

When working with this text, I also have got thoughts about that this has to do with, that the majority, the people, shall have the power, which is democracy. And then I started to think about that power of the majority, do not need to use weapons. This way of power do principally not need to use weapons as a systematic method. Because of this, it can be a hidden destructive move, to try to make it be necessary to use weapons in democracies, to ruin them.

Here I have translated three of Rudolf Nilsens poems. I have only translated them word by word. The last one, 'Street Boy', have been performed as a song by the now living singer Lillebjørn Nilsen, he made it in 1973. I think that every single inhabitant of Norway in the decades after 1973, know that song.

On stone grounds

The young birches in the black town
they stand and rustle with their bright leaves,
as if they breathed large forests' spring air
and not chimney's smoke and street dust.

They lift bravely their thin boughs
and let them sway beneath the spring's whistling
and warm oneself in the sun's good rays,
which are flowing in between the street's houses!

But they will never be like the big trees,
which stand and whistling out in the free.
So it is when you grow up on stone grounds
and only have a dream about forest and hillside.

Rudolf Nilsen 1925

Confession

There is no meaning of life?
You say: We are born and die,
but is there an aim with it all,
an intention with all that we do?

I know a meaning of life.
It is that you do your duty
in big and small to your class ‐
in action, in thought and poem.

It is that you never give way
for promises about laurels and pay,
but defiant and full of hate fight
for justice and peace for your son.

For yourself you have nothing to hope.
The happiness is not for you.
For the future's generation you shall open
a better and brighter way.

I know a meaning of life.
It is in those nameless' army
to fight for the working class
with thought and song and rifle.

Rudolf Nilsen 1925

Street Boy

I came to the world in a brick block of flats
and become a street boy.
And no street boy is born yesterday.
He finds early both gun slit
and powder.

I have a song, a little simple song:
I am a street boy.
And it has protected me so many a time,
and often has it got up in its sound
and shot.

It is my defiance, it is my belief and dream:
I am a street boy.
And it is the hatred's song, a river in stream,
and the love's song, young and tender,
to lute.

In the crematory shall my white fire
at last,
when the heart flames in the last play,
announce proud for that who listen to:
I was a street boy.

Rudolf Nilsen 1926

David H. Hegg