Sofðu unga ástin mín (Sleep, my young love) — arr. Casey Rule

Approximate performance time: 2 min.
Year composed: 2011

Text

Sofðu unga ástin mín,
úti regnið grætur.
Mamma geymir gullin þín,
gamla leggi og völuskrín.
Við skulum ekki vaka um dimmar nætur.

Það er margt sem myrkrið veit,
minn er hugur þungur.
Oft ég svartan sandinn leit,
svíða grænan engireit.
Í jöklinum hljóða dauðadjúpar sprungur.

Sofðu lengi, sofðu rótt,
seint mun best að vakna.
Mæðan kenna mun þér fljótt,
meðan hallar degi skjótt,
að mennirnir elska, missa, gráta og sakna.

Translation

Sleep, my young love,
Outside the rain cries.
Mama looks after your toys
old legs* and a völuskrín†
Let us not stay awake on dark nights.

There is much the darkness knows,
My mind is heavy.
Often I saw the black sands,
burn the green meadow.
In the glacier, cracks as deep as death cry out.

Sleep long, sleep peacefully,
it’s best not to wake soon.
Hardships will soon teach you,
while the day quickly fades,
that humans love, lose, cry and miss.

* leg bones from sheep were used as toys
† a box for holding a vala – a sheep anklebone,
used as a toy and for fortune telling games