New year's morning

These are the first six stanzas of Grundtvig's "Nyaars-morgen" translated into English. "Nyaars-morgen" is 312 stanzas long and the poem was written by Grundtvig in 1824. It is considered to be one of Grundtvig's greatest works.

New year's morning

1. God's peace! where you settle in field and on hill, in shadow of beeches by torrent of springs! God's peace over forest with growth of its trunks, God's peace over waters where argosies sail, which anchor, flags flying on days of rejoicing, which still fly the ancestors' flag! 2. God's peace, as it rested in ancestors’ heart, God's peace, as we won it by the Saviour's arm, God's peace, as enthroning where love has its home. God's peace, as we hear it in cottage of earth, as myself I enjoy it, I wish and I offer , the brothers and kin in the North! 3. God's peace and good morning! in field and on hill! o’ercome is the sorrow, which pained me at nights, in darkness of midnight, at cockcrow from Hel, when gloom in its vigour did right against sun: when night against daylight, when Michael with dragon I seemed to see fight for the North!

4. Whether dreaming or wakeful I were in the night, whether closed were the eyelids or open the eyes, whether mute like birds sleeping or wakeful like rnen I were in my cavern, is dim to me yet; but in me the fervour with death surely struggled, like dying and smouldering spark! 5. Whether day was just dawning when shadows to me, astir in the tree tops, prepared for the war, and seemed now to wander like storm in the leaves, whether keener, than others I were, or else deaf, that time will uncover, and ever are sorrows, which feeling makes clear, also real! 6. Whether voice to go chanting did grow from my breast, whether more than a fancy was placed on my tongue, whether sun would be keeping some gold in my mouth, whether place and a language I have in the land, whether singing or sighing sat next to my cradle, that is, what not yet l do know!

Source: 'New years morning', translation Kristian Schultz Petersen. Vartov: København.