It was the
clergyman Biørn Christian Lund (1738-1809), strongly influenced by the Moravian
Brotherhood, who wrote the original hymn in 1764.
It had 31 verses, the first of which was this:
Naar jeg gethsemane her faaer
I øie og dens frugt
jeg i et paradiis da gaaer
Og lugter livsens lugt.
[When here Gethsemane my eyes
should glimpse, likewise its fruit
I then walk in a paradise
And smell life’s scented root.]
As early as 1778, the poem was shortened to the last four
verses, which then were passed on by word of mouth until gradually knowledge of
the original author was lost. It was in this way that Grundtvig eventually came
into contact with the hymn and – with the exception of some later adjustments –
gave it its present-day form.
Music to the hymn
was later written by Carl Nielsen, who also immortalised the tune by using it
as a theme with variations in his wind quintet, op. 43.
Feldeinwärts flog ein Vögelein
Und sang im muntern Sonnenschein
Mit süßem, wunderbarem Ton:
Ade, ich fliege nun davon.
Weit, weit
Reis ich noch heut.
Doch als ich Blätter fallen sah,
Da sagt ich: Ach, der Herbst ist da,
Der Sommergast, die Schwalbe, zieht,
Vielleicht so Lieb' und Sehnsucht flieht
Weit, weit
Rasch mit der Zeit.
Doch rückwärts kam der Sonnenschein,
Dicht zu mir drauf das Vögelein,
Es sah mein tränend Angesicht
Und sang: Die Liebe wintert nicht. Nein,
nein!
Ist und bleibt Frühlingsschein.
