THE COLLECTED POEMS OF HENRIK IBSEN Translated by John ...

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Look towards the whole, not fractions,
Towards our noble future life!
May the North’s strong foster-ties,
Royal dream in deeds new-minted,
Be the epitaph imprinted
Where the buried hero lies!
Kinship scorning fell and wave,
Mutual aims with mutual power,
Be our thanks to the endower,
This our time’s first Scandinave.
Henr. Ibsen
Count Bernadotte, one of Napoleon’s marshals, elected Crown Prince of Sweden in 1810,
became King, after Norway’s severance from Denmark in 1814, of the joint kingdom of
Sweden/Norway with the title Carl Johan. Norway, which had sought independence, was
initially hostile to him, but Ibsen hails him as the originator of the concept of a united
Scandinavia. He died in 1844. Ibsen was a member of the Society. Alexander mission —
Carl Johan visited Alexander of Russia to obtain his consent to the amalgamation of Norway
with Sweden; in return he supported Russian claims to Finland.
SONG AT THE CELEBRATION OF OUR FOREFATHERS’ MEMORY
13 th January 1858
(Mel: “Vift stolt paa Codans Bølger”)
In folk-lore’s ample regions
Are spots that clouds o’erlay;
There rune-stones in their legions
Portentous signs display;
We note, so be our choice is
For myth or history,
A host of scattered voices; —
But never harmony.
But if the mind’s exertions
Attain its Nordic goal,
In Memory’s scattered versions
We’ll find a theme that’s whole;
And should the bard’s flame kindle,
And should the folk respond, —
The Present’s murk will dwindle,
We’ll see one mutual bond.
For Bygone’s clear perception
Is what our times most need,
If that inspired conception
Is ever to succeed,
If yonder thunderous presage
With triple potency