Wilhelm Stenhammar Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte/The girl came from meeting her lover

Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte  lyrics by Johan Ludvig Runeberg

Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte,
kom med röda händer. Modern sade:
“Varav rodna dina händer, flicka?”
Flickan sade: “Jag har plockat rosor
och på törnen stungit mina händer.”

Åter kom hon från sin älsklings möte,
kom med röda läppar. Modern sade:
“Varav rodna dina läppar, flicka?”
Flickan sade: “Jag har ätit hallon
och med saften målat mina läppar.”

Åter kom hon från sin älsklings möte,
kom med bleka kinder. Modern sade:
“Varav blekna dina kinder, flicka?”
Flickan sade: “Red en grav, o moder!
Göm mig där och ställ ett kors däröver,
och på korset rista, som jag säger:

En gång kom hon hem med röda händer,
ty de rodnat mellan älskarns händer.
En gång kom hon hem med röda läppar,
ty de rodnat under älskarns läppar.
Senast kom hon hem med bleka kinder,
ty de bleknat genom älskarns otro.”

The girl came from meeting her lover  translation by Hélène Lindqvist

The girl came from meeting her lover,
came with her hands all red. Her mother said:
“Why are your hands so red, my girl?”
The girl said: “I was picking roses
and stung my hands on the thorns.”

Again she came from meeting her lover,
came with her lips all red. Her mother said:
“Why are your lips so red, my girl?”
The girl said: “I was eating raspberries
and coloured my lips with the juice.”

Again she came from meeting her lover,
came with her cheeks all pale. Her mother said:
“Why are your cheeks so pale, my girl?”
The girl said: “Dig a grave, oh mother!
Hide me there and put a cross above it,
And on the cross carve as I say:

Once she came with her hands all red,
they had blushed between her lover’s hands.
Once she came home with her lips all red,
they had reddened beneath her lover’s lips.
The last time she came home with her cheeks all pale,
they had paled at her lover’s infidelity.”

Learn more about Wilhelm Stenhammar here.