Who Can Sail Without the Wind?

Who Can Sail Without the Wind? (Swedish: Vem kan segla förutan vind?, lit.'Who can sail without wind?') is a Swedish folk song and lullaby known from Swedish speaking areas in Finland, assumed to originate from the Åland-islands between Finland and Sweden in the Baltic Sea. The opening line is found in the fifth stanza of an 18th-century ballad, "Goder natt, goder natt, allra kärestan min" and in its current form the song was first published in 1909. The song relates to a theme that is common in seaman's songs – to be separated from those you love.[1][2]

The English name of the song varies: "Who Can Sail Without Wind", "Who Can Sail Without a Wind", "I Can Sail Without The Wind", etc.

Lyrics

edit
Strophes Swedish English
Strophe 1 Vem kan segla förutan vind,
vem kan ro utan åror,
vem kan skiljas från vännen sin
utan att fälla tårar?
Who can sail without the wind,
who can row without oars,
who can leave a parting friend
without shedding tears?
Strophe 2 Jag kan segla förutan vind,
jag kan ro utan åror,
men ej skiljas från vännen min
utan att fälla tårar.
I can sail without the wind,
I can row without oars,
but i can't leave a parting friend
without shedding tears.
edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Johan Stenström; Anders Palm (1997). Den svenska sångboken (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. p. 504. ISBN 91-0-056433-8.
  2. ^ Johan Stenström; Anders Palm (1999). Barnens svenska sångbok (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. p. 252. ISBN 91-0-057050-8.