Level C1
Click on words to see their translations.
Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu (the verses of Rose from Waters-end) is a love poem written by Rósa Guðmundsdóttir (1795–1855).
According to popular rumor, Rósa had a secret relationship with a man named Páll, who ended up marrying another woman while Rósa became a laborer at his estate.
It is assumed that she wrote the poem shown below to Páll, describing her deep love and heartbreak. The words are simple and emotion-filled. It is among the best known Icelandic love poems, and is sung as a lullaby to all Icelandic children.
My eyes and your eyesAugun mín og augun þín,
Oh, those pretty stonesó, þá fögru steina
Mine is yours and yours is minemitt er þitt og þitt er mitt,
you know what I meanþú veist hvað ég meina.
It has been long since I saw himLangt er síðan sá ég hann,
Truly, he was beautifulsannlega fríður var hann,
All that which could grace a man.allt, sem prýða má einn mann,
He really stood out among the populationmest af lýðum bar hann.
I mourn you most of all peopleÞig ég trega manna mest
with a flood of tearsmædd af tára flóði,
Oh, I wish that we had never metOh, that we never had metó, að við hefðum aldrei sést,
My dear good friend.elsku vinurinn góði.
Two particularly famous renditions of this song are:
- Version by Ragnheiður Gröndal (on YouTube)
- Version by Björk (on YouTube)
Later in life, Rósa became a midwife.