A Ballad of the Interfilk Musicians
Mar. 19th, 2016 03:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kjnA legendary Swedish poem and ballad is Frans G Bengtsson's En ballad om franske kungens spelmän ("A Ballad of the French King's Musicians") from 1923. Bengtsson himself described it as "scholarly but incomprehensible", which I guess has contributed to its popularity. According to tradition, it was written on a bet to include the word "transsubstantiate" in a poem.
The poem turned popular enough that it has two different melodies written for it: one by Gunnar Turesson (YouTube) and one by Per-Martin Hamberg, made famous by Karin Juel. I try to sing it to Hamberg's melody, though nowadays Turesson's melody is the most commonly used, and is the one I first heard. Apart from that, Evert Taube wrote his own parody of the ballad in En ballad om Frans G. Bengtssons spelmän (YouTube), with yet another melody, and I've incorporated references to his song as well.
We have come from Georgia and Oregon,
from England and from the greater Germany.
We are ever from those countries being drawn,
since we sang with Interfilk in harmony.
From the far away con hotel
we heard "Sing,
with Fish and with the fannish bell
that we bring!"
And then we carried and we
drew the instruments you see,
until dandelions cover'd all so well.
And the mundanes we have seen in corridors
stand in awe over the instrument buildup,
as the sackbuts we have carried to the doors:
"Fellow trufen! Filkers come! Now open up!"
And the fen who run common cons!
They were pann'd
since we sur'ly were the ones
Argo bann'd,
as we sang in ev'ry nook
and the elevator took
we kept the fannish fire ev'ry night well fann'd.
We know tunes for march and dance for carnival,
drones of litanies and songs by Anderson.
We have played the clavichord and virginal
in an aubade when we sang Before the Dawn.
We know rhymes of Valdemar
and Mister Spock
and a chorus where we spar
with a Morlock.
And where Standlee ably steer'd
at a business meeting weird,
we sang Grabthar's Silver Hammer at the knock
We are Wicked Girls who proudly Save Ourselves,
will we ever see the cool Green Hills of Earth?
To cons we go, sometimes dressing up as elves,
though with trouble from the growth of chin and girth.
In Filthy Pierre's Microfilk
which we shar'd
we found melodies that with silk
be compar'd.
And as a Fire in the Sky
I want to be When I Die
As we play the instruments we keep prepar'd
Frans G Bengtsson wrote the song that I have filk'd,
and then Evert Taube rewrote it once before.
Per-Martin Hamberg wrote the tune that I us'd,
there is one by Turesson to watch out for.
With voices hoarse and a guitar
with a crack,
we set out To Touch A Star,
Take it Back.
If you ask us by the end
have we lost or have we gain'd?
It is transsubstansiated to a song.
The poem turned popular enough that it has two different melodies written for it: one by Gunnar Turesson (YouTube) and one by Per-Martin Hamberg, made famous by Karin Juel. I try to sing it to Hamberg's melody, though nowadays Turesson's melody is the most commonly used, and is the one I first heard. Apart from that, Evert Taube wrote his own parody of the ballad in En ballad om Frans G. Bengtssons spelmän (YouTube), with yet another melody, and I've incorporated references to his song as well.
We have come from Georgia and Oregon,
from England and from the greater Germany.
We are ever from those countries being drawn,
since we sang with Interfilk in harmony.
From the far away con hotel
we heard "Sing,
with Fish and with the fannish bell
that we bring!"
And then we carried and we
drew the instruments you see,
until dandelions cover'd all so well.
And the mundanes we have seen in corridors
stand in awe over the instrument buildup,
as the sackbuts we have carried to the doors:
"Fellow trufen! Filkers come! Now open up!"
And the fen who run common cons!
They were pann'd
since we sur'ly were the ones
Argo bann'd,
as we sang in ev'ry nook
and the elevator took
we kept the fannish fire ev'ry night well fann'd.
We know tunes for march and dance for carnival,
drones of litanies and songs by Anderson.
We have played the clavichord and virginal
in an aubade when we sang Before the Dawn.
We know rhymes of Valdemar
and Mister Spock
and a chorus where we spar
with a Morlock.
And where Standlee ably steer'd
at a business meeting weird,
we sang Grabthar's Silver Hammer at the knock
We are Wicked Girls who proudly Save Ourselves,
will we ever see the cool Green Hills of Earth?
To cons we go, sometimes dressing up as elves,
though with trouble from the growth of chin and girth.
In Filthy Pierre's Microfilk
which we shar'd
we found melodies that with silk
be compar'd.
And as a Fire in the Sky
I want to be When I Die
As we play the instruments we keep prepar'd
Frans G Bengtsson wrote the song that I have filk'd,
and then Evert Taube rewrote it once before.
Per-Martin Hamberg wrote the tune that I us'd,
there is one by Turesson to watch out for.
With voices hoarse and a guitar
with a crack,
we set out To Touch A Star,
Take it Back.
If you ask us by the end
have we lost or have we gain'd?
It is transsubstansiated to a song.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-19 02:51 pm (UTC)That's the first time I've encountered the word "aubade," which I find is "a piece played or sung outddoors at dawn," usually as a compliment to someone."
no subject
Date: 2016-03-19 03:13 pm (UTC)All versions of the song excel in including archaic and uncommon words, and the Swedish variant of the word is used in the original.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-23 03:19 am (UTC)Everyone should feel loved & included in your song.
:)
no subject
Date: 2016-03-23 05:40 am (UTC)