Psalm 797 - A Translation by Afton Light
- Afton Light
- Apr 10, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: May 21, 2022
In 1920 Erik Blomberg wrote a fantastic little poem about darkness and light. This poem itself has been a source of continuous comfort for me ever since my mother shared it about a decade ago when I needed it the most. The poem itself was set to music in 1922 by Karin Rhenqvist and in modern day appears as an psalm in the psalm book of the Swedish Church, Psalm 797.
I am currently working on a project of interpreting this poem for an ambient project. An intended sonic study inspired by this very poem to ease the aching of some recent extreme life changes. In the process of doing so I decided to properly translate the poem into English as I was unable to find a proper English translation for it. Below you will find the results of this translation. Enjoy, and keep an eye out for new music and poetry coming soon.
Psalm 797
Var inte rädd för mörkret,
ty ljuset vilar där.
Vi ser ju inga stjärnor,
där intet mörker är.
I ljusa irisringen,
du bär en mörk pupill.
Ty mörkt är allt som ljuset,
med bävan längtar till.
Var inte rädd för mörkret,
ty ljuset vilar där.
Var inte rädd för mörkret,
som ljusets hjärta bär.
Erik Blomberg, 1920
Psalm 797
I do not fear the darkness,
for light be resting there.
No stars to pierce the skies,
if darkness did not share.
For light to be perceived,
black pupils center eyes.
For dark is all as light,
no trepidation or despair.
I do not fear the darkness,
for light be resting there.
I do not fear the darkness,
the heart of light it bears.
Translated by Afton Light, 2021