Norsk 101: Historien om Peer Gynt

Language practice with Christie Ericson

Photos: Morten Holm / NTB
Svein Sturla Hungnes appeared as Peer Gynt at Gålåvatnet in Norway in 2006.

Det var en gang en ung mann som het (Once upon a time there was a young man named) Peer Gynt. Peer var lat og unyttig (Peer was lazy and useless). En dag reiste Peer til et bryllup (One day Peer traveled to a wedding). Her møtte han Solveig og forelsket seg i henne (Here he met Solveig and fell in love with her). Solveig visste at Peer hadde dårlig rykte (Solveig knew that Peer had a bad reputation) og unngikk ham (and avoided him). Så røvet Peer bruden til fjells (Then Peer kidnapped the bride to the mountains), men han ville bare ha Solveig (but he only wanted Solveig).

Deretter møtte Peer datteren av (Then Peer met the daughter of) Dovregubben (the Old Man of the Mountain or the Mountain King). Sammen red de inn i Dovregubbens hall (Together they rode into the Hall of the Mountain King). Dovregubben krevde at Peer skulle bli som et troll (demanded that Peer become like a troll) og skulle «være seg selv – nok!» (and should “be himself – enough!”) 

Peer rømte fra trollene (escaped from the trolls), men befant seg i mørket (but found himself in the darkness) med «den store bøygen» (with “the great bøyg [troll]”). Vesenet hadde ingen form (The creature didn’t have any shape) og Peer ble stadig tvunget til å «gå utenom» (and Peer was constantly forced to “go around”).

Peer unnslapp fra bøygen (Peer escaped from the bøyg [troll]), men han kunne ikke reise hjem (but he couldn’t return home). Han bygde en hytte (He built a cabin) og snart kom Solveig til ham (and soon Solveig came to him). Hun ville være hos ham resten av livet (She wanted to be with him for the rest of her life). Peer bestemte seg for å «gå utenom» (He decided to “go around”), men han ba Solveig vente på ham (but he asked Solveig to wait for him).

Etter mange år i utlandet (After many years abroad), reiste Peer hjem (Peer traveled home), en fattig og gammel mann (a poor and old man). Dovregubben fortalte Peer at han hadde levd livet sitt som et troll (told Peer that he had lived his life as a troll), ikke en mann (not as a man).

Peer fortvilte (Peer despaired). Han hadde forspilt livet sitt (He had wasted his life). Endelig gikk han til (Finally he went to) Solveig og krevde at hun skulle tilgi ham (and demanded that she forgive him). Men den tålmodige Solveig svarte (But the patient Solveig answered): «Intet har du syndet, min kjæreste gutt». (“You have not sinned, my dear boy.”)

Til slutt sank Peer sammen i Solveigs armer (Finally Peer sank into Solveig’s arms) mens hun sang over ham (as she sang over him) – en siste vuggevise (a final lullaby). 

Kilde (Source): no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_Gynt.

This article originally appeared in the June 10, 2022, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.