DEN ENDA STUNDEN
THE (SOLE) SINGLE MOMENT

lyrics by Johan Ludvig Runeberg



Allena var jag, han kom allena;
I was alone,    he came alone;

förbi min bana hans bana ledde,
his path crossed my path,

han dröjde icke,  men tänkte dröja,
he did not tarry, but intended to linger,

han talte icke,   men ögat talte...
he did not speak, but his eyes spoke volumes...

Du obekante,     du välbekante!
You unknown man, you well-known man!

En dag försvinner, ett år förflyter,
A day passes,      a year goes by,

det ena minnet det andra jagar;
one memory chases another;

den korta stunden    blev hos mig evigt,
that fleeting moment stayed with me forever,

den bittra stunden, den ljuva stunden.
that bitter moment, that sweet moment.



Translation by Eva Toller, 2003