This might originally be an Irish march, which was actually played during the succesfull attack of the Swedish army at Narva in November 1700. It was originally a military march, but when Geijer made these rather grym poem to it in 1818, the march changed to a funeral march and it's tempo slowened a lot. It has been largely used in Finland during the funerals, if the person to be berried has had military career or if he/she has had a great political position. Also at the funerals of the former Estonian president Lennart Meri this march was played. In Sweden the people might sing this march at the funerals, but in Finland it is almost always played as an instrumental version. I have heard this piece sung in Finnish only once in my lifetime. Here are two Finnish translations. They are very seldom heard, because the original Swedish poem was written only after Finland had been separated from Sweden in 1809. Muistot, aika häipyvä, heitä! Hetken riemut kalpeat peitä! Yöhyt synkeä kattaa meitä, varjot laulumme kuulkoot vaan! Muisto mennehen aijan loiton, tunnon syttäjä, kiihde voiton! Vieras harmaja aikain koiton kanna nyt kanssamme murhe maan. Hetken haave haipuos, haivu mielen myrsky tyyneksi taivu. Aatos muistojen yöhön vaivu, varjojen virttä nyt laulamme. Kerran te nousitte sankari-innoin, kaikkenne annoitte kallehin hinnoin. Uhrinne muistamme polttavin rinnoin. Siunattu olkoon muistonne!
You seem quite knowledgable on this subject. Do you happen to know what the "gråa gäst" part of the lyrics refer to? I see that it is present in the Finnish version as well, so it must be quite an important part of the song.. best theory I got is Charles XI and the fact that he used to visit villages in grey clothing, but otherwise I have no clue..
I found sung version on youtube with "Narvan marssi - Hattulan kirkossa 21.5.2017". Not going to lie, but this was my first time hearing the march sung. I have to admit, that I quite like it.
"Gray Guest." Probably refers to kind of personification of death itself, I imagine. An idea of a grim reaper, who arrives in biblical terms on a pale horse.
Either it's death it refers to, or as was popular in music at the time, to allude to some old mythology such as Greek or Roman, but in this case it could possibly be one of the many names of Odin. At least it would fit the subject. After all, Odin is the one that chooses the slain warriors. It's a possibility, but could also have been controversial in a Christian society, so likelier is that it's the reaper, that it's death. I just wanted to mention it as it fits so well.
![Björneborgarnas Marsch [Finnish march] [English and Swedish lyrics]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ONp3cU9eolg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Björneborgarnas Marsch [Finnish march] [English and Swedish lyrics]](/img/tr.png)
![Vår Gud är oss en väldig borg [German Psalm] [English and Swedish lyrics]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/c-eH9TYEF48/mqdefault.jpg)
!["Narvan marssi" - Finnish funeral march [Sanat] + [English Lyrics]](/img/n.gif)
This might originally be an Irish march, which was actually played during the succesfull attack of the Swedish army at Narva in November 1700. It was originally a military march, but when Geijer made these rather grym poem to it in 1818, the march changed to a funeral march and it's tempo slowened a lot. It has been largely used in Finland during the funerals, if the person to be berried has had military career or if he/she has had a great political position. Also at the funerals of the former Estonian president Lennart Meri this march was played. In Sweden the people might sing this march at the funerals, but in Finland it is almost always played as an instrumental version. I have heard this piece sung in Finnish only once in my lifetime.
Here are two Finnish translations. They are very seldom heard, because the original Swedish poem was written only after Finland had been separated from Sweden in 1809.
Muistot, aika häipyvä, heitä!
Hetken riemut kalpeat peitä!
Yöhyt synkeä kattaa meitä,
varjot laulumme kuulkoot vaan!
Muisto mennehen aijan loiton,
tunnon syttäjä, kiihde voiton!
Vieras harmaja aikain koiton
kanna nyt kanssamme murhe maan.
Hetken haave haipuos, haivu
mielen myrsky tyyneksi taivu.
Aatos muistojen yöhön vaivu,
varjojen virttä nyt laulamme.
Kerran te nousitte sankari-innoin,
kaikkenne annoitte kallehin hinnoin.
Uhrinne muistamme polttavin rinnoin.
Siunattu olkoon muistonne!
You seem quite knowledgable on this subject. Do you happen to know what the "gråa gäst" part of the lyrics refer to? I see that it is present in the Finnish version as well, so it must be quite an important part of the song.. best theory I got is Charles XI and the fact that he used to visit villages in grey clothing, but otherwise I have no clue..
I found sung version on youtube with "Narvan marssi - Hattulan kirkossa 21.5.2017".
Not going to lie, but this was my first time hearing the march sung.
I have to admit, that I quite like it.
@@594-d9b Could it possibly be referring to the grim reaper?
@@594-d9b the grey guest is most certainly death.
@@594-d9b A song of great sorrow telling about "a grey guest that time does not weaken".. Doesn't leave much to guess, does it.
This is great stuff!
Translating "framfarna" to "rampant" is pretty weird imo.
It's fantastisk.
Very interesting
Hello Rumänien from Germania!
It's the same tune of nylands och tavastehus? Seems to me a slower version
it is the same
Would anyone here happen to know what the "gråa gäst" refers to?
"Gray Guest." Probably refers to kind of personification of death itself, I imagine. An idea of a grim reaper, who arrives in biblical terms on a pale horse.
A dead person /death
Either it's death it refers to, or as was popular in music at the time, to allude to some old mythology such as Greek or Roman, but in this case it could possibly be one of the many names of Odin. At least it would fit the subject. After all, Odin is the one that chooses the slain warriors. It's a possibility, but could also have been controversial in a Christian society, so likelier is that it's the reaper, that it's death. I just wanted to mention it as it fits so well.
Playspeed 2x
Narvan marssi
A swedish march