User:Lakrits/Sven Dufva

I use this excerpt as example text on some template documentation pages. It's the last two verses of the poem "Sven Dufva" (also "Sven Duva") from Fänrik Ståls sägner (eng. "The Tales of Ensign Stål") by Johan Ludvig Runeberg. In Swedish, the excerpt reads:

[…]

”Den kulan visste, hur den tog, det måste erkänt bli”,
så talte generalen blott, ”den visste mer än vi;
den lät hans panna bli i fred, ty den var klen och arm,
och höll sig till, vad bättre var, hans ädla, tappra barm.”

Och dessa ord, de spriddes sen i hären vitt och brett,
och alla tyckte överallt, att Sandels talat rätt.
”Ty visst var tanken”, mente man, ”hos Dufva knapp till mått;
ett dåligt huvud hade han, men hjärtat, det var gott.”

A quick translation:

[…]

”That bullet knew, just where to strike, that is plain to see”,
thus spoke the general to the men, ”yes, it knew more than we;
it shunned his brow, both weak and poor, of that I can attest,
and found instead, what better was, his noble, valiant chest.”

These words then spread among the men, both veterans and youth,
and every soldier did agree, that Sandels spoke the truth.
”Sure, the wits”, they said, ”of Dufva, seemed to be of wood;
he had a meager head, the lad, but God, his heart was good.”

Lakrits (talk)