I was a child with clear sweet senses
And on my being the sun shone down
My life was new and yet without memories
And through the night the moon did gently glide
And I was young, with steady steps on the earth
I lived in freedom among trees and wild animals
And like in clay I formed my words
And pure was the heart they came out of
And the little brook runs towards the river
And the river runs towards great seas
And you will never ever find again
Where the little brook went1
And I became a man with a hat and heavy boots
I learned the reins2 of propriety and custom3
And learned to smile when the ground seemed to heave4
From the weight of enemies who cut us down
I look at the world through the gazes of the dead5
With other people's worries I buy my peace
And I kick downwards while kissing upwards6
And stuffed7 I snore, with the destitution of my soul next to me
And the little brook runs towards the river
And the river runs towards great seas
And you will never ever find again
Where the little brook went
I gather time like the mouse gathers scraps,
To the building of life, I gather years
Because everything great and strong is built from crumbs
And the truth is made from regretted lies
In the vaults of the mouth I feel the words sound
Like echoes of everything that has been said before
My faith is weak and my wisdom8 is scant
And everything is beginning, in-the-middle-of, and end
And the little brook runs towards the river
And the river runs towards great seas
And you will never ever find again
Where the little brook went
1. Or "ended up".2. That is, he learned to let those things keep himself under control.3. While meaning "custom", "sed" is also related to "sedlighet" which has connotations of decency and moral behavior.4. Or "shake", or something in between: the ground did seem to rise and fall.5. Or lit. "the gazes of dead people".6. Lit. "And I punch downwards while licking upwards", but it's only figurative, and the idea is the same. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_up_kick_down7. Or "satisfied" in the bodily sense.8. "Klokenskap" is not a very common word these days and most would probably use "klokhet" instead.