Gryphon Trio and Nordic Voices: Lyrics and Translations

Jan. 28, 2026

Omaa Biindig / Her Inne

by Andrew Balfour (b. 1967)

Texts in Ojibwe and Norwegian

Jorda — Earth (Norwegian)
Her Inne — Here, Inside (Norwegian)
Ningaabii’anong — The West (Ojibwe)
Giiwedianong — The North (Ojibwe)
Waabanong — The East (Ojibwe)
Zhaawanong — The South (Ojibwe)
Omaa Biindig — Here, Inside (Ojibwe)

Solbøn

by Lasse Thoresen (b. 1949)

Text in Norwegian

Tru soli måtte skine
Yvi små bodni mine
Yvi topp, yvi tre
Yvi folk, yvi fe
Yvi åker og eng
Yvi hus og hjem
Og yvi jomfu Marias silkeseng

English Translation

Prayer to the sun
May the sun of faith shine
Over my small dwellings
Over treetop and tree
Over people and cattle
Over field and meadow
Over house and home
And over the Virgin Mary’s silk bed

…Знов Співатимуть Життя… (…Will Sing Life Again…) (2025)

by Bohdana Frolyak (b. 1968)
Poetry by Victoria Amelina

Text in Ukrainian

У весняне синє поле
Вийде жінка в чорній сукні
Імена сестер кричати
Наче птах в порожнє небо
Викричить усіх із себе
Ту, що відлетіла швидко
Ту, яка про смерть благала
Ту, що не спинила смерть
Ту, яка чекає досі
Ту, яка усе ще вірить
Ту, що сорок днів мовчить
Викричить їх всіх у землю
Наче біль засіє в полі
З болю та імен жіночих
Виростуть їй нові сестри
Знов співатимуть життя
Ну а що вона, ворона?
А вона навік в цім полі
Бо лиш крик її й тримає
Цих ластівок в повітрі
Як вона гукає
Всі по черзі імена?
У весняне синє поле
Вийде жінка в чорній сукні
Імена сестер кричати
Наче птах в порожнє небо
Виростуть їй нові сестри
Знов співатимуть життя

English Translation

In a bare blue springtime field
A woman in black dress stands,
Crying out her sisters’ names
Like a bird in an empty sky.
She’ll cry out each name out of herself:
The one who flew away too soon,
The one who begged to die,
The one who could not stop death,
The one who is still waiting,
The one who still believes,
The one who mourns in silence.
She’ll cry out each name into the ground,
As though sowing the field with pain.
From pain and the names of these women,
New sisters will grow from the earth,
And, again, will sing loudly of life.
But what about her, the crow?
She must stay in this field forever,
Because her cry is the only thing
That holds the swallows in the air.
Do you hear how she calls
Their names one by one?
In a bare blue springtime field
A woman in black dress stands,
Crying out her sisters’ names
Like a bird in an empty sky.
New sisters will grow from the earth,
And, again, will sing loudly of life.

Scar Tissue

by Jeffrey Ryan (b. 1962)
Poetry by Michael Redhill

III. Growth

A star probably still has light,
don’t doubt that herald, flying
at its own speed to glow here
on you. Starblown energy
charged with fire. Change is the
nursery of music, joy,
life and eternity. Sing it.

VIII. Recovery

Phosphatidylinositol
is central to metabolic
processes. It’s like a music
that plays under everything, and
no one knows it. It wounds without
the pleasure of a scar. I am
carried in my shadow like a
violin in its black case.

IX. Renewal

The maidens sang a holy song and
straight up the air went amazing sound!
A small child says, “I love you” and lilies
in the yard throw open the doors of
the heart. Accept Lord Mother/Father
the briefness of this life you’ve granted.
As proof of my love, I offer this.
Pity my voice burning in your mouth:
Eros comes nowhere near this bliss.

DAL

by Norbert Palej

Text in Polish

II. Jakżesz ja się uspokoję

(Stanisław Wyspiański)

Jakżeż ja się uspokoję -
pełne strachu oczy moje,
pełne grozy myśli moje,
pełne trwogi serce moje,
pełne drżenia piersi moje -
jakżeż ja się uspokoję …

English Translation: II. How can I calm down at all?

(Stanisław Wyspiański)

How can I calm down at all—
my eyes are full of fear,
my thoughts are full of dread,
my heart is full of terror,
my chest is full of trembling —
how can I calm down at all?

IV. Niewiadomo co

(Juliusz Słowacki)

Szło dwóch w nocy z wielką trwogą,
Aż pies czarny bieży drogą.
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

Rzecze jeden do drugiego:
Czy ty widzisz psa czarnego?
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

Żaden nic nie odpowiedział, Żaden bowiem nic nie wiedział.
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

Lecz obadwaj tak się zlękli,
Że zeszli w rów i przyklękli:
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

Drżą, potnieją, włos się jeży,
A pies bieży, a pies bieży.
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

Bieży, bieży, już ich mija,
Podniósł ogon i wywija,
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

Już ich minął, pobiegł daléj,
Oni wstali i patrzali.
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

Wtém, o dziwo! w oka mgnieniu, Biegnąc daléj, zniknął w cieniu.
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

Długo stali i myśleli,
Lecz się nic nie dowiedzieli,
Czy to pies,
Czy to bies?

English Translation: IV. Who knows what

(Juliusz Słowacki)

Two men walked through night in great dread— Until down the road a black dog sped.
Was it dog?
Was it fiend?

One of them whispers to the other:
“Do you also see that black dog?”
Is it dog?
Is it fiend?

Neither answered,
Since neither knew anything.
Was it dog?
Was it fiend?

But both men were overcome with fear, Down the ditch they dropped, to kneel:
Was it dog?
Was it fiend?

They tremble, they sweat, their hair bristles, The dog keeps running, the dog keeps running. Was it dog?
Was it fiend?

Running, running, and while passing,
It lifted its tail and started wagging it.
Was it dog?
Was it fiend?

Already it passed them, ran ahead,
They stood up and stared.
Was it dog?
Was it fiend?

Then, oh wonder! in a blink,
Running farther—it faded into the shadows. Was it dog?
Was it fiend?

Long they stood, lost deep in thought,
But they found out nothing more,
Was it dog?
Was it fiend?

Bysjan, bysjan

by Frank Havrøy

Text in Norwegian

Bysjan, bysjan lite bån
Bysjan, bysjan lite bån, no skal bånet såvvå,
jenta stilt åt ramna gå, gåmål krok åt klåvvå.
Ute skin en ljøske blek, stjernerap og måne,
lyser opp i skauom te, dagen kjem te gråne.
Lyser opp og syner vei, stjernerap og måne,
for så mang en husvill krok, bysjan, bysjan båne.

English Translation

Hush, hush little child
Hush, hush little child, time to sleep,
the girl goes quietly to her bed,
the old one to the chamber.
Outside a pale light shines, shooting stars
and moonlight light up the forest until day begins to dawn.
Light up the way, starlight and moon,
for many a lost soul on the road, hush, hush child.