Can anyone help with a Danish Nursery Rhyme?
August 29th, 2008

Tim wrote:

Can anyone help with a Danish Nursery Rhyme called “Madiesen”? I am unsure about the spelling.

Apparently it is about a young boy riding a pig and falling through the ice.

Thanks,

Tim

If anyone can help with the Danish lyrics, and/or an English translation, please comment below.

Thanks!

Lisa

This article was posted on Friday, August 29th, 2008 at 8:53 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Danish, Danish Nursery Rhymes, Denmark, Languages, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Readers Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

7 Responses to “Can anyone help with a Danish Nursery Rhyme?”

  1. Solveig Jorgensen Says:
    August 29th, 2008 at 9:27 pm

    Hi Lisa
    This is the Danish rhyme inquired about (I think)

    Peter Mathiesen red på grisen
    over isen med avisen.
    Først gik isen
    så gik grisen
    og så gik lille Peter Mathiesen

    (roughly translated)
    Petert Mathiesen rode the pig
    across the ice with the newspaper
    First went the ice
    then went the pig and then went little Peter Mathiesen.

    I’m not aware of a tune, think it’s only a rhyme

  2. Lisa Says:
    August 30th, 2008 at 7:31 pm

    Thanks for the speedy response! If you’d like to record it, I’d be happy to post you (or someone else) reciting it!

    Mama Lisa

  3. Miriam Says:
    July 20th, 2009 at 8:11 am

    There is a melody but I unfortunaetly dont know it. I remember as much as that its published in the Danish childrens song book “De Smaa Synger” but I dont have it with me where I live at the moment, so I cant post it :(

  4. Monique Says:
    July 22nd, 2009 at 5:37 am

    “Peter Mathiesen” isn’t in “De små synger” (nor in “Min første sangbog” either). So would the tune be to another song from the first one?

  5. Peggy Says:
    May 1st, 2010 at 12:15 am

    I have a Danish song, I think a children’s song that my grandfather used to sing when he was a child and then sang it to my father and us when we all came along. Through the years the words sort of faded into anglicized gibberish a little bit…but someone once told me they recognized it and I wondered if anyone else would too? It went:

    “a sorre ester, a sorre vester, a sorre soender and a sorre nor…..(gibberish and then…) a sorre for (or fior)”
    Does this make any sense to anyone?

  6. Gurli Petersen Says:
    June 9th, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    You’re looking for a very old tune from the danish island, Fünen.

    Jeg så i øster, og jeg så i vester,

    jeg så i sønder, og jeg så i nord,

    Jeg så så mange smukke piger danse,

    men aldrig så jeg den, jeg så i fjor.

    Den første kærlighed er dog den bedste,

    l: vist aldrig jeg forglemmer dig, min ven! :l

    Og kan jeg ikke til min kærest komme,

    og hverken ridend’ eller gående,

    så vil jeg bie, til det bliver sommer,

    så vil jeg sejle over bølgen blå.

    Den første kærlighed er dog den bedste,
    l: vist aldrig jeg forglemmer dig, min ven! :l

    Translation (at least I tried ;-) )
    I looked to the east, I looked to the west,
    I looked to the south and I looked to the north.
    I saw so many pretty girls a-dancing,
    but I never saw the one I found last year.
    The first love is still the greatest,
    I shall never forget you, my dear.
    I shall never forget you, my dear.

    And can I not to my love come over
    neither riding nor by my feet,
    then I shall wait here untill summer,
    then I’ll sail across the blue waves.
    The first love is still the greatest,
    I shall never forget you, my dear.
    I shall never forget you, my dear.

    Gurli

  7. Lisa Says:
    June 9th, 2010 at 9:08 pm

    Hi Gurli,

    You can download the mp3 for a small price on amazon (you can also hear a sample of it there).

    Can anyone else help?

    Mama Lisa

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