solsken

Swedish

Etymology

From sol +‎ sken.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²suːlˌɧeːn/

Noun

solsken c

1. sunshine
   • 1869, “Sov du lilla vide ung (Videvisan) [Sleep, [you] little willow young (The Willow Song)]”, Zachris Topelius (lyrics), Alice Tegnér (music)‎^[1]:

     Sov, du lilla vide ung. Än så är det vinter. Än så sova [old present tense plural form, now "sover" – the present tense plural used to be identical to the infinitive for all verbs except vara] björk och ljung, ros och hyacinter. Än så är det långt till vår, innan rönn i blomma står. Sov, du lilla vide. Än så är det vinter. Solskensöga ser på dig. Solskensfamn dig vaggar. Snart blir grönt på skogens stig, och var blomma flaggar. Än en liten solskensbön: Vide liten blir så grön. Solskensöga ser dig. Solskensfamn dig vaggar.

     Sleep, ["you" – could be kept, but doesn't have the tone of "You little rascal" or the like as a vocative – see du] little willow young [poetic – putting the adjective last is equally unusual in Swedish here]. It is still winter [yet it is winter]. Yet [as in "still"] sleep birch and heather, rose and hyacinths. Spring is still a long way off [yet it is a long way to spring], before rowan is [stands] in bloom [normally "står i blom" rather than "står i blomma"]. Sleep, [you] little willow. It is still winter. Sunshine's eye watches you ["sunshine-eye watches you" – poetically terse in Swedish as well]. Sunshine's arms [see famn] rock you [like in a cradle (vagga)]. Soon the forest path will be green [soon it becomes green on the forest's path], and all the flowers fly their flags ["and each flower flags," as in puts out flags, figuratively]. Yet one little sunshine prayer [or plea]: Willow little turns so green. Sunshine's eye sees you. Sunshine's arms rock you.

Declension

Declension of solsken

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	solsken	solskens
	definite	solskenet	solskenets
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

See also

• solljus (“sunlight”)

References

• solsken in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• solsken in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• klossen