Origins: The Soul of the Child (Danish)

Subject: Origins: The Soul of the Child (Danish)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jul 24 - 01:48 AM

Jim Lucas came across this recitation/song in a collection of English translations of Danish songs. We'd like to know more about it.

THE SOUL OF THE CHILD
Recording from South Zealand by Franziska Carlsen, 1844

Oh, how shall the grass in the meadow thrive
Lord Jesus forgives and brings solace
a brother and sister they loved as man and wife.
The Lord, my God, sent His son down to Earth.

A child they begat in sin as man and wife;
in the meadow they buried the child alive.

The Lord he speaks to an angel of his:
Lord Jesus forgives and brings solace
“You fetch me the man to Heaven’s bliss.”
The Lord, my God, sent His son down to Earth.

“All three we have come for Heaven to see,
Lord Jesus forgives and brings solace
now let us stay in eternity.”
The Lord, my God, sent His son down to Earth.

from the songbook introduction:
This book is a translation of my Danske Viser: Gamle Folke-viser, Skcernt, Efterklang (Copenhagen 1962). There are but minor changes from the original: The introduction has been slightly expanded and revised. The notes have been extended, where consideration for non-Danish readers so requires, and abbreviated where explanation of single words and phrases had become unnecessary. The Danish Number 50 has been replaced by Lie and Truth, and Nos. 51 and 52 have changed places, while better sources have been used for Nos. 72 and 73. These changes are exceptions from the rule that the texts of the original and the present edition follow each other page by page so that the Danish and English versions may be easily compared.
Anthologies of Danish ballads for the general public have been published both before and after the initial publication of the scholarly ballad edition Danmarks gamle Folkeviser in 1853. Such anthologies were produced by Svend Grundtvig (1867 and 1882), Axel Olrik (Danske Folkeviser i Udvalg, 1899-1909), H. Griiner- Nielsen (1925-1927), Ernst von der Recke (1927-29), and Ernst Frandsen (1937 and 1945). I now add myself to their number.
However, also the practice of translating Danish ballads into English is old. Robert Jamieson, George Borrow, “An Amateur” (1858), Robert Buchanan, Alexander Prior, and Alexander Gray in our own day, are to be regarded with gratitude, for they made such selections and translations over the last century and a half. E. M. Smith-Dampier ended her contributions to Scandinavian ballad poetry with a full translation of Olrik’s valuable and popular anthology: A Book of Danish Ballads, selected and with an introduction by Axel Olrik (Princeton University Press and The American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1939). I am grateful that cooperation was possible between Rosenkilde and Bagger, my Danish publisher, and The American-Scandinavian Foundation, which was represented, in the various negotiations, by Mr. Erik J. Friis.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Soul of the Child (Danish)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jul 24 - 01:54 AM

Here's what Jim says:

Regarding my recitation on July 1, here are scans from the pages of
the book, plus a scan of the first part of the introduction.

You'll see from the intro that the name of the English version is much
condensed from that of the original Danish version, Danske Viser:
Gamle Folkeviser, Skæmt, Efterklang, which I would translate as
Danish Songs: Old Folk Songs, Humor, Refrains. Is that one of the ones you have?

What I consider unusual -- unique? -- about this "song" is the fact
that it involves incest and infanticide, yet the concept of shame is
nowhere mentioned or even implied. Sin... yes (it's mentioned in the
second verse, and the parents are initially sent to hell), but not
shame. Nothing is said about how the parents died... no murder of the
mother or double suicide, which would imply shame. I.e., if there was
shame, it's not considered relevant to the story.

Nor does the child suggest that what its parents have done --
including its own murder -- should bring punishment, judgement... or
even mention. It loves its parents. And although "forgiveness" is
pervasive, through the repeated chorus, it doesn't enter the story
line. The child doesn't call upon God's "mercy", but only on God's love.

Do you know of anything like this in English-language folk song
tradition?