When I was in Stockholm, I fell in love with a Swedish song which used to play quite often on the radio. It had a lovely melody which created scapes of sun-drenched beautiful meadows, crystal clear blue lakes and gentle mountains. The kind of tune which would make you dance with joy and make your heart feel full. An all-is-well-with-the-world kind of feeling, very summery and happy.
I could not make out much of the lyrics as my Swedish was in its infancy. 'älskar' (love) and 'från det högsta berg' (from the highest mountains) were the only parts that I could comprehend. Adding two and two together, I decided that this was a song about a person's love for Swedish mountains.
Time ticked on and took away the summers. A faint memory tells me that this song was a summer-favorite as I did not get to hear much of it in winters. As the time drew near to bid goodbye to Stockholm, I wanted the song as a souvenir. But the trouble was, I did not know the singer, the album or the lyrics. My classmates from Swedish class were my main source of information but they themselves being new to the country, could not help much. I asked localites and someone gave me a clue that the singer's name started with a Z. I spent hours on Google, the know-all but it did not throw any results. It was frustrating. If you can't find anything on Google, is it worth searching!
I came to India but did not give up the hunt. I would ask any new Swedish contact about the song. Disappointingly, it was a nada every single time.
Approximately six years later, today, I renewed the hunt. I thought of asking a Swedish friend on FB but gave a last try on Google. Voila! The phrase was there and it was part of a song! I explored further and found that it's a Swedish band called Sarek and the album is 'Genom eld och vatten'. I clicked on the Youtube video with bated breath. The first link didn't deliver but the second one took me to my favorite song.
When I heard those bagpipes, I was on cloud nine. Haven't stopped playing the song since and might get sick of it today itself. What a beautiful feeling - to have found after I seeked for so long. A worthwhile day, indeed. Life is beautiful because of little pleasures.
Well, the song is a romantic number. It comes straight from the heart. The lyrics and translation can be found on Youtube. My favorite line is 'Genom tid och rum Ja alla mina dagar ska du få'
'You'll possess my days, across time and space" - a rarity in today's world.
