On Midsummer in Finland, you’ll often hear “Moomintroll’s Midsummer Poem” (in Finnish Muumipeikon juhannusruno). The text of this poem is actually the second verse of “Moomintroll’s song” (in Swedish Mumintrollets visa), written originally in Swedish by Tove Jansson.
Moomintroll‘s song was translated (by Sandra Forsell) into English in 2024:
Moomintroll’s Midsummer Poem
But I lie upon the meadow to rest my legs awhile
I stop my musings right away to feel the sunlight shine
Let others do the thinking, they’re wiser anyway
on such a warm and friendly, and sleepy summer day
When all is blue and smells of dew
and you are free for troll-like deeds
or what you will – but choose to be
just lying still.
I am a troll like you, who thinks
the world is a home for me,
right now.
The song was originally composed for the play Troll i kulisserna when it toured from Helsinki to Stockholm in 1959. The first screening of the play at the Lilla Teatern in Helsinki in 1958 contained only text, and for the performances in Stockholm, Vivica Bandler, the director of the play, wanted to also include songs from Tove Jansson and Lilla Teatern’s composer Erna Tauro. Among Moomintroll’s song, there was, for example, a song called “Little My’s song” (Lilla Mys visa). All the six Moomin songs were published in 1960 on the Mumintrollen EP album.
Happy Midsummer to all Moomin fans!
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