Danish Poems And Rhymes For Children (With English Translations)
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We all know how helpful poems and nursery rhymes can be when learning Danish. They help us to learn new words, understand grammar better, and to appreciate the rhythm and flow of the language.
This collection of 8 Danish poems about animals is a great way to introduce your child or yourself to the beauty of Danish poetry. Each poem has accompanying audio, as well as English translations and original artwork.
The poems are all in the public domain, though these translations are our intellectual property. We hope you enjoy them!
I dyrehaven – At the deer park
Det er saa kjært at kunne hjælpe dem, Som lide Nød i deres Hjem! Nu Sneen ligger paa Jorden og skjuler Hvert Straa, hvert Mos og de fattige Smuler, Som skulde tjene de Hjorte til Føden, — Og deri bestaaer jo hele Nøden. Men derfor har man i Skoven bygget Skure, lig Stalde, af Tag beskygget, Hvor Strøelse findes og lange Hækker, Hvori det duftende Hø man lægger. Nu Dyrene staa med Længsel og venter; Naar Vognen er kjørt, deres Trøst de henter. |
I love being able to help those who suffer, Those who have hardship in their homes! Now the snow covers the ground and hides Every blade of grass, every bit of moss, and the meager crumbs, Which were supposed to serve the deer as food, — And that is where the entire hardship lies. But because of this, they have built shelters in the forest, Like barns, covered with roofs, Where there is straw and tall hedges, Filled with fragrant hay. Now the animals stand and wait in longing; When the cart arrives, they find their comfort. |
Den syge stork – The sick stork
Mens alle de Andre mod Syd ville drage, Den Syge maatte de lade tilbage. Den rejsende Flok med susende Vinger Da langsomt gjennem Luften sig svinger. Med dukket Hoved, saa mat og svag, Den staar nu alene paa Bondens Tag. Men næppe var tvende Døgn henrundne, Før Frænderne, som forlængst vare svundne, Kom atter igjen til det kjendte Sted, Og spurgte, om ej den kunde følge med? Men den maatte blive i Redens Fængsel; Nu dør den vist snart af Sygdom og Længsel. |
The stork has its nest on the church tower, From there it flies down to the fields To snatch up the priest’s wheat. Now you can see Morten leaping over the fields, He flies off as if he had wings— Quite a good catch! The little dog is close behind, Two boys running as fast as they can; But the hare can use its legs well; It can be glad that there was no gun. One boy has a rake, the other stumbles And has to listen to the girls’ mockery and laughter. |
Haren – The hare
Paa Kirketaarnet har Storken Rede, Der kommer den flyvende, mens dernede De meie saa flittigt Præstens Hvede. Nu se de Morten over Marken springe, Han flyver afsted, som havde han Vinge, — Den Fangst var ikke saa ganske ringe! Den lille Hund er strax bagefter, To Karle rende af alle Kræfter; Men Haren kan godt sine Poter nytte; Den kan være glad, der var ingen Skytte. En Karl har en Rive, en Anden dratter Og maa høre Pigernes Spot og Latter. |
The stork has its nest on the church tower, From there it flies down to the fields To snatch up the priest’s wheat. Now you can see Morten leaping over the fields, He flies off as if he had wings— Quite a good catch! The little dog is close behind, Two boys running as fast as they can; But the hare can use its legs well; It can be glad that there was no gun. One boy has a rake, the other stumbles And has to listen to the girls’ mockery and laughter. |
Ænderne i fare – Ducks in danger
De havde nu snaddret længe i Vandet, Saa kom de da endelig op paa Landet. Der stod de og kækkede, hele Stimlen, Og kigged med heldet Hoved mod Himlen. Hvad saa de vel der? To Høge at flyve! Hvad vilde de her, de Gæslingetyve? Ej Ænderne havde i denne Fare En galende Hane, som kunde dem vare. De stod kun med Hovedet paa Skjøns og saa, Og lod det da gaa, som det vilde gaa. Fløj Høgen bort? Eller mon den kom? Det har jeg slet ingen Beretning om. |
The ducks had been chattering for a while in the water, so they finally came ashore. There they stood, the whole flock, and looked with their heads held high towards the sky. What did they see there? Two hawks flying! What did they want here, these goose thieves? But the ducks in this danger had a crazy rooster to protect them. They only stood with their heads on the ground and watched, and let it go as it would go. Did the hawk fly away? Or did it come closer? I have no idea. |
Svinet – The pig
Der kjører nu Konen og Manden sammen; De vente sig da baade Gavn og Gammen. Den store So skal nu gjøres i Penge. Den har de jo mæsket og fedet længe Saa flittigt med Spøl, med Ærter og Byg, At den er blevet saa trind og tyk. Naar saa de har solgt det fede Svin, Vist Manden kjøber Tobak og Vin; Madamen sagtens til Kræmmeren gaaer Og Tøi til en stadselig Kjole faaer. Hun kjøber lidt Sødt til dem derhjemme, — De Smaa — dem bør man jo ei forglemme. |
The Man and Wife are now driving together; They expect to both profit and thrive. The big sow will now be sold for money. It has been so fattened and fed for so long With straw, peas, and barley, That it has become so plump and thick. When they have sold the fat sow, The husband buys tobacco and wine; The lady goes to the merchant And gets fabric for a new dress. She buys some candy for those at home— The children—one must not forget them. |
Kragen og katten – The crow and the cat
Fra Faders Vindve den Scene jeg saa: En Krageunge i Haven der laa; Den havde knækket sin ene Vinge Og mægted ei mere sig op at svinge. Saa sneg sig da frem den lumske Kat, Den vilde paa Staklen have fat. Men den kom hverken for tidligt eller sent, Det gik just ikke, som den havde ment. Den gamle Krage lod Katten mærke, At den havde Vinger raske og stærke. Den dasked med dem, selv Næbet blev brugt Saa kjækt, at Mons forskrækket tog Flugt. |
From my father’s window I saw this scene: A crow’s chick lay injured in the yard; It had broken one of its wings And could no longer fly. Then came the sly cat, Which wanted to catch the poor little crow. But it came neither too early nor too late; The cat didn’t get what it wanted. The old crow showed the cat That it still had strong wings. It flapped them so hard, even using its beak, That the frightened cat took flight. |
Uglen – The poor owl
Til Pælen er lænket den stakkels Ugle, Blot for at lokke de andre Fugle. Og for at drille den hid de sig svinge, — Men den Fornøielse blev dem kun ringe; Thi hist fra Skuret et Puf mon knalde, Og flere af Gjæsterne ser man at falde. Hvi vilde de ogsaa den haanligt gjæste? Er Uglen da ei deres Lige og Næste? De kunde den drille her uden Fare, Mens selv den kunde sig ei forsvare. Dog saadan som nu det Hele endte, De fik den Løn, som de vel fortjente. |
The poor owl is tethered to the pole, Just to lure in other birds. And to swing by and tease it— But that amusement didn’t last long; For suddenly from the shed came a bang, And several of the guests are seen to fall. Why would they scornfully tease this creature? Isn’t the owl their equal and neighbor? They could tease it here without any danger, While it couldn’t defend itself. But as things turned out in the end, They got the reward they deserved. |
Rotterne – The rats
Naar Moderen ser sit Barn i Fare, Og selv ej mægter det at forsvare, — Da bliver det til en trist Fortælling; Saa gaar det nu Anden her med sin Ælling. Den Lille vralted i Gaarden omkring Saa pænt og tænkte paa ingen Ting. Da kom der fra Loen tre Rotter frem, Men Anden ej kunde naa til dem; Hun var jo bundet, og maatte nu se, Der voldtes hende stor Sorg og Ve. Med Hud og Krop hendes Ælling de aad, Og agted ej hendes Skrig og Graad. |
When the mother’s own child is in danger, And it cannot even defend itself- Then it becomes a sad story; This is now happening to the duck with her duckling. The little one wandered around in the yard So innocently and thinking of nothing. Then three rats came from the barn, But the duck could not reach them; She was tied up and had to watch As they caused her great pain and suffering. They ate her duckling alive, Not caring about her screams and cries. |