Can someone translate this text ?

Hi Dominic, great that you are doing this for your dad. Sounds like he should join the forum as well, with so much experience in antiques.

I came up with something similar, it seems to be Norwegian and is a poem about the writer standing in the wood and hearing a bird sing with a beautiful voice. No doubt he is referring to his sweetheart.

 

@anundverkaufen like you it took me a lot of time, and I got stuck after that. Any ideas, or are you as dizzy as I am after trying to figure it out.

 

My eyes hurt!

 

Ok, we both deserve a break from Norwegian.

 

Hi AJ.....Thank you for missing me!!

For myself I bought hand made wool lined leather gloves for Winter, plus a scarf made of lamb's wool. For each of the grandchildren and my daughter, I let them choose a Norwegian sweater of their choice.....to be given by me at Christmas time.

 

A little more and I really need to go, I'm going to be late.
Third line:
Nu er jeg bleven en kiste fa vakker. (I think bleven should be blevet and not sure about fa after kiste).
And the last word of the fourth line is pakker.

 

"Now I have become a beautiful chest."
Aha! It is spoken by the tree the chest is made from. First it stood in a green forest listening to a bird sing a beautiful song, now it has become a beautiful chest.
The last line is:
Mange små ting de i mig pakker - Many little things they pack in me. They connected små ting to make it småting. That could be normal, just that google translate doesn't know. According to them the first lines are Norwegian, the last one Danish. Could be an old form of either of them.

 

So the entire text is something like:
First I stood in a green forest,
Listening to a bird sing a beautiful song.
Now I have become a beautiful chest.
Many little things they pack in me.

@anundverkaufen , it was great working with you.

 

I can even feel my skull crack. I'm sure anund is taking a well-deserved break now.

 

Anund and AJ! You are both AMAZING!!! BRAVO, and wishing you a speedy recover for your

 

WELL DONE TO YOU BOTH !!! .. ... Joy.

 

Sorry for being a little late. But yes, this is just what it says. Bravo.

 

The writing looks sweedish. But Sweden uses Ö instead of ø.

 

If you click on the speaker two times it's sounds out in slow Danish.

Før stod jeg ud i skoven saa grøn,
hvor fuglen sang med stemme skjøn,
Nu er jeg bleven en kiste sa vakker,
Mange små ting de i mig pakker.

https://translate.google.com

 

Thanks for showing up anyway. I was certain it was a Scandinavian language, with the ø and the word mange, which I recognize from the Danish mange tak, meaning many thanks/thank you very much. So I tagged you as well as Judy.
If you don't mind my saying it in Danish, mange tak!

 

good work guys.....!

 

Thank you for the time and effort you put into deciphering the poem on the back of the little box, it is a lovely poem and we are grateful for your input. from Trevor and Susie Wake.

 

It was a lot of fun, and the cracked skull has healed. It is a beautiful box, with a beautiful poem.
Please give our regards to your dad.