Sov du lilla vide ung
Sov du lilla videung, otherwise known as Videvisan or Solskenets visan is a poem by the Finnish author Zachris Topelius which was first published in the ninth issue of the children's magazine Trollsländan on February 27, 1869.
Topelius is considered to be the first author of Swedish-language literature specifically intended for children. From the 1840s till his death he wrote some 230 poems, songs, stories and fairy tales. He was also the first in Scandinavia to write plays for children. He appeared widely, including in Trollsländan, with columns under the heading Vinterlek. He intended the pieces he wrote to become a part of children's play, not to be used as theatrical performances.
Sov du lilla videung was part of just such a small children's play entitled Stormen och Solskenet. The introduction describes the main role of the "Sunshine" character:
The most famous musical setting for the poem is by the Swedish composer Alice Tegnér.
Topelius's text
Stormen och Solskenet has three roles, all intended to be played by children. The game begins with set design guidelines: "The playroom represents a country road going through a forest. It is early spring; the snow is melting, and birds are singing." A bit further into the text Sunshine says: "Could I bring the willow bush to life? I want to try." She takes a branch of willow bush, rocks it on her knee and sings:Sunshine continues: "When I gaze at you, the sap begins to rise out into your fine bark, you get warm around your frozen heart, and feel something in the air, which tells you the spring is coming. Yes, so is it
In 1871 Topelius's fourth issue of Läsning för barn appeared. Stormen och Solskenet was published once more but with some minor changes to the lyrics.
Musical settings
- Alice Tegnér's musical setting for the song was published in 1895 in the third booklet of the Sjung med oss, Mamma! series, under the title Videvisan Tegnér adjusted the text slightly to fit her melody and modernized the spelling. Tegnér's songs were reprinted in 1943 in the Nu ska vi sjunga anthology under the title Visor om djur och blommor.
- In 1900 the Danish-Swedish composer Preben Nodermann published a melody titled Solskenets visa in Sex visor för barn. Danish and Norwegian versions of the song, entitled Solskinnsvise, have become well known and have been published in Norway both as sheet music and as recordings.
- The Swedish composer Ivar Hallström also wrote a melody to Topelius's text entitled Solskenets visa, which was published in a 1931 songbook of the Gothenburg public school system. Hallström's song text differs from both the Topelius original and the Tegnér version.