For noen dager siden la jeg ut en etterlysning etter en sang (det var den23/6 2009), Senjasangen. Det var en god taktikk, for etterhvert fikk jeg vite hvem som hadde skrevet den og jeg fikk en kopi av teksten. Meningen med denne etterlysningen var at noen skoleunger skulle få lære den før skolen sluttet. Det ble nå imidlertid for sent til det. Men det kommer jo flere sjanser. Nå synes jeg det er greit å ta vare på slike sanger. Det går an å ta en kopi av teksten og la den støve ned på et museum eller et bibliotek, eller en kan legge den ut slik at den blir søkbar på internett. Da bør en jo selvfølgelig konsultere innehaverne av copyright, men da jeg ikke har den fjerneste anelse om hvordan jeg skulle få tak i dem, tar jeg sjansen på å bare legge den ut. Så får jeg heller håpe på å bli tilgitt i ettertid. Har hørt at sangen ble spilt i musikkorpset på Skaland. Hvis noen har noter og vil sende dem til meg, så skal jeg poste dem her sammen med teksten. Hvis det ellers skulle være kommentarer eller synspunkter, vennligst benytt kommentarfunksjonen eller send en mail. Ellers er det en stor takk til en dame på Skaland som hadde skrevet ned sangen og var villig til å gi meg en kopi, for ikke å snakke om vår egen miss Marple, Lisa, som fant fram til denne kopien og sendte den til meg.  Slik er sangen, og den er, ifølge det jeg har fått opplyst, skrevet av Kjell Hay

Update 4/7 2017. Nå har jeg også vært så heldig å å tilsendt notene fra selveste Eilif Pedersen som hadde arrangert den for kor.

Musikk: Eilif Pedersen, etter gammel melodi

Senjasangen, nedlastbar

The Senja Song

 

Senja, en perle blant alle Norges øyer,
Vidstrakt og mektig fra fjære til fjell.
Storslått og prektig når vinterstormen løyer.
Havbåra bryter med skumsprøyt og smell.
Våren med fuglelåt, måsen så yr og kåt,
Ea og ekall i fjord og i vik,
Snadrer og sladrer, terper og verper.
Grågås og lom over fjellvannet skrik.

Nordvendt og værhardt er yttersias kyster.
Odder og fjordgap i rekker og rad.
Minner fra fiske og dådrike dyster.
Fortidens saga i soger og kvad.
Her har de levet. Fisket og strevet.
Torsken og hysa er fineste slag.
Juksa og robåt. Lina og godlåt,
slite for mat og heim fra dag til dag.

Sommeren er kort, men da er det lyse netter.
Midnattsol skaper natt om til dag.
Årvåkne blir man når laks og ørret spretter.
Torving og høyonn går slag i slag
Silda i fjorden står, lokker mot bedre kår.
Notsteng med glinsende sild gir humør.
Skaffer litt penger. Alt det de trenger.
Gir ny oppmuntring for den daglige bør.

Fiske som drives på bankene med skøyte,
slitsomt og hustrig når stormen er grov.
Når en i kuling gjennom rokk må brøyte.
Borte er mea i himmelhøyt kov.
Kursen tilrettelagt. Stålkvasse øyners vakt.
Ennå er vikinger til på vår øy.
Trofaste karer. Trauste de farer.
Her vil de streve, leve og døy.

A small piece that I saved from my old page:

Well, it was evening again and time for a bit of writing. I can't manage it while the TV is on. Even though the sound is muted, attention is drawn to the picture. That's the thing with TV; something is always happening. If only it were just a static image that didn't flash. But then, I suppose it wouldn't really be TV. It's strange that it should be so hard to use the off button. Nowadays, you don't even have to get up to turn off the TV like you had to in the old days.

I think back to when we got a TV. It was a Tandberg, a large piece of furniture that had been bought or borrowed on the condition that it would be returned if we couldn't get any signals. After all, we lived in Steinfjorden. A small hole between the mountains where no sane person would think that any TV signals could somehow appear. But anyway, the TV was in the house, and now it was time to test it. It came with an antenna and quite a few meters of cable. The device, which had no feet, was placed on the living room table, the window was opened, and the antenna was set up on a pole. Then it began. Those who remember the old channel changers will remember that they had two settings. First was the actual channel changer, which required significant effort to operate. Then there was a fine-tuning setting. It had to be pressed in and turned. When you have a good and strong signal, it is possible that this really works as a fine-tuning. But when the signal is so weak that it hardly exists, then this becomes a very important setting. When one has no idea in which direction to turn the antenna, everyone understands that this is not a simple operation. Nowadays, people don’t understand what one is talking about when mentioning snow in connection with TV. Back then, it was a well-known phenomenon. We became familiar with the phenomenon that if one stared long enough at a screen with “snow,” eventually one would start seeing things there that didn’t exist. With a good dose of patience, an even larger dose of optimism, and diligent fine-tuning combined with moving the antenna, some sort of picture finally appeared. It might have been the news or something similar. At any rate, there was an image of a man, and he was moving. This caused a scream and a commotion combined with a hasty retreat. The fact was that one of the house’s female residents had been sitting in the background observing the circus in a rather lightly dressed state. It was only the other residents of the house who were present, so wearing a bathrobe was perfectly fine. But when a completely stranger suddenly appeared in the living room... This incident led to some general amusement, and the unknown man – not many had noticed him – withdrew into the snowfall and refused to come out again.

Well, at last, we finally got some kind of picture. With a lot of imagination and goodwill, we could now say that we were watching TV. It was just a signal that had gone astray and was being bounced back and forth between the mountains until it was so weak and exhausted that it crawled into the antenna to rest. On its precarious journey between the mountains, it had been twisted and distorted, causing countless double images on the screen. Still, we had TV, and we watched it. We did not demand much. The next day, at children's TV time, the living room was full. All the kids had gathered in front of the screen to witness Mr. Nilson court Pernille. What a feast! The TV stayed! Eventually, a larger antenna was purchased, and the picture improved somewhat. The antenna and cable were washed from time to time. Dirt could weaken the signal. An antenna booster was installed, but its effect was mostly psychological. An annoyance was that when one fine-tuned the fine-tuning to make the picture as clear as possible, the sound would crackle. And conversely, if one adjusted for good sound, the picture would be poor. It was a matter of finding a good compromise. This TV thing was contagious. Soon there were more TVs in the village. Many creative antenna systems appeared. Some installed two antennas. Some antennas were so large that they needed guy wires and stays in all directions. For Steinfjorden, a place exposed to harsh weather, wind gusts come in and get trapped between the mountains. There they desperately try to get out again. They build up tremendous rage and tear and rip at everything they encounter in an attempt to escape captivity. And antennas are a popular target for angry gusts of wind.

Gradually, a forest of antennas grew up in the village that would have thrilled any radio enthusiast. Many years later, after the tunnel to Skaland was completed, a converter was finally installed and the antenna forest disappeared, replaced by more modest structures.

When the sun begins to get a proper hold and the temperature rises slightly above freezing, a strange phenomenon that repeats itself every year occurs. It particularly affects the female half of the population and presents itself as restlessness and an urge to play with water. It starts with splashing water and chemicals up the walls and windows, then moves on to textile pieces, rubbing frantically. This state can last for several days and eventually subsides when most of the rooms in the house have been through it. During this phase, it is advisable to stay as far away as possible. If one happens to be in the way, it can result in harsh words and momentary life crises. Trying to participate in these activities rarely yields positive results. Then one is generally characterized as sloppy, inaccurate, and a troublemaker who ideally shouldn't be in a wooden house at all.

Strangely enough, it is much worse to be the cause of repetitive work than to do nothing at all. Remaining spots and imaginary holidays are not regarded with mercy. They are pursued by hissing, quite red-hot tuft-swingers who invoke all sorts of punishments for the careless slob (who slinks out the door and seeks refuge outside in the woodshed). This phase is followed by an intermediate phase characterized by restless pacing across the living room floor, peeking out the windows, difficulty sitting still, and unstable moods. The final phase seems to be triggered by air temperature. It usually occurs on a gray day when the temperature exceeds 5 degrees while there is still snow on the ground. Then a morbid, compulsive, and unstoppable urge to tidy up sheds and garages arises. It is accompanied by a total lack of respect for other people's belongings, which have been cared for over the years and highly valued by their owner. It often occurs in such a way that the attacked person throws one of their own things, some piece of trash that has been kept solely to serve this purpose. Then it is demanded that the other party throw away one of their highly valued possessions. If someone attempts to sacrifice a small item, it is demanded that more items be thrown away, so that the volume is at least equal to the volume of what the attacked person has thrown away. And it continues like that. Discussions and negotiations with the attacked party are usually pointless. The only thing one can achieve with it is to delay time a little. The most effective approach is to try to save the items that are most valuable. Another technique that sometimes works is to put the items in the car and drive away with them. Then one can sneak them back into place later unbeknownst to others. There is always a risk of being discovered, but one can try excuses such as the trash container was full, the bulky waste site was closed, and one had to clear the car to transport something else. One should not use the same excuse multiple times in a row. The situation can last until the last snow melts and it becomes possible to dig in the soil around the house. Then a more peaceful time comes as the energy is focused on various plant growths and their well-being. Then one can enjoy the summer and try to replace the terrible losses with new treasures.