The Wonderful Adventures of Nils 1732 Studios

Swedish · The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

Avsked från vildgässen

Farewell to the Wild Geese

64 sentences · 17 notes

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  1. 1

    The boy got up before daybreak the next morning and walked down toward the coast.

    Pojkenthe boypojken · noun, nominative, common gender, singularsubject of steg
    stegrosestiga · verb, past, indicative, activemain verb of the sentence
    uppupupp · adverbdepends on steg
    förebeforeföre · prepositionpreposition marking dager
    dagerdaylightdager · noun, nominative, neuter, singularoblique complement of steg
    nästanextnästa · adjective, nominativemodifies morgon
    morgonmorningmorgon · noun, nominative, common gender, singularoblique complement of steg
    ochandoch · conjunctionlinks the coordination
    vandradewanderedvandra · verb, past, indicative, activecoordinated with steg
    neråtdownwardneråt · adverbmodifies kusten
    kustencoastkust · noun, nominative, common gender, singularoblique complement of vandrade

  2. He stood on the shore a little way east of Smyge fishing village, before it was yet fully light.

  3. He was entirely alone.

  4. He had been inside the coop with Mårten Goosey-Gander and tried to wake him.

  5. But the big white gander had not been willing to leave home.

  6. He had not said a word, only tucked his head under his wing and gone back to sleep.

  7. 2

    It looked as though it would be a lovely, clear day.

  8. The weather was almost as fine as on that spring day when the wild geese had come over to Skåne.

  9. The sea spread out calm and unmoving.

  10. The air was still, and the boy thought about what a fine crossing the wild geese would have.

  11. 3

    He himself was still in a kind of daze.

  12. One moment he thought of himself as a brownie, the next as a human being.

  13. When he saw a stone wall along the road, he was afraid to go on before he had convinced himself that no beast of prey lay lurking behind it.

  14. And right after, he laughed at himself and rejoiced that he was tall and big and strong and did not need to be afraid of anything.

  15. 4

    When he reached the coast, he placed himself, tall as he was, right at the edge of the shore, so that the wild geese would see him.

  16. It was a great day of migration.

  17. Calling notes sounded ceaselessly down from the air.

  18. He smiled to himself, thinking that no one but him knew what it was the birds were calling to one another.

  19. 5

    Now wild geese too came flying.

  20. One great flock followed another.

  21. "If only it isn't my own geese, flying off without saying goodbye to me!" he thought.

  22. He very much wanted to tell them how everything had come about, and show them that he was human again.

  23. 6

    A flock came that flew faster and cried louder than the rest, and something told him this must be the one.

  24. But he could not recognize it as surely as he would have done the day before.

  25. 7

    The flock slowed its speed and flew back and forth along the coast.

  26. Then the boy understood that it was the right one.

  27. He simply could not understand why the wild geese did not land beside him.

  28. Surely it was impossible that they would not see him, standing there as he was.

  29. 8

    He tried to give a calling note that would bring them down to him.

  30. But imagine — his tongue would not obey!

  31. He could not produce the right sound.

  32. 9

    He heard Akka calling up in the air, but he did not understand what she said.

  33. "What is this?

  34. Have the wild geese changed their language?" he wondered.

  35. 10

    He waved to them with his cap, and he ran along the shore and called, "Here I am, where are you?"

  36. 11

    It looked as though this only frightened them.

  37. They rose higher and flew out over the sea.

  38. Then at last he understood!

  39. They did not know that he was a human being.

  40. They did not recognize him.

  41. 12

    And he could not call them to him, because a human being cannot speak the birds' language.

  42. He could not speak it, and neither could he understand it.

  43. 13

    Although the boy was so glad to be released from the spell, he found it bitter that he had in this way been parted from his good comrades.

  44. He sat down in the sand and put his hands over his face.

  45. What use was there in watching after them any longer?

  46. 14

    But right after, he heard the rush of wings.

  47. Old Mother Akka had found it hard to leave Thumbietot, and she had turned back once more.

  48. And now, since the boy sat still, she dared to fly closer to him.

  49. Suddenly something must have opened her eyes to who he was.

  50. She landed on the point close beside him.

  51. 15

    The boy cried out with joy and took old Akka in his arms.

  52. The other wild geese rubbed their bills against him and crowded around him.

  53. They cackled and chattered and wished him all their heartfelt congratulations, and he too spoke to them and thanked them for the wonderful journey he had been allowed to make in their company.

  54. 16

    But all at once the wild geese grew strangely quiet and drew away from him.

  55. It was as if they wanted to say, "Ah, he is a human being!

  56. He does not understand us, we do not understand him."

  57. 17

    Then the boy stood up and went over to Akka.

  58. He stroked and patted her.

  59. He did the same with Yksi and Kaksi, Kolme and Neljä, Viisi and Kuusi, the old ones who had been along from the very beginning.

  60. 18

    Then he walked across the shore toward land, for he knew well that the birds' sorrow never lasts long, and he wanted to part from them while they were still grieved at having lost him.

  61. 19

    When he had climbed up over the shore bank, he turned around and watched the many flocks of birds flying out over the sea.

  62. All of them cried out their calling notes; only one flock of wild geese flew on silently, for as long as he could follow it with his eyes.

  63. 20

    But their formation was even and well-ordered and their speed good, and the wingbeats were strong and powerful.

  64. And the boy felt such a longing after those flying away that he very nearly wished to be Thumbietot again, who could ride over land and sea with a flock of wild geese.

The particulars

The text
Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, Selma Lagerlöf. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils.
Translation
Public-domain Swedish (Lagerlöf, d. 1940; published 1906–07). English translation © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.
Words
Every word of the text, by letter.
Data
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