Himlen var som hvide roser. Langt ude, en mil ude brændte en glædesild på en høj. Der fløj en tavs fugl hurtigt forbi og videre ud i den svale dæmring. Piletræet ved brønden hældede sig stille med alle de milde, hvide blade i den lyse nat. En spæd, askehvid mølsværmer flakkede i natluften. Himlen var tåget at stjernelys.
Johannes V. Jensen. Kongens Fald. 1933.
The sky was like white roses. Far out, a mile out, a bonfire burned on a hill.A silent bird flew quickly past into the cool twilight. The willow at the well bowed itself quietly with alle the mild, white leaves in the bright night. An ashencoloured moth fluttered in the night air. The sky was dimmetd by starlight.
Johannes V. Jensen. The fall of the king. 1933
Every year at midsummer the bonfires are lit all over Denmark. It is a very old tradition and often celebrated with friends and family. My wife and I have been together with the same fine friends for many, many years at midsummer, where we eat our shared foot together, drink and sing the song connected with midsummer and have a good time in the night.
I have a long row of memories from midsummer bonfires and very beautiful and fragile light of the longest day of the year, when with the words of the Danish poet Johannes V. Jensen:
The heaven stands open by day and by night.
In the painting the light from the small bonfire is reflected in the lake and maybe rain is coming.