Long have I drifted without a course A rudderless ship I have sailed The Nile just keeps flowing without a source Maybe all the seekers just failed? To Holmgard and beyond In search of a bond Far from home I've come But the road has just begun Breathing history Veiled in mystery The sublime The greatest of our time Tsargrad! "Come with us to the south, Write your name on our roll!" I was told Konstantinopolis Sui generis The saints and emperors Of bygone centuries The man-made birds in their trees Out loud their paean rings Immortality! In astonishing colours the East meets the West The hill banks arise in their green In wonder I sit on my empty chest As we glide down the strait in between To Holmgard and beyond In the search of a bond Distant church bells toll For their god they chant and troll Breathing history Veiled in mystery The sublime The greatest of our time Tsargrad! The Norwegian of rank In the court of the Prince I was convinced Konstantinopolis Ten gates to eternity Seen all for centuries Your inconquerable walls Your temples and your halls See all, hear all [indistinct singing] My sun rose in the North and now sets in the South The Golden Horn lives up to its name From tower to tower a chain guards its mouth Unbreakable, they claim To Holmgard and beyond In a search of a bond Adventures lie ahead Many knots unravel on my thread Breathing history Veiled in mystery The sublime The greatest of our time Tsargrad! Konstantinopolis Queen of the cities Your welcoming smile Made all worthwhile The sweat and the pain Bathing in gold Endless rooftops unfold The sun sets for a while just to rise again Great halls Great halls Greatest of all, Miklagard!