Drømde mik en drøm i nat is the oldest known secular song in the Nordic countries, written around 1300. It is written in Old Danish and is included in Codex Runicus, a transcript of Scanian Law where it forms a final note. Like the law itself, it is written in runes, and the tune is written on two simple staves in an early form of musical notation.



Song text
The text of the song is:
Drømde mik en drøm i nat um
silki ok ærlik pæl.
There are several interpretations of the text, as the meaning of the words silki and ærlik pæl is obscure. Traditionally, most interpretations have been variants on these readings:
I dreamt a dream last night of silk and fine fur
I dreamt a dream last night of silk and expensive cloth
This interpretation takes the 13th-century word silki to mean silk. It may be compared with the medieval song "Palle Boosons visa" which also speaks of "silk and fine fur": "Han kläder sig i silke, så och i ädel päll..".
This interpretation has been called into question, because it fails to take account of the context of the document. Codex Runicus is a lawbook that ends with a text of marginal notes. Since the song appears to be written in the same hand that completed the main body of the manuscript, it would seem more appropriate if the lyrics of the song were connected with the content of the document. One would expect a text concerning law and order rather than luxury.[citation needed]
Alternative interpretations that better fit with this understanding of the song's context are:
I dreamt a dream last night of justice and fair play
I dreamt a dream last night of equality and honest measure
The word silki could be seen as related to the old Nordic word slik - 'lika' (equality), 'likadan' (the same as). Likewise, Ærlik pæl could be "honest measure", since päla, and the related forms pæl and pel, are old words for "measure", cognate with German Pegel. Ærlik is used meaning "honest" (cf. "ærlig" in Modern Danish) on the very first page of the Codex Runicus.