DAHLSTJERNA, GUNNO (1661-1709), Swedish poet, whose original surname was Eurelius, was born at Ohr, Dalsland, where his father was rector. He studied at Uppsala, became a land-surveyor, and in 1681 was sent on professional business to Livonia, then under Swedish rule. Returning to Sweden he became in 1699, head of the land survey department. In 1702 he was ennobled under the name of Dahlstjerna. His death, which took place in Pomerania, is said to have been hastened by the disastrous news of the battle of Poltava. Dahlstjerna's patriotism was touching in its pathos and intensity, and during his long periods of professional exile he comforted himself by the composition of songs to his beloved Sweden. At his best he easily surpasses all the Swedish poets of his time. His best-known original work is Kungaskald (Stettin, 1697), an elegy on the death of Charles XI. It is written in alexandrines, arranged in ottava rima, and contains many passages full of melody. Dahlstjerna was a reformer in language, and it has been well said by Atterbom that in this poem "he treats the Swedish speech just as dictatorially as Charles XI. and Charles XII. treated the Swedish nation." In 1690 was printed at Stettin his paraphrase of the Pastor Fido of Guarini. His most popular work is his Gotha kdmpavisa om Konungen och Herr Peder (The Goth's Battle Song, concerning the King and Master Peter; Stockholm, 1701). The king is Charles XII. and Master Peter is the tsar of Russia. This spirited ballad lived almost until our own days on the lips of the people as a folk-song.
The works of Dahlstjerna have been collected by P. Hanseili, in the Samlade Vitterhetsarbeten of svenska Forfattare frdn Stjernhjelm till Dalin (Uppsala, 186, etc.) .