Tuopa vanha Väinämöińi

SKVR I1 299·Vuokkiniemi·1879·Collector: Borenius, A. A.

In the SKVR edition: Latvajärvi. Borenius IV, n. 6. - 22/8 1879. Iknattaińi Iivana, Karhusia. - Mp. Kuopiossa.

Song types: Polvenhaava, Raudan sanat, Raudan synty, Verensulku

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SKVR textEnglish

Rauan synti.

1Tuopa vanha Väinämöińi,O old Väinämöinen,

2T'ietäjä ijän ikuińi,The sage of ages eternal,

3Virren porras polvehuińi,Step of song with his knees,

4Vešti vuorrella venehtä,Steered a boat on a mountain,

5Kallivolla kalkutteli;With Kallivo, he clattered;

6Ei kirveš kivehen käynyt,The axe didn’t bite the stone,

7Kalahtan ei kal'l'ivoho;The clang spared no precious stone;

8Paha ponnešta pitel'i,An evil demon held the snare,

9Hiizi pontta hiivahutti,A goblin shook the snare,

10Lempo pontta liikahutti;*The devil lurched the snare;*

11Kirveš liuškahti lihahanThe axe slipped into flesh

12Polveh on pojan pätözen,To the knee of the boy’s joint,

13Varpahaško Väinämöiźen.The instep of Väinämöinen.

14Eik' ollun šitä noruo,There was no cure for it,

15Eikä vuorta korkieta,No mountain high enough,

16Ku ei tulluń tulvillaheSince no flood arose

17Polvesta pojan pätözen,From the knee of the boy’s joint,

18Varpahašta Väinämöizen.From Väinämöinen’s instep.

19Alla päin, pahalla mielin,Downcast, with ill intent,

20Kaiken kallella kypärin*With all treasures helmed,*

21Aštuo taputtelovi,He strode stomping,

22Käy on helkähyttelövi*Went clinking loudly,*

23Ylimmäistä t'ietä myöt'eAlong the highest road

24Ylimmäizehen talohon;To the highest house;

25Kyzyu kynnyksen takuo,Asked behind the threshold,

26Alta ikkunan anuvi:Under the window implored:

27"Onko", šano, "talošša täššä"Is there," he said, "in this house

28Veren tulvan tukkijo^va,A stopper of blood’s flood,

29Šalpoajoa verizeñ šalmeñ,A bolter for blood’s strait,

30Verikošken koatajo^va?"A dammer of blood-rapids?"

31Ukko uunilta urahti,The old man growled from the stove,

32Akka laušu lat't'ielta:The crone spoke from the floor:

33"Ei ole talošša täššä"There’s none in this house

34Veren tulvan tukkijoa,No stopper of blood’s flood,

35Salpoajoa verizen šalmen,No bolter for blood’s strait,

36Verikošken koatajoa."No dammer of blood-rapids."

37Itše iellähän meneksi,*He himself went onward,*

38Astuo taputtelou,Stepped stomping,

39Käyä helkähyttelöuWent clinking,

40Keskimäistä tietä myöt'eAlong the middle road

41Keskimäizehen talohon.To the middle house.

42Kyzyu kynnyksen takuo,Asked behind the threshold,

43Alta ikkunan anuvi:Under the window implored:

44"Onko", šano, "talošša täššä"Is there," he said, "in this house

45Veren tulvan tukkijoa,No stopper of blood’s flood,

46Salpoajoa verizeñ šalmeñ,A bolter for blood’s strait,

47Verikošken koatajoa?"A dammer of blood-rapids?"

48Ukko uunilta urahti,The old man growled from the stove,

49Akka laušu lat't'ielta:The crone spoke from the floor:

50"Ei ole talošša täššä"There’s none in this house

51Veren tulvan tukkijoa,No stopper of blood’s flood,

52Salpoajoa verizeñ šalmeñ,A bolter for blood’s strait,

53Verikošken koatajoa."No dammer of blood-rapids."

54Astuo taputtelou,Stepped stomping,

55Käyä helkähyttelöuWent clinking,

56Alla päin, pahalla mielin,Downcast, with ill intent,

57Kaiken kallella kypärin,With all treasures helmed,

58Alimmaista tietä myöt'eAlong the lowest road

59Alimmaizehen talohe.To the lowest house.

60Kyzyu kynnyksen takuo,Asked behind the threshold,

61Alta ikkunan anuvi:Under the window implored:

62"Onko", šano, talošša tässä"Is there," he said, "in this house

63Veren tulvan tukkijoa,No stopper of blood’s flood,

64Salpoajoa verizen salmen,A bolter for blood’s strait,

65Verikošken koatajoa?"A dammer of blood-rapids?"

66Ukko uunilta urahti,The old man growled from the stove,

67Akka laušu lat't'ielta,The crone spoke from the floor,

68Lapsi pieńi pankon peäštä:A small child from the cradle’s head:

69"Šulettun on šuuremmatki,"Greater ones are restrained,

70Jalommatki jakšettunaNobler ones apportioned,

71Aina voimalla Jumalan,Always by God’s might,

72Toimella totisen Luojan."By the true Creator’s deed."

73Avoau heän šanaźen arkunHe opened the word-chest,

74Poikki puol'in polvillahe,Split it half onto knees,

75Laušu heän Lapin šanoja.*Spoke Lapland’s incantations.*

76"Jovet on šuista suljettuna,"Rivers are dammed at mouths,

77Jovet šuista, järvet päistä,Rivers from mouths, lakes from heads,

78Lahet ńiemien nenäštä.Bays from capes’ tips.

79Voip' on šilma rauta raukka,The edge’s iron is a wretch,

80Rauta raukka, koite kuona,*Iron wretch, smelted slag,*

81Terä tenhon päivällińi,*Blade of the forge’s daily labor,*

82Mikse šuurekše šukezit,Why did you grow so great,

83Kovin kašvoit kauhiekše.Become so monstrously fierce?

84Kuin šie veštit vellieši,When you churned your brother,

85Laštuzit emosi lašta;Splashed your mother’s milk;

86Et šie silloin šuuri ollut,You were not mighty then,

87Etkä suuri, etkä pieńi,Nor large, nor small,

88Etkä niin kovin korie(kana),Nor so very splendid,

89Kuista šuosta šurvottihin,When twisted from swamp fir,

90Veteläštä vellottihin,From soggy stuff pulled,

91Moal lioista l'ietsot't'ihiñ,From clay’s abundance shaped,

92Moam murista muokattih!From earth’s crumbs fashioned!

93Petit vaivañi valasi,You betrayed my toil’s oath,

94Söitp' on koirra kunnivośi;Ate your honor like a dog;

95Kuin šie vannoit vaikiesta,When you swore silently,

96Kint'ieštä kiikuttel'it*Clanked from your shackles*

97Sepon Ilmorin pajašša,In smith Ilmari’s forge,

98Hiitten hiilihuonehešša.In Hiisi’s coal-chamber.

99Veri šeizo niin kuin šeinä,Blood stood like a wall,

100Hurmeh ašu niin kuin aitaGore dwelled like a fence

101Aijan rautaźen šizällä!At Aija's iron place!

102Oi Ukko ylijumala,O Ukko, supreme god,

103Voari vanha taivahaini,*Ancient mountain of the sky,

104Taivahallińi jumala!My sky-ruling god!*

105Liitä šormesi lihava,Seal with your stout fingers,

106Piss' on pakšu peukalośi*Your thumb's grip is mighty,*

107Tulovalla tukkiekše,With power to dam,

108Salvakše samuojalla,*As a bolt with aid,*

109Veren t'iellä telkimekše;A barrier on blood's path;

110Ei se maito moaha jouva,Milk won't reach the earth,

111Ei kumpuh urošten kulta,Nor men's gold rise up,

112Miehen hempu heińikköhön,A man's frailty to the meadow,

113Miehen kauńi kastiehe."A man's beauty to dew.

English translations by DeepSeek R1, provided by Lidia Pivovarova (University of Helsinki). AI-generated translations may contain inaccuracies.

The text is that of the SKVR digital edition of the Finnish Literature Society (SKS), with these changes:

The editors’ signs inside the verses ([ ], ⌈ ⌉, *, [!], [?]) are left out, as in the poem reader; the letters they enclose are kept.
The edition’s line numbers are replaced by a number on every verse, counted as in the poem reader.
The editors’ notes, and the marks in the verses that point to them, are left out; they can be read at SKS.

Source

Text: SKVR (Suomen Kansan Vanhat Runot), the digital edition of the Finnish Literature Society (SKS), licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Permanent address of this poem at SKS: http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:sks-kvr-000358 · Read at SKS ↗

Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.