Vesi kulta vettä souti
In the SKVR edition: Vuokkiniemi. Rautell n. 976. 92. Out'i Mäkeläińi; oppinut tädiltään.
SKVR textEnglish
Vesihiidelle.
1Vesi kulta vettä souti,Water, dear one, rowed the water,
2Selkä nuorin notkutteli.The youngest back made it sway.
3Mi vienon veti vejestä,What drew the gentle from the water,
4Kurjan kuivilla kuletti,Led the wretched on dry land,
5Hipien hivettömällä,On sweatless hips,
6Karvahan isä kapehen,The hairy father's narrow [thing],
7Emon tuoman ruumihissen,Into the mother-given corpse,
8Vaivasen vartalohon?Into the sufferer's torso?
9Kun lienöö maires moasta tullun',If it has come from beloved earth,
10Niin maires moaha mäne!Then to earth, beloved, go!
11Kun lienöö maires veestä tullun',If it has come from beloved water,
12Niin vienon vetehen vieri,Then to gentle waters glide,
13Vejen liivih lipuo,To water's sands slip away,
14Vejen aaltoih ajate,To water's waves be driven,
15Lumme korjuhu kotihi,Gather water-lilies homeward,
16Korte koaren kainaloh,Sedges to the raft's bosom,
17Vesihiitten hinkaloh!To water-hiisi's armpit!
18Kuukse päiväkse kullat,As moon, as sun, the golds,
19Iäkse hyvät hopiet,Age into good silvers,
20Rissikse rinnallas',As brooches on the chest,
21Koavehekse kaglallas',As clasps on the collar,
22Pätevikse peäryvöikse,As fitting headbands,
23Heleikse helmikses',As bright pearls,
24Omikse sormuksikse!As your own rings!
25Vejen ukko, vejen ämmä,Water's old man, water's crone,
26Vejen toatto, vejen moamo,Water's father, water's mother,
27Vejen valtikka väkövä,Water's mighty scepter,
28Tule työs' tuntomah,Come know your deed,
29Pahas' parentamahAmend the harm,
30Ihosta imehnis raukan,From the skin of the sucked wretch,
31Karvasta emo kapehen,From the hair of mother's narrow one,
32Emon tuoman ruumehesta!From the mother-given corpse!
33Mi siul' oli ihoh työtä,What work had you with the skin,
34Ihoh imehnis raukan,With the skin of the sucked wretch,
35Karvoih emo kapehen,With the hairs of mother's narrow one,
36Emon tuoman ruumehesse?With the mother-given corpse?
37Hyvin tiesit kun tulit,You knew well when you came,
38Et pahemmin, kun palaut.Not to worsen when returning.
Kolme lepän varpuo kolmesta kohasta sivotaah ruskiella langalla yhteeh - keitetääh - hopiota vuollaah siihi veteeh - sillä vejellä pestääh - siitä se vesi järveeh koataah.
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-003441 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.