Iski tulta ilman ukko
In the SKVR edition: Kuivajärvi. Marttińi n. 64. 93. Iivanan emäntä; kuullut Rokka-Petriltä Akonlahdesta.
SKVR textEnglish
Tulen synti.
1Iski tulta ilman ukko,The sky's old man struck fire,
2Välähytti VäinämöiniVäinämöinen flashed lightning,
3Päällä taivosen yheksän,Upon the nine heavens,
4Päällä kuuven kirjokannen,Upon the moon's patterned lid,
5Päällä reppänän retusen.Upon the woodpecker's nest.
6Kirposi tulen kipunaThe fire's spark flew,
7Läpi taivosen yheksän,Through the nine heavens,
8Läpi kuuven kirjokannen,Through the moon's patterned lid,
9Läpi reppänän retusen;Through the woodpecker's nest;
10Poltti parmahan emolta,Burned the barn-mother,
11Rikko rinnan neitoselta.Broke the maiden's breast.
12Muuttu hän punakeräkse,She turned into a red sphere,
13Siitä muuttu sinikeräksi,Then turned to a blue sphere,
14Siitä vierähti merehen.Then rolled into the sea.
15Uiksenteli, käyksenteliSwam circling, swam meandering,
16Siika luotojen sivuitse,The whitefish by skerries' edges,
17Lohiluotojen lomatse.Past salmon-islets.
18Jo nieli sileä siika.Soon swallowed the sleek whitefish.
19Tuli tuska nielijällä,Pain came to the swallower,
20Vaimala vajottajalla;Anguish to the devourer;
21Uiskentelou, käyksentelöySwam writhing, swam twisting,
22Siika luotojen sivuitse,The whitefish by skerries' edges,
23Lohiluotojen lomatse.Past salmon-islets.
24Oisko kurjan nielijätä,Is there a wretched swallower,
25Katalan kavottajata?A vile gulper?
26Jo nieli lohi punani.Soon swallowed my red salmon.
27Tuli tuska nielijällä,Pain came to the swallower,
28Vaimala vajottajalla.Anguish to the devourer.
29Uiksentelou, käyksentelöySwam circling, swam meandering,
30Siika luotojen sivuitse,The whitefish by skerries' edges,
31Lohiluotojen lomatse,Past salmon-islets,
32Oisko kurjan nielijätä,Is there a wretched swallower,
33Katalan kavottajata.A vile gulper.
34Jo nieli halia hauki.Soon swallowed the pike's pike.
35Tuli tuska nielijällä,Pain came to the swallower,
36Vaimala vajottajalla.Anguish to the devourer.
37Uiskentelou, käyskentelöySwam writhing, swam trudging,
38Sini luotojen sivuitse,Blue by skerries' edges,
39Lohiluotojen lomatse.Past salmon-islets.
40Oisko kurjan nielijätä,
41Katalan kavottajata?A vile gulper?
42Kylvettihin liinan siemen.The flax seed was steeped,
43Siitä kasvoi limppa liina,Then grew supple flax,
44Pellavas perätön yleni.Endless flax ascended.
45Loukutettih, poukutettih,They were lured, they were bent,
46Kuvottihin, kehrättihinThey were scutched, they were spun,
47Yhtenä kesäissä yönä.In one summer's night.
48Kuvottih nuotta kuutta syltä,A seine of six fathoms was shaped,
49Saatihin satoa syltä.A hundred fathoms were gained.
50Nuoret nuotalla menöy.The youths went with the seine,
51Ve'ettiin kerta myötäh vettä.Once pulled with the current.
52Ei tullut sitä kaloa,That fish did not come,
53Jota vasse oli nuotta tehty;For which the seine was made;
54Tuli ihveniä, ahvenia,Came ides, came perches,
55Kaikkija ve'en kaloja.All the water's fish.
56Työnnettih kalat vetehen.The fish were pushed back to water.
57Ve'ettih toinen vastah vettä.Again pulled against the current.
58Ei tullut sitä kaloa,That fish did not come,
59Jota vasse oli nuotta tehty;For which the seine was made;
60Tuli ihveniä, ahvenia,Came ides, came perches,
61Kaikkia ve'en kaloja.All the water's fish.
62Työnnettih kalat vetehen.The fish were pushed back to water.
63Oli vanha Väinämöini,There was old Väinämöinen,
64Hän oli ongella olija,He was with a fishing rod,
65Käsiverkoilla kävijä,A user of hand-nets,
66Otti honkan olkapäälläh,Took a pine on his shoulder,
67Tasalatvan tarpomeksi.An even-branched staff as tool.
68Tarpo nuotan tappuraksi,Trod the seine into splinters,
69Veteh velliksi sevotti.Stirred water into porridge.
70Veti kerran myötäh vettä,Pulled once with the current,
71Jo tuli halie hauki.Then came the pike of pikes.
72Ei kärsi käsin ruvetaIt couldn't be handled barehanded,
73Ilman rautarukkasia,Without iron gauntlets,
74Ilman vaskivanttuhia.Without copper clamps.
75Otti veitsen huotrastansa,Took a knife from his sheath,
76Tupestansa tuiman rauvan,From sheath, tough iron,
77Halkasi halien hauvin:Split the pike's jaws:
78Sielä on lohi punani.There was my red salmon.
79Se ei kärsi käsin ruvetaIt couldn't be handled barehanded,
80Ilman rautarukkasia,Without iron gauntlets,
81Ilman vaskivanttuhia.Without copper clamps.
82Halkasi lohi punasen:Split the red salmon:
83Sielä on sileä siika.There was the sleek whitefish.
84Ei kärsi käsin ruvetaIt couldn't be handled barehanded,
85Ilman rautarukkasia,Without iron gauntlets,
86Ilman vaskivanttuhia.Without copper clamps.
87Halkasi sileän siijan:Split the sleek whitefish:
88Sielä on sinikeräni;There was my blue sphere;
89Purki hän sinikeräsen,He opened the blue sphere,
90Sielä on punakeräni;There was my red sphere;
91Purki hän puna keräsen,He opened the red sphere,
92Sielä on tuli kipuna.There was the fire's spark.
93Miss' on tulta rissittynä?Where is the fire struck?
94Tuolla Juortanan jovessa,There at Juortana's river,
95Pyhän virran viertiessä.By the holy stream's flow.
96Mipä on nimeksi pantu?What name has been given?
97Panu on nimeksi pantu.Panu is the name given.
98Kuin panu pahan tekevi.As Panu does evil.
99Miksi potket poikoasi,Why kick your offspring,
100Turmelet tekemiäsi?Destroy your creations?
101Hyytä hynnin kankahalta,Fetch frost from Hynni's heath,
102Jäätä järven lippahastaIce from the lake's flowing bay,
103Tuskahan tuli kipunan,The spark turned into pain,
104Valkiesen vuakahih.In the white membrane's grip.
105Meheläini ilman lintu,My sky-bee, bird of the air,
106Mene sinne, kunne käskenGo there where I command,
107Yheksän meren ylitse,Over nine seas,
108Meripuolen kymmenettä;To the tenth sea-realm;
109Sinne on neiti riutununna,There a maiden has perished,
110Koropainen pään alla.Moss-grown beneath her head.
111Tuo simoa siivessäsi,Bring mead in your wing,
112Mettä kielesi nenässäHoney on your tongue's tip,
113Kipeälle voiteheksi,As balm for the sore,
114Pahoille parantimeksi,As cure for the ill,
115Vammoille valin vesiksi!As chosen waters for wounds!
English translations by DeepSeek R1, provided by Lidia Pivovarova (University of Helsinki). AI-generated translations may contain inaccuracies. Lines without English have no translation, or one that cannot be matched to the line with certainty.
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-002621 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.