Olipa vanha Väinämöinen

SKVR II 172·Repola·1908·Collector: Osonen, V.

In the SKVR edition: Repola (kk). Osonen n. 40 (s. 152). - 08. Houri Makarjovna, 58 v.

SKVR textEnglish

[Laivaretkeä - Kuolonsanomat].

1Olipa vanha Väinämöinen,There was old Väinämöinen,

2Itse istusi perähänHimself sat in the stern,

3Kokan kultaise nojaha.To the golden support of the prow.

4Laianba laitto neitosia,The ship's master set the maidens,

5Toisenpa laitto sulhasia.Another set the grooms.

6Pani vanhat soutamahan,He put the old ones to rowing,

7Vanhat souti - -The old ones rowed,

8Nuoret souti, ratki,The young rowed, cracking [oars],

9Pyyrimet pyynä vihelti,Wood grouse whistled like wood grouse,

10Tetret tetrinä kukurti,Black grouse cooed like black grouse,

11Hanhet hanhina havisi.Geese splashed as geese.

12Ottipa veitsen viereltänsä,He took the knife from beside him,

13Luu puroman puoleltansa;A bone-carved thing from his side;

14Iskipä miekalla meryttä,Struck the sea with the sword,

15Allapa laian langehteli.Below the ship began to sway.

16Eipä miekka i totellut,The sword did not obey,

17Hauki mullaksi mureni.The pike crumbled to earth.

18Kullervo Kalervon poikaKullervo, Kalervo's son,

19Läksi soitellen sotahan,Went playing to war,

20Ilotellen tappeluhun.Rejoicing to battle.

21Soittipa suolla männessänsä,Played on the swamp as he went,

22Kajahutti kankahalla:Resounded on the heath:

23Suo vastahan sorahti,The swamp crackled in response,

24Kangas vastahan kajahti.The heath echoed in response.

25"Moamos kois on kuolemassa.""Moamos' dawn is dying."

26"Saan mie mogoman moammon"I'll get Mogoma's treasure

27Ruotsin suuresta sovasta,From Sweden's great peace,

28Maakunnan markkinoista."From the province's markets."

29Isä - - -Father

30Sisar - - -Sister

31Veli - - -Brother

32"Naises kois on kuolemassa.""Your wife's moth is dying."

33"Voi milma poloista poigoa,"Alas, my wretched boy,

34Puutu puhtahat sobanne,Lacks the pure straps,

35Kaato kakkaran veroinen."Felled the worthy oak."

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.

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