Kuin mie voisin vuuen olla

SKVR III1 145·Narvusi·1858·Collector: Länkelä, Jaako

In the SKVR edition: Narvusi. J. Länkelä. v. II 8. 1858.

SKVR textEnglish

1Kuin mie voisin vuuen olla,If I could be for a year,

2Kesäkauen kehtajaisinI would rock the summer's cradle,

3Naisen ankaran apina,The strict woman's puppet,

4Miehen tuiman tuttavanna,As the stern man's companion,

5Teettäisin teräkset kengät,I’d have steel shoes made,

6Valaittaisin vaski paglat,Forge copper slippers,

7Millä kuunnella kujalla,To listen in the alley,

8Millä seissa seinän vieret,To stand by the wall’s edge,

9Kui vieras verittelee,When a stranger bleeds,

10Paha nainen panetteleeThe wicked woman slanders,

11Varkakahaksi makiaksi,As a thieving hill-dweller,

12Laisaksi uneliaaksi.As lazy and sluggish.

13Mie tyttö pikkarainen,I, a small maiden,

14Kesen kasvoinen kanainen,Spring-faced and hen-like,

15Matalainen marjukkainen,Lowly as marjukka weeds,

16Lyhyt liitsa linnukkainen,Short-gliding, bird-like,

17Mie tuo vaiten vastaelin:I quietly retorted:

18"Tulkoon laisa lapsistasi,"Let the lazy one from your brood come,

19Huora hoitamaisistasi,A whore from those you tend,

20Varas vatsasi väestä!"A thief from your womb’s kin!"

21Niin sanoo vieras nainen,So says the foreign woman,

22Läkkäjää lapsilleen:Sending to her children:

23"Jo tulee munille murto,"Now comes the egg-smasher,

24Lajulainen lastiloille,A thief for the cradles,

25Tulee kanoille katko."Ruin for the hens."

26Mie tyttö pikkarainen,I, a small maiden,

27Kesen kasvinta kanainen,Spring-grown and hen-like,

- - -

29Tarkkasin mie kuulemaan;I listened keenly;

30Mie tuo vaiten vastaelin:I quietly retorted:

31"Harakka munille murto,"A magpie smashes eggs,

32Rotta suuri lastiloille,A great rat raids cradles,

33Sakkali kanoille katko."A mob destroys hens."

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 edition’s line numbers are replaced by a number on every verse, counted as in the poem reader.

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.