Parempi on pajulla maata

SKVR III1 151·Narvusi·1858·Collector: Länkelä, Jaako

In the SKVR edition: Narvusi. J. Länkelä. v. II 13. 1858.

SKVR textEnglish

1Parempi on pajulla maata,Better to lie under a willow,

2Lepän oksilla levätä,To rest on an alder's branches,

3Kun tuon kurjan kuupen alla,Than under that wretch's coat,

4Valjun miehen vaipan alla,Under a rough man's cloak,

5Karhun kiljuvan kiassa,In a roaring bear's den,

6Suen ulvovan suussa,In a howling wolf's mouth,

7Pahan miehen parran alla,Under a bad man's beard,

8Kartsun miehen kainalossa.In a coward's armpit,

9Antaa kaialta katetta,Shelter from the seagull,

10Pätärältä pään alusta.A headrest from the knoll,

11Ennenpä mie poloinenSooner would I, the wretched,

12Suen suussa ulvovaisen,In a wolf's howling mouth,

13Karhun kaljuvan käsissä,In a roaring bear's grasp,

14Ennenkun hullulle urolle,Than to a mad fool,

15Mielettömälle miehelle;A mindless man;

16Lihat syöpi, luut kaluaa,He eats flesh, gnaws bones,

17Veitsettä vereni juopi.Drinks my blood blade-free.

18Osasi miun emoni,My mother knew,

19Osasi opettajani,My teacher knew,

20Osasi omenan tehdä,To make an apple,

21Taisi taimen kasvatella,To raise a trout-fry,

22Ei osannut istutella;But not to plant me;

23Istutti kovalle maalle,Planted me on hard soil,

24Kovan pellon pientarelle,A tough field's edge,

25Pani puille pyöreville,Put me on round trees,

26Veräjille viereville,Beside gates,

27Oksille lehettömille,On leafless boughs,

28Pani kylmään kylään,Placed in a cold village,

29Rautaseen rahvaasen,To iron-hard people,

30Viekkaan väen sekaan.Among sly folk.

31Ennempä mie olisin,Sooner would I be,

32Metsässä haon kylessä,In a rotten-wood forest,

33Kun tuon kurjan miehen luona.Than with that wretched man.

34Kuin mie kerran kengät saisin,If I could get shoes once,

35Kerran keltasen hamehen,A yellow skirt once,

36Kerran miehen kelvollisen!A decent man once!

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.