Olin orja vellolleni

SKVR III1 180·Soikkola·1858·Collector: Länkelä, Jaako

In the SKVR edition: [Soikkola t. Narvusi]. J. Länkelä. v. III 9 a. 1858.

Song types: Olin orja vellolleni, Oljamissa käynti

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SKVR textEnglish

1Olin orja vellolleni,I was a slave to my brother,

2Api tyttö ainelleni,A helper girl forever for me,

3Eitsenikka eitelläni;A crone's girl among my mothers;

4Yöt mie eitsissä kävelin,Nights I walked by fences,

5Päivät päitsii parensin.Days I mended bridles.

6Mie tein sylellä työtä,I worked by the armful,

7Kannon huolta kahmalolla,Carried worries by the handful,

8Luulin aitan annettavan,I thought the storehouse would be given,

9Lammaskarjan laitettavan.The sheep flock would be entrusted.

10Tuotiin meille minjykkäinen,They brought a bride to us,

11Sille aitta annettiin,To her the storehouse was given,

12Lammaskarja lainettiin,The sheep flock was loaned,

13Miulle neiolle ei mitään,To me, the maiden, nothing,

14Kuta kullalle ei kutaan.Where for the dear one, no call came.

15Sain mie marja muille maille,I was sent like a berry to foreign lands,

16Tuomi toisille vesille,A bird cherry to other waters,

17Lintu muille liivakoille,A bird to other sandbanks,

18Kana muille kallioille,A hen to other cliffs,

19Juomukka yli jokien,A draught over rivers,

20Viien kuuen viikon päälle,For five-six weeks,

21Kahen aastajan perälle.And two years beyond.

22Menin vellon vierahaksi,I went to my brother as a guest,

23Ei tullut riisumaan hevosta,None came to unharness the horse,

24Aisoja ei alentamaan.Nor lower the shafts.

25Itse mie riisun heposen,I myself unharnessed the horse,

26Itse aisani alensin.I myself lowered my shafts.

27Menin vellon porstuvaan,I entered my brother's porch,

28Vellon poika porstuvassa:My brother's son in the porch:

29"Elä me täti tupaan,"Don't enter our house, aunt,

30Kunis muut murkinoivat,Until others finish feasting,

31Jakavat jakopaloja!"Dividing the shared morsels!"

32Mie vait tuisahin tupaan,Silently I slipped into the house,

33Oven suuhun orren alle,To the door's mouth under the beam,

34Liki liettä liian luokse.Near the stove, too close.

35Vello istu laavitsalla,My brother sat in the high seat,

36Missä ennen isoni istu;Where once my father sat;

37Ei ollut ison sanoja,None of father's words remained,

38Eikä ison heltehiä.Nor father's warmth.

39Minno istu kiukahalla,I sat on the bench,

40Missä ennen emoni istu;Where once my mother sat;

41Ei ollut emon sanoja,None of mother's words remained,

42Eikä emon heltehiä.Nor mother's warmth.

43Vello sano vaimolleen:My brother said to his wife:

44"Ota vastaan vierastani!""Receive my guest!"

45Vellon vaimo vastaeli:My brother's wife replied:

46"Istuu ilman käskemättä,"She sits uninvited,

47Kiireempää pois menee."She'll leave quicker this way."

48Vello sano vaimolleen:My brother said to his wife:

49"Riisu ryyty vierahalta!""Remove the guest's cloak!"

50Vellon vaimo vastaeli:My brother's wife replied:

51"Pankao itse patsahasse,"Hang it yourself on the peg,

52Kiireemmin pois menee!"She'll leave faster!"

53Vello sano vaimolleen:My brother said to his wife:

54"Tee sisolle talkkunaa!""Make sister some porridge!"

55Vellon vaimo vastaeli:My brother's wife replied:

56"Vesi on jäässä, jauhot kylmät,"Water's frozen, flour's cold,

57Sitä kylmempi tekijä."The maker's colder still."

58Vello sano vaimolleen:My brother said to his wife:

59"Tuo olutta tuopilla!""Bring beer in a tankard!"

60Vellon vaimo vastaeli,My brother's wife replied,

61"Olut loppu, taari taittu,"Beer's gone, the barrel's broken,

62Ei lopu oluen juoja,The drinker won't finish it,

63Eikä taitu taarin juoja."Nor the barrel's drinker yield."

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-007191 · Read at SKS ↗

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