La laulan mokoman virren
In the SKVR edition: Soikkola. J. Länkelä. v. V 1 a. 1858.
SKVR textEnglish
1La laulan mokoman virrenI sing such a hymn
2Surukkahan suuta myöten,Along a sorrowful mouth,
3Muurehellisen mukaan!By the mournful one's measure!
4Kell' on kuudro kulkemassa,When moonlight is moving,
5Vahoi tukk' on vaakumassa,Foam-haired one is swaying,
6Kell' on mies miekka vyönä,When a man wears a sword at his belt,
7Uro on pyssyn kantajana,A hero bears the gun,
8Poika polkan täyttäjänä.A boy fills the path.
9Sen hyvä sotahan kuolla,It is good for him to die in war,
10Kaunis kansaan on katoova;The fair one perishes for the people;
11Kump' on naatti naittamattaWhich girl is unwed,
12Poika puolisoittamatta.A boy unpartnered.
13Sen pah' on sotaan kuolla,For him, dying in war is bad,
14Kurjan kanssa on katova,Perishing with the wretched,
15Kump' on naatti naitettuna,Which girl is wed,
16Poika puolisoitettuna,A boy partnered,
17Kelle jääpi leseksi nainen,To whom remains a widow,
18Lapset laihaksi kotiihin;Children lean into homes;
19Nainen eli perehen syynä,The woman lives as family's cause,
20Lapset vertana kylässä,Children as blood in the village,
21Kaiken vallan karkiana.Fugitives from all authority.
22Kyllä nuo helkit herran rauat,Truly, those chains—the Lord's irons—
23Vankin vaivaisen jaloissa.Bind even the poor prisoner's legs.
24Mannun poika, mies matala,Mannu's son, lowly man,
25Hannun poika haikiainen,Hannu's son, the cripple,
26Kaihoin soitti kanteleella,Played the kantele with yearning,
27Vihoin vihmoi pillilläänPlucked his pipe with rage,
28Iltoja kuluttaessa,Passing the evenings,
29Väkiä nukuttaessa.Lulling the folk to sleep.
30Meiän kuudro pää kuningas,Our moonlight, the high king,
31Vahoitukka linnan vanhin,White-haired elder of the castle,
32Oleksanter mies osaavaAlexander, the skilled man,
33Niin teki kipiän kirjanThus made a bitter book,
34Ja laski pahan paperin,And wrote the wicked paper,
35Alkoi forttia valitaBegan to choose forts,
36Ja soriaa soltaattia.And select soldiers.
37Miun ehtoisa emoini,My fair mother,
38Akka vanha vaaliani,Old crone, my guardian,
39Pää kulta kukittajani,Golden-headed, my adorner,
40Ihala imettäjäniLovely my wet nurse,
41Lämmitti metoisen saunanHeated the honeyed sauna,
42Metoisilla halkoloilla.With honeyed logs.
43Meni poikoi kylpömään,Went the boys to bathe,
44Hauto haluisen vastanPrepared a longed-for whisk,
45Haluisille hartioille.For longed-for shoulders.
46Kylpi löylyn kynnepäisen,Bathed in scalding steam,
47Hauto vastan vaahterisen;Prepared a maple whisk;
48Poikoi kylpöö lavolla,Boys bathed on the bench,
49Tuli tuiskaa ovesta,A gust came through the door,
50Lemme löyhkyy ikkunasta.Flame flickered from the window.
51Mill' miun poikoini valaisi,What lit my boys,
52Musta kulma muikkaeli,The black corner hinted,
53Emon kyllin kyynelellä.With mother's abundant tears.
54Tuli poikoi kylpömästä,The boys came from bathing,
55Väki vääntyvät tuvassa,The crowd stirred in the house,
56Kaikki on rahvas katsomassaAll the folk watched
57Pojoin mennä viimoi teille,As the boys went to final roads,
58Viimoi teille, viimoi maille,Final roads, final lands,
59Sota-teitä tempomaan,To take up war-paths,
60Sotamaita marsimaan.To march to war-lands.
61Hänen ismoi isoihenHis father, to the great one,
62Valjasti hyvän hepoisen,Harnessed a good horse,
63Pani hän saanihen paremman,Put him in a better sled,
64Teki ristin rinnalleen,Made a cross on his chest,
65Haara hartiaiselleen,A branch on his shoulders,
66Hyppäis hän hyvän rekehen.He jumped into the good sled.
67Niin hän joutui sillon sinne,So he arrived there then,
68Konsa vangit vaadittiin,When prisoners were summoned,
69Arestantit arvattiin.Arrests were decreed.
70Miun ismaroi isoiniMy father prepared,
71Laati vellon lauan alle;Set broth beneath the table;
72Ei oo suuri eik' oo pieni,Not large nor small,
73Parahiks' on pantu siihen;The best is placed there;
74Ei oo varvasta vajaa,No toe is missing,
75Olen kortt' ei korkiampi,A stump no taller,
76Ei oo piuksesta pitempi.No longer than a span.
77Vietiin toiseen tupaan,Taken to another house,
78Saatti toiseen saliin,Led to another hall,
79Kohalleen kornitsoien,To their place by the cornices,
80Pantiin raisusti rahille,Thrust roughly onto the floor,
81Hiukset päästä hierottiin,Hair rubbed from their heads,
82Lieminäiset leikattiin.Bangs were cut off.
83Vietiin poikoinen kotiin,The boy was taken home,
84Kasarmoja katsomaan,To see the barracks,
85Tilaistaan tuntemaan,To know their sort,
86Paikkastaan painamaan.To press from their place.
87Miekkoi vyöksi vyötettiin,Swords were belted on,
88Sulko pääksi päitettiin.Feathers placed on heads.
89Viipy tuosta viikko toinen,Stayed there another week,
90Sai tuosta moni nätälä,Many a week passed,
91Moni viikko vierähtäisi,Many weeks rolled by,
92Tuli kesoinen aika,Summer time arrived,
93Niin tuli pyhäinen päivä,Then came the holy day,
94Muut kaikki pere murehit,All others' families mourned,
95Emoi kaihon katkieli,Mothers' sorrows broke,
96Muien suut on suuruksessa.Others' mouths stayed silent.
97Milläpä miun pojoini,With what, my boys,
98Millä suukko suurustaapi,With what kiss consoles,
99Musta kulma murkinoi?Does the black brow ponder?
100Lehmon' on meri leviä,Lehmon's sea is wide,
101Pyssyn krassi on kartanona,The gun's grease is as a manor,
102Kyynel' kyllin murkinana,The tear enough as a crumb,
103Itkull' on iloisa tunni.With crying is a joyful hour.
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-007254 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.