Läksin, läksin neito nuori

SKVR III1 274·Soikkola·1858·Collector: Länkelä, Jaako

In the SKVR edition: Soikkola. J. Länkelä. v. V 21. 1858.

Song type: Kuolon sanomat

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SKVR textEnglish

1Läksin, läksin neito nuori,I went, I went, young maiden,

2Läksin koista lähtemään,I went to leave my home,

3Isoin uuesta tuvasta,From my father's old house,

4Emoin karjan kartanolta.From my mother's cattle farm.

5Menin virstan, menin toisen,I went one verst, then another,

6Menin kolmatta vähäisen,The third, a shorter stretch.

7Niin tuli sana jälestä:Then came word from behind:

8Kolt oli kuollutta koissa,Three dead in the houses,

9Yksi on ismaroi isoini,One was my father who died,

10Toinen ehtosa emoini,The second, my mother at dusk,

11Kolmas on kurja kumppalini.The third, my wretched companion.

12Minä juossulla kotiin.I ran swiftly home.

13Milläpä pesen isoini?How shall I wash my father?

14Pesen viinalla isoini;With wine I wash my father;

15Milläpä pesen emoini?How shall I wash my mother?

16Pesen viinan viertehellä;With the wine's flowing edge;

17Millä kurjan kumppalini?How the wretched companion?

18Pesen hevon kusella.With horse's piss I wash him.

19Millä vaatetan isoini?How shall I clothe my father?

20Ison verkaan vetelen;In father's woolen cloak I dress him;

21Milläpä vaatetan emoni?How shall I clothe my mother?

22Emon silkillä sitelen;With silk I wrap my mother;

23(Tois. Sison sulkku rättilöillä).(Alt: Sister's rags I use.)

24Millä kurjan kumppalini?How the wretched companion?

25Senen kuusen koskusilla.With spruce bark and resin.

26(Tois. Millä sulhon mielalan?(Alt: What pleases the groom?)

27Vellon kyntorättilöillä.)With brother's plow-rags.)

28Kuhun hautaan isoni?Where to bury my father?

29Isoin kirkon sillan alle;Under the church bridge;

30Kuhun hautaan emoni?Where to bury my mother?

31Kirkon seinän vieryelle,By the church wall's side,

32Lauta harjan lappiaan,At the ridge's plank-edge,

33Liki lukkarin lukuja,Near the sexton's chants,

34Kirkkoherran kiljukkia;The pastor's loud proclamations;

35Kunne kurjan kumppalini?Where the wretched companion?

36Senen kirkon kynnys alle.Under the church threshold.

37Meen kirkkoon kesolla,I go to church in summer,

38Siitä aina ylitse harkin,Always stepping over it,

39Yli helmoin heutaelen,Lightly over the hems,

40En kasta kapustojani,I won’t wet my shoes,

41Enkä ryvetä helmojani.Nor dirty my garments.

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-007288 · Read at SKS ↗

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