Velloini venoisen seppoi

SKVR III1 350·Soikkola·1858·Collector: Länkelä, Jaako

In the SKVR edition: Soikkola. J. Länkelä. v. VIII 8 a. 1858.

Song types: Ei ole laulaja jolta ei tuiska tulta suusta, Kiusasin kivelle uida, Kuka ouot ottanevi - lempo suuhun lentäköön, Laivassa surmattu veli, Laulajan lopetussanoja, Veneenveisto

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SKVR textEnglish

1Velloini venoisen seppoi,My brother, the boat's smith,

2Laivan seppoi laglueniThe smith of the ship, my Laglueni,

3Vesti kirveellä venoja,Carved boats with an axe,

4Kirvehellä kultasella,With a golden axe,

5Vartuella vaskisella,With a copper handle,

6Terällä hopiaisella.With a silver blade.

7Kirves kultainen kumisi,The golden axe clanged,

8Varsi vaskinen helisi.The copper handle rang.

9Iski kerran, synty laita,Struck once: a side arose,

10Toisen kerran, toinen laita,Struck twice: the other side,

11Kolmannen koko venoinen;Third strike: the whole boat;

12Synty veno vestämättä,The boat was born unshaped,

13Laivoi lastun lohkomatta.The ship without splitting planks.

14Toi venoi monen tapainen,He brought a boat of many kinds,

15Laivoi kolmen kossallinen,A ship with three compartments,

16Nenä oli neljän pruusallinen,The prow was four measures,

17Veno oli viien värkillinen,The boat had five colors,

18Pyrki viemättä vesille,It strained to reach water unguided,

19Laskematta lainehille,To be launched upon the waves,

20Ajajasta aallon päälle;For a helmsman upon the waves;

21Ei oo viejästä venoisen.There was no guide for the boat.

22Tuo minun viekas veljyeni,My cunning brother,

23Ehtoisa emoni lapsi,My mother's skillful child,

24Tuopa viejäksi venoisen,He became the boat's guide,

25Ajajaksi aallon päälle,As helmsman upon the waves,

26Lykkäs venon vesille,Pushed the boat to water,

27Saattoi laivan lainehille.Launched the ship to the waves.

28Näinpä laivan lainehtivan,I saw the ship undulating,

29Puna pellon purjehtivan,The red field sailing,

30Soljuvan sotivenoisen,The war-boat gliding,

31Sotipaatin paurakkoivan:The warship roaring:

32"Kuin oot venoi veljueni"If you are my brother's boat,

33Ja laiva laglueni,And the ship Laglueni,

34Tye tehyille teloille,Go to the ready stocks,

35Valmihille valkamoille!"To the prepared shipyards!"

36Tuo oli veno veljyeni,That was my brother's boat,

37Sotilaiva laglueni,The warship Laglueni,

38Tuli tie(t)yille teloille,It came to the ready stocks,

39Valmihille valkamoille.To the prepared shipyards.

40Kiusasin kivoilla ujua,I tried to swim among stones,

41Tahoin paaella paeta;Wished to flee on a rock;

42Kivoi tuo kiusin uppoeli,The stones sank under my torment,

43Paasi pohjahan pakeni.The boulder fled to the depths.

44Nousin kiusin kiiskiseksi,I turned into a perch,

45Asettaisin ahveneksi,Transformed into a perch,

46Loihtisin lohikalaksi,Enchanted into a salmon,

47Muuttisin mutakalaksi,Changed into a mudfish,

48Asettasin ahveneksi.Settled as a perch.

49Alon laivoini ujua,I began to swim my ships,

50Ujuin laivoin uurrepuille,Swam to the ships' ribs,

51Astuin laivoin anturoille,Stepped on the ships' decks,

52Laivoin keiloille kejahin.Clung to the ships' gunwales.

53Kysyin laivoista omaani,I asked about my own in the ships,

54Venehestä velloani,About my brother in the boat,

55Laivoista emäni lasta:My mother's child in the ships:

56"Eik' oo laivoissa omaani,"Is my own not in the ships,

57Venoisessa velloani?"My brother in the boat?"

58Laivoin vanhin vastaeli:The eldest of the ships answered:

59"Ei oo täällä siun omaisi,"Your kin are not here,

60Venehess' ei vellojasi,No brothers in the boat,

61Laivoiss' ei emoisi lasta."No mother's child in the ships."

62Oli yksi orja raukka,There was one wretched slave,

63Ei tohtinut tosin sanoa,Who dared not speak truly,

64Niin sanoi salamiten:So he said in secret:

65"Tääll' on viitta veljyesi,"Here is your brother's cloak,

66Tääll' on kauhtana kalaisi."Here his fish-scaled hood."

67Noisin poies pakenemaan,I turned to flee away,

68Läksin poies lähtemään,I left to depart,

69Käänsin pääni päivyeen.Turned my head to the sun.

70Miksip' on vetoi verevä,"Why is the water bloody,

71Vaakse valkein punainen?The white sea turned red?"

72Laivoin vanhin vastaeli:The eldest of the ships answered:

73"Silläpä vetoi verevä,"Because the water is bloody,

74Vaakse valkein punainen,The white sea red,

75Egles päivin näill(ä) ajoin,In the days of yore when sailing,

76Opetnoissa ollessaanDuring his apprenticeship,

77Halottiin hauvin vatsa,A pike's belly was gutted,

78Lohottiin lohen luomet,A salmon's bones were taken,

79Si'ottiin siian selkä,A whitefish's back was sliced,

80Suolet luotiin meroon,Entrails thrown to the sea,

81Maksat maalle kannettiin."Livers carried to land."

82Oli yksi orja raukka,There was one wretched slave,

83Ei tohtint tosin sanoa,Who dared not speak truly,

84Niin sanoi salamiten:So he said in secret:

85"Ei halottu hauvin vatsa,"No pike's belly was gutted,

86Ei siastu siian selkä,No whitefish's back was sliced,

87Ei lohastu lohen luomet,No salmon's bones were taken,

88Halottiin vellon vatsaMy brother's belly was gutted

89Egles päivin näill' ajoin;In those days of yore;

90Suolet luotiin meroin,Entrails thrown to the seas,

91Maksat maalle kannettiin,Livers carried to land,

92Sy'ämykset lainehisse."Eyes to the waves."

93Läksin poisi lähtemään,I left to go away,

94Noisin poisi pakenemaan,Turned to flee away,

95Käänsin pääni päivyelle,Turned my head to the sun,

96Loin silmäni lounaseen.Cast my eyes southwest.

97Miksi on vetoi verevä,"Why is the water bloody,

98Vaakse on valkein punainen?The sea white turned red?"

99Velloi kerkkui meroista:My brother cried from the seas:

100"Oi sisoini, emoini lapsi,"Oh my sister, mother's child,

101Viekää emolle viesti,Take a message to Mother,

102Saata sana hautojalle:Deliver the word to the graves:

103Älkää minun emoiniDo not let my mother

104Ottaa meroista vettäTake water from the seas

105Leipoja seatakseen;To bake bread;

106Kuin ottaa meroista vettä,If she takes sea-water,

107Niin ottaa pojan verta!Then she takes her son's blood!

108Viekää isoille viesti:Take word to the elders:

109Älkää minun isoiniDo not let my elders

110Pyytää meren kaloja,Catch the sea's fish,

111Luoko verkkoja mereen;Nor cast nets into the sea;

112Kuin pyytää meren kaloja,If they catch sea-fish,

113Pyytää pojan kylkiluita!They catch their son's ribs!

Virren otsaa muistuteltuaan, vaan ei kuitenkaan käteensä saatuaan, sanoi laulaja:

114Olkoon otsa huomeneksi,Let this brow [song] remain for tomorrow,

115Paremmille laulajille,For better singers,

116Kummemmille kukkujille,For stranger chanters,

117Kell' ei tuisa tulta suusta,Who blow no fire from their mouth,

118Savua sanan jälestä,No smoke after their words,

119Kekälettä alta kielen!No ember beneath the tongue!

120Kuka otti miust' auvon,Who took luck from me,

121Piian virhi viitsittiin,Dared the maiden's charms,

122Lempo suuhun lentäköönMay Lempo fly into [their] mouth

123Siipineen, sulkineen,With wings, with feathers,

124Kaikkineen karvoneen.With all hairs upon them.

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.
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-007370 · Read at SKS ↗

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