Oli linna, oli lippu

SKVR III1 563·Soikkola·1861·Collector: Groundström, Oskar

In the SKVR edition: [Soikkola, Tarinaisi]. Oskar Groundstroem. n. 262. 1861.

SKVR textEnglish

Suruvirsi.

1Oli linna, oli lippu,There was a fortress, there was a banner,

2Oli lipun liikuttaja.There was a wielder of the banner.

3Kaatui linna, kaatui lippu,The fortress fell, the banner fell,

4Kaatui lipun liikuttaja,The banner's wielder fell,

5Kaatui kuu ko'ani päältä,The moon fell from my hut's roof,

6Päivä pääni tanhavalta.The sun bowed at dawn's edge.

7Ketäpä isoksi kutsun,Whom shall I call the greatest,

8Ketä vaain vanhimpaksi?Whom appoint as the eldest?

9Kylän ukot miun isoin,The village men are my greatest,

10Kylän ukot vanhimpant.The village men are the eldest.

11Kyntävät kyläiset miehet,The village men plow,

12Vakoavat vallan miehet,The mighty men harrow,

13Eipa kynnä velvyeni,Yet my brother does not plow,

14Vakoele vanhempani.Nor my parents harrow.

15Otin atran olkalleen,I took the plow to my shoulder,

16Käänsin käsivarrelleen,Turned it to my arm's crook,

17Menin pienen pellon päälle.Went to the little field.

18Tulin itkien kotiin:Returned weeping home:

19"Oi emoi, vanha emoi,"Oh mother, old mother,

20Vanha akka vaaliaini,Old crone, my guardian,

21Pikkarain on kyntäjäsi,Your plowman is too small,

22Kaita aatran kantajaisi,Your plow-bearer too narrow,

23Matalainen marjuesi;Your berry-picker too lowly;

24Paha on olla orjuvessa!"It’s vile to be a slave!"

25Niin sanoho vieras naine:Thus spoke a stranger-woman:

26"Tie työtä koko kääelle,"Do the work with your whole hand,

27Väänne hartiain väelle!"Bend with your shoulder's might!"

28Tein työn koko käellä,I worked with my whole hand,

29Väänsin hartiaväelle.Bent with my shoulder's strength.

30Kuin leivoin perehen leivon,As I baked the family’s bread,

31Talon taikinat tahersin,Kneaded the house’s dough,

32Veot vierit silmistäTears rolled from my eyes,

33Paksummat pahoi jyvii,Thickest of bad grains,

34Heltehemmet hernehiä.Hottest of peas.

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.

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.