Venäen on kuningas viekas
In the SKVR edition: Medussi, Ruditsa. O. Groundstroem. n. 14 a 1861. Okoi.
SKVR textEnglish
1Venäen on kuningas viekas,Russia's king is cunning,
2Herra on viekas venäläinenThe lord is a crafty Russian.
3Kulki vuuven kultine,Walked the year's golden path,
4Vieri verkoi torvinen,Trumpeting, he spread his nets,
5Kulki Kuippinan selälle,Walked to Kuippinan's ridge,
6Mäni selväl meren selälle.Went to the open sea's plain.
7Näki laivan lainehtivan,Saw a ship billowing,
8Soljuvan soti venehen.A gliding war vessel.
9Mäni laivoa likemmäks.Moved nearer to the ship.
10Aloi laivalle läetä,Began to approach the ship,
11Punapellolle puhella:Spoke to the red-cheeked prow:
12"Lienetkö ättin laivo,*"Are you my clan's ship,*
13Oletko isoin laivo,The greatest of ships,
14Oletko laiva laglueni,Are you my companion ship,
15Oletko velloin venoinen,My brothers' vessel,
16Onka laivos miun omaas,Is this ship my own,
17Venees onko vellojani?"Does it hold my brothers?"*
18Laivon vanhin vastaeli:The ship's elder replied:
19"Tää ej oo siun issos laivo,"This is not your father's ship,
20Tää on laivo Lappalaisen,This is a Sámi's ship,
21Tää on vierahan venoin."A foreigner's vessel."
22Vänäen siit on kuningas viekas,Then Russia's cunning king,
23Hän on viekas vennäläinen,He, the crafty Russian,
24Sous rannon, sous toisen,Rowed one shore, then another,
25Sous siit Suomen rantuelle.Rowed to Finland's shore.
26Suomen neiot olit sotkomassa:Finland's maidens were washing:
27"Hoi sorreat Suomen neiot,"Hail, noble Finnish maidens,
28Onkos Suomes siiaist,Is there shelter in Finland,
29Missä maata matkalaisell,Where a traveler may rest,
30Piilettella pilloniekan."To hide a piper?"*
31Suomen neiot vastaisit:The Finnish maidens answered:
32"Suomes on sota siaist,"In Finland, war is shelter,
33Vaan ej o sitä siaist,But not the kind you seek,
34Miss piilettella pilloniekan,Where a piper may hide,
35Paeta pahointekiän."To flee a villain."
36Venäen on kuningas viekas,Russia's king is cunning,
37Herra viekas oli venhäläinenThe lord, a crafty Russian,
38Kulki hän saaren rantaseen.Walked to an island's shore.
39Kirjan saareen lähetti.Sent word to Book Island,
40Sanan saaren vanhemmille:A message to the island's elders:
41"Saapiko naija saaren neittä,"Can one take the island's maidens,
42Saapiko saaren suku,Claim the island's kin,
43Tukkulmin tuttavutta,Befriend without strife,
44Ilman pyssin pyrkimättä,Without aiming a gun,
45Tinaluodin loiskamatta,Without firing a tin bullet,
46Vaskipallon paiskamatta?"Or hurling a copper ball?"*
47Suku saarest sannoit,The island's clan declared,
48Saaren vanhin vastaeli:The island's elder answered:
49"Et sie saa saaren neittä,"You'll not take the island's maidens,
50Tukhulmin ett saa tuttavutta;Nor befriend without conflict;
51Venäen kuningas viekas,Russia's cunning king,
52Ett saa saaren sukun,You'll not claim our clan,
53Ilman pyssyn pyrkimättä,Without aiming a gun,
54Ilman loin loiskamatta."Or a bullet's flight."
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-013027 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.