Seppo takoi taksutteli

SKVR IV1 69·Venjoki·1847·Collector: Europaeus, D. E. D.

In the SKVR edition: [Venjoki]. D. E. D. Europaeus. J 429. 1847.

SKVR textEnglish

1Seppo takoi taksutteli,Seppo forged and hammered away,

2Rahan eestä rapsutteli,toiled for silver's sake,

3Takoi vallan vaarnahia,forged countless pegs,

4Seurakunnan sirppilöjä,the parish's little sickles,

5Maakunnan puraksen päitä.the province's drill-points.

6Se on lello, kell on vello,It’s a treasure for those with brothers,

7Se on kauno, kell on kaksi;beauty for those with two.

8Ei oo miulla kurjasellaBut I, the wretched one,

9Velloa vesoakana,have no brother-sapling,

10Emoin lasta ei ensinkänä.no mother’s child at all.

11Miepä juokselin kylälle,I ran to the village,

12Mie kysyin kylän akoilta:asked the village wives:

13Syntyykos vesasta vello,"Does a brother sprout from saplings,

14Vello varsin vaahteresta,a brother from maple trees,

15Koivusta näkö korea.from birch, a fair-faced one?"

16Akat vasten vastasivat:The wives retorted sharply:

17Voi sie tyttö pikkarainen,"Oh you little maiden,

18Joutumatoin juomukkainen,clumsy sipper of life,

19Ei vello vesasta synny,no brother grows from saplings,

20Vello varsin vaahteresta,a brother from maple trees,

21Koivusta näkö kopea.from birch, a haughty face."

22Mie olin ainoa isolla,I was alone on the farm,

23Mie syöttelin oroja,feeding the colts,

24Helmastani heinät syötin,hay from my pearl I gave,

25Kaurat syötin kahmalosta,oats from my cupped hands,

26Yöt öitsissä kävelin,nights pacing in dusk,

27Päivät katsoin kammitsoilla,days spent in sorrows,

28Olin yksin, maksoin kaksi,alone, I paid double,

29Seisoin seitsemän siassa.stood in seven stations.

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.

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