Kesoi lintu, keeloi lintu

SKVR IV2 1797·Kaprio·1877·Collector: Borenius, A. A.

In the SKVR edition: [Hevaa]. A. A. Borenius. n. 150. 1877. Iivan Maura.

Song type: Maailmansyntyruno

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SKVR textEnglish

1Kesoi lintu, keeloi lintu,Summer bird, forbidden bird,

2Päivöi lintu pääskylintuDay's bird, the swallow bird,

3Lentiis kesoisen päivän,It flew on a summer's day,

4Sykysyisen yön pimmeän,Through autumn's dark night,

5Etsi maata maataksen,Seeking land to rest upon,

6Lehtoa levätäksen,A grove to repose in,

7Murtoa munniaksen;A break to lay eggs;

8Saant ei maata maataksen,It found no land to rest,

9Murtoa munniaksen;A break to lay eggs;

10Lens hän rannoille meroille,It flew to sea-shores,

11Rannoille liki vettoja,To shores near waters,

12Liki vettä valkejaist.Close to white waters.

13Niist löys meroist metsän,From seas, it found a forest,

14Siit löys mätäst kolmet,There found three mounds,

15Yhem mättähän punnaisen,First mound reddish,

16Toisem mättähän sinnisen,Second bluish,

17Kolmanne heinän karvallisen.Third grassy-haired.

18Minkä mättähän punnaisen,Which reddish mound,

19Valoi vaskisen pessäisen,It cast a copper nest,

20Niim muni munaista kolme.Then laid three eggs.

21Hauto vuuven höyhenill;Incubated with a hundred feathers;

22Tuli suuri ukon tuutsa,Came Ukko's great storm,

23Meroi vihkura vihhai,The sea's raging wrath,

24Kääns hän pesoin kallalleen,Tossed the nest upside down,

25Vieritti munat vettoin,Rolled eggs into waters,

26Laski lapset laineheen.Dropped chicks into waves.

27Kesoi lintu, keeloi lintuSummer bird, forbidden bird,

28Lentelöpi liitelö,Fluttered and flew,

29Lenteli kessoisen päivän,Flew a summer's day,

30Sykysyisen yön pimmeän,Through autumn's dark night,

31Lens hän suutta seppoilaan,Flew to the smith's forge,

32Suutta seppoilan paijaa:To the smith's dwelling:

33"Seppyeini, selvyeini,"Smith-maiden, clear one,

34Takojani, tammueini,Forger, oak-maiden,

35Taoit sien enne, taoit egle,You forged before, forged tools,

36Nii tao tännäi pään,Now forge here a head,

37Tao kulttaine harava,Forge a golden harrow,

38Piit sie vaskist vallele,Take copper for its frame,

39Pae varsi vaahterii,Make the shaft of maple,

40Haravoi siit meren kokuu,Harrow the sea's foam,

41Kaikki lainehe lakkoi!"Let all waves cease!"

42Löys hän puolet valkeaist,It found half white,

43Toisem puolen ruskeaist,Half brown,

44Minkä puolen valkeaist,The white half

45Sen päivyeks paistamaan,Became the sun to shine,

46Minkä puolen ruskeaist,The brown half

47Sen kuuks kumoittammaan.Became the moon to glow.

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-013466 · Read at SKS ↗

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