Olpa miu emosellain

SKVR IV3 3263·Liissilä·1906·Collector: Salminen, Väinö

In the SKVR edition: Liissilä, Hovinmäki. Väinö Salminen. n. 1004. 1906.

SKVR textEnglish

1Olpa miu emosellain,May my mother's kin be,

2Oli viisi tyttölasta,There were five girl-children,

3Mie olin kurja kuuentenna.I was the wretched sixth.

4Viisi vihkihe lähetti,The five were wed and sent,

5Miun kurjan kotihe jättiMy wretched self left at home,

6Puolan marjan poimijaksi,As a picker of Polish berries,

7Voapukan valitsijaksi.A chooser of cowberries.

8Poimin puoloja putinan,I picked bushes full into baskets,

9Vajin täyen voapukkoja;Carried loads of cowberries;

10Vein mie emmoini eholle.I brought them to my mother's yard.

11Emo maisti marjan, toisen,Mother tasted one berry, another,

12Emo voipui vuoteheesenMother weakened into bed,

13Sekä koatui katteheesen.And curled beneath the covers.

14Mänin linnan arpojille.I went to castle soothsayers.

15Noijat sanoit nousevaks,Sorcerers said I'd rise,

16Arpojat alenevaksi.Diviners said I'd fall.

17Mie itkien kotihen.I returned home weeping.

18Veikko kaula vestelöö.Brother carves a coffin's frame,

19Mie kyselen veikoltain:I ask my brother:

20"Mitäs vestät, veikkosein?""Why carve, dear brother?"

21"Veistän kuolleele kotia,"I carve a house for the dead,

22Katonneele kartanoa."An estate for the departed."

23Mie kyselen veikoltain:I ask my brother:

24"Kuka kuoli mein kotonta?""Who died in our home?"

25Veikko vasten vastajeli:Brother answered plainly:

26"Kuoli ehtonen emoni"Died our evening-like mother

27Sekä varsin vanhempaini."And my true parent too."

28"Oi mie poloinen piika!"Oh wretched maid am I!

29Millä mie pesen emoini?How shall I wash my mother?

30Ostan saksan saippuvaista,I'll buy German soap,

31Sillä mie pesen emoni;With it wash my mother;

32Ostan linnan liissinkiä,Buy castle linen,

33Sillä voatitsen emoni.To shroud my mother.

34Millä vyötitsen emoni?How shall I belt my mother?

35Ostan silkkie syleltä,I'll buy silk by the ell,

36Sille vyötitsen emoni."With it belt my mother."

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.

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.