Kysyin kirkon kipparilta
In the SKVR edition: Lempaala, Juskela. Slöör IX 7. 54.
SKVR textEnglish
1Kysyin kirkon kipparilta,I asked the church's verger,
2Lausuin laivamestarilta:I inquired of the shipmaster:
3"Näittekö miun vellostani?""Did you see my brother?"
4Tässä oli eilen näillä päivin,He was here just yesterday,
5Näillä puilla pyörivillä,On these turning timbers,
6Varvoilla vapisevilla,On the trembling ribs,
7Lehtilöillä liekkuvilla.On the fluttering planks.
8Käin mä tietä pikkaraisen,I walked a small stretch of road,
9Matkaista ani vähäisen,A journey very short,
10Löysin rautaa palaisen.I found a piece of iron.
11Mie rauan sepän pajahan:To the iron-smith's forge I went:
12"Seppyeni, selvyeni,"My smith, my clear one,
13Taitaja takojaseni!Skilled hammerer of mine!
14Ta'oit ennen, taoit eilen,You forged before, forged yesterday,
15Ta'o tänäki päivänä,Forge today as well,
16Ta'o miulle rautainen harava,Forge me an iron rake,
17Millä mie meret haravoin,With which I’ll rake the seas,
18Haravoin meret kokohon,I raked the seas together,
19Meren ruo'ot ruokustelen."Gather the sea’s weeds for food."
20Löysin viitan velloltani,I found a cloak from my brother,
21Viitan vilja itkukseni.The cloak’s grain for my weeping.
22Haravoin meret kokohon,I raked the seas together,
23Meren ruo'ot ruokustelen.Prepared the sea’s weeds as food.
24Löysin paian velloltani,I found a shirt from my brother,
25Pai'an mieliksi pahoiksi.The shirt for wicked thoughts.
26Löysin hatun velloltani,I found a hat from my brother,
27Hatun suuren harmiloiksi.The hat into great sorrows.
28Haravoin meret kokohon,I raked the seas together,
29Meren ruo'ot ruokustelen.Prepared the sea’s weeds as food.
30Löysin viimein velloseni;At last, I found my brother;
31Jo oli siika silmät syönyt,A whitefish had eaten his eyes,
32Hauki hartiat reväissyt.A pike had torn his shoulders.
33"Ele ehtoinen emonen"Let not the evening mother
34Viekö vettä taikinahan!Take water for dough!
35Mikäli meressä vettä,For whatever water’s in the sea,
36Se on kaikki vellon verta.Is all my brother’s blood.
37Elköön ehtoinen emoniLet not my evening mother
38Polttako merestä puita!Burn wood from the sea!
39Mikäli meressä puita,For whatever wood’s in the sea,
40Ne on vellon kylkiluita.Are all my brother’s ribs.
41Ele siityinen sisoniLet not my gentle sister
42Pese pientä poikoasi!Wash her little son!
43Se on kaikki vellon verta."It’s all my brother’s blood."
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.
Permanent address of this poem at SKS: http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:sks-kvr-016887 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.