Helena hyvä emäntä
In the SKVR edition: Lempaala. Ahlqvist 554. 54.
SKVR textEnglish
1Helena hyvä emäntä,Helena, the good mistress,
2Vaimo kaunis Katrinainen,The beautiful wife Katrinainen,
3Kasvatti tytärtä kolme,Raised three daughters,
4Toista kolme poika lasta.And another three sons as children.
5Viisi hän vihille laittoi,She set five to wedlock,
6Viisi ilman vihkimättä,Five without wedding vows,
7Kaksi mätti mättähäsen,Two she buried in a small mound,
8Kattoi kattehen keralla.Covered them under one lid.
9Marketan kotihin heittiMarketta she cast homeward,
10Ison mieliksi pahoiksi,To the father’s great anger,
11Emon mielimurheeksi.The mother’s deep sorrow.
12Marketta punahamonenMarketta the red-skirted,
13Meni kesällä paimenehenWent in summer to shepherd
14Lellon-lehmien jälestä.After Lello’s grazing cows.
15Löysi tuolta nurmen nuoren,Found there a young meadow,
16Nurmen nuoren, heinäpohjan,A young meadow, hay-rich,
17Heliäisen heinäpohjan,Heliäinen’s hay-field,
18Kaunis kangas ympärillä.A fair field around it.
19Kävi tuohon lepäämähän;She went there to rest;
20Uni petti, vuoe voitti.Sleep betrayed, time conquered.
21Hannus Saaren saksalainenHannus of Saari, the German,
22Hevosi' oil etsimässä,Was seeking his horses,
23Varsoja valitsemassaChoosing foals,
24Sukukunnan suitset kanssa,With his kin’s bridles,
25Vallan valjahat keralla.And mighty harnesses together.
26Pani suitset sulalle maalle,Laid bridles on smooth ground,
27Päitset päivän rintosehen,Headstalls toward the sunrise,
28Itse vierehen venähti.Himself stretched beside her.
29Hän makasi Markettaisen.He lay with Marketta.
30Marketta punahamonenMarketta the red-skirted,
31Alkoi saunassa asua.Began dwelling in the sauna.
32Alkoivat akat sanella:The old women began murmuring:
33"Mik' on meiän Marketalla"What’s wrong with our Marketta,
34Ja kuka kotikanalla,And who’s the homebound hen,
35Aina saunassa asuvi,Always in the sauna dwelling,
36Läsii saunan lautasilla,Lingering by sauna benches,
37Ei taho kanan-muniaShe refuses hen’s eggs,
38Kukon kurjan polkemia?" -The rooster’s trampled offerings?"
39Helena hyvä emäntä,Helena, the good mistress,
40Vaimo kaunis Katrinainen,The beautiful wife Katrinainen,
41Kävi kujat kuukistellenWalked paths by moonlight,
42Sekä läävät längistellen,And combed through barns,
43Katseli kanan pesiä,Inspecting hens’ nests,
44Kukon kurjan polkemia,The rooster’s trampled eggs,
45Löysi lapsen lastuloista,Found a child among wood chips,
46Pojan porsasten seasta.A boy amidst piglets.
47Otti lapsen lastuloista,Took the child from the chips,
48Pojan porsasten seasta,The boy from among piglets,
49Vei on naisien tupahan:Brought him to the women’s house:
50"Naiset, kullan kuppuraiset,"Women, golden-curled ones,
51Kenen työ tämä tekemä,Whose work crafted this,
52Kenen raukan raatelema?"Whose wretch has torn it?"
53Vannoi yksi, vannoi toinen,One swore, another swore,
54Se vannoi valan kovimman,The hardest oath was sworn,
55Kipeimmän kiinitteli,The most painful affirmed,
56Kuka tiesi tehnehensäNone knew the one who made it,
57Ja kuka kuvannehensa.Nor who had shaped it."
58Helena hyvä emäntäHelena, the good mistress,
59Vei on miehien tupahan:Brought him to the men’s house:
60"Miehet, kullan kuppuraiset,"Men, golden-curled ones,
61Työ kenen tämä tekemä,Whose deed made this,
62Kenen raukan raatelema?"Whose wretch has torn it?"
63Vannoi yksi, vannoi toinen,One swore, another swore,
64Se vannoi valan kovimman,The hardest oath was sworn,
65Kipeimmän kiinitteli,The most painful affirmed,
66Kuka tiesi tehnehensä.None knew the one who made it.
67Helena hyvä emäntä,Helena, the good mistress,
68Vaimo kaunis Katrinainen,The beautiful wife Katrinainen,
69Hän sanoi sanoilla näillä:Spoke these words:
70"Kun poika emoton lienet,"If the boy is motherless,
71Niin tulehen tuikatahan,Then cast him into fire,
72Kun poika isoton lienet,If the boy is fatherless,
73Niin vetehen viskatahan."Then hurl him into water."
74Jeesus tuolle kielen antoi,Jesus granted him speech,
75Jeesus kielen, Maaria mielenJesus speech, Mary’s mind,
76Kolmiöiselle pojalle:To the threefold boy:
77"Marketan punahamonen"Marketta the red-skirted,
78Mun tulehen turvakseni!Be my shield in fire!
79Hannuksen halia hattuHannus’s felt hat
80Mun vetehen verhakseni!"Be my cloak in water!"
81Tuosta kasvoi melkko miesi,Then grew a sturdy man,
82Tasainen talon pitäjäA steady master of the house,
83Muihen puihen puulliseksi,Like timber from other woods,
84Muihen koivujen kohalta,From birches of another grove,
85Muihen tammien tasalta.From oaks of another plain.
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-017076 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.