Neitonne läsii Virossa

SKVR V1 835·Vuole·1859·Collector: Saxbäck, Fr. A.

In the SKVR edition: Vuole, Alakylä. Saxbäck 187. 59.

SKVR textEnglish

1Neitonne läsii Virossa,Our maiden is present in Estonia,

2Saksan maalla sairastelee.On German soil she lies ill.

3Tuo laiti lässiissään,She spoke in her lament,

4Sanoi sairastellessaan:Said in her sickness:

5"Penkit kultaiset kulluut,"Golden benches decay,

6Hopeaiset hoikkenoovatSilver ones grow frail,

7Miun raukan lässeissään.In my poor one's company.

8Mie kun kuolen kullalinen,When I die, golden one,

9Kattoon kanervan kukka,As heather blooms in the rafters,

10Mihin kuoppa kaivetahan?"Where will my grave be dug?"

11Isän ikkunan alalle.Beneath Father's window.

12"En mie malta tuossa maata,"I cannot lie there,

13En usalla uinahellaNor dare to rest,

14Isän kirvee kilkennalta."Under Father's axe's edge."

15Neitonne läsii VirossaOur maiden is in Estonia,

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17Ei tiiä tekiä vaimoThe birth-giver does not know,

18Eikä kantaja katala,Nor the wretched bearer,

19Mikä tehdystä tulloo,What comes of this act—

20Tulleeko suvulle suria,Will the kin face grief,

21Suull suria, heimoll heriä,The clan sorrow, the tribe’s ruin,

22Isällen iku häpiä,Father’s eternal shame,

23Pään on polku vanhemmalle.A mark on the parent’s brow.

24Mahtoi ennen miun emmoiMy mother once could

25Panna tuutusen tulloon,Set the cradle ready

26Vaaran keski valkiaan,In danger’s midst, in light,

27Mill tuuti tätä tytöistä,With which she rocked this girl,

28Tätä lasta liekutteliSwayed this child,

29Näille päiville pahoille,For these cursed days,

30Mokomille mielaluilleFor such sorrows of the soul."

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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.