Emo synnytti minuista
In the SKVR edition: Lempaala, Juskela. Slöör VIII 28. 54.
SKVR textEnglish
1Emo synnytti minuista,Mother gave birth to me,
2Mie syäntä synnyttelin,I birthed her heart’s pain,
3Kuin emo minua tuuti,When mother rocked me,
4Silloin tuuti tuskiansa,She rocked her own pains,
5Kuin emo minua vaali,When mother tended me,
6Silloin vaali vaivojansa.She tended her own troubles.
7Emo kasvatti minua,Mother raised me,
8Mie vaan mieltä karkeloitin,I only made my mind wander,
9Emo helloitti minua,Mother cherished me,
10Mie vaan hiusta helloittelin.I only cherished my hair.
11Kasvoit miulle hienot hiukset,Fine hair grew for me,
12Liikkui miulle liinatukka,A flaxen mane swayed for me,
13Liikkuit hiukset lii'an pitkät,The hair swayed too long,
14Liian pitkät, liian paksut;Too long, too thick;
15Sopinut ei ison suka,The big comb couldn’t fit,
16Vellon kampa ei kampaeltu,Brother’s comb couldn’t comb,
17Emon harja ei harjaellut.Mother’s brush couldn’t brush.
18Läksi velloni VirohonMy brother left for Estonia,
19Viemähän verorahoja,To deliver tax money,
20Maarahoja maksamahan.To pay land taxes.
21Tuolla viipyi vellueni,There my brother lingered,
22Kauastui emon kanainen.Mother’s chick grew distant.
23Viron viinat viivyttivät,Estonian wines delayed him,
24Viron viinat, Saksan saikat,Estonian wines, German ales,
25Ruotsin otraset oluet,Swedish barley beers,
26Saksan maltaset makeat.German malty sweets.
27Toi vello su'an mokoman,Brother brought such a word,
28Hopeaisen täisen lau'an.A silver-filled tray.
29Mie istuin merikivelle,I sat on a sea stone,
30Meren paasille pakenin,Fled to the sea’s slabs,
31Su'in sulkkutukkiani,I combed my silken hair,
32Harjaelin hiuksiani,Brushed my locks,
33Lehoin lievinäisiäni.Dried my tresses.
34Suka suljahti merehen.The comb slipped into the sea.
35Ojennain mie ottamahan,I reached to grab it,
36Kurkistain mie kuulemahan,Craned to listen,
37Kallistain katsomahan.Leaned to look.
38Suljahin su'an jälestä.I followed its trail.
39Menin syltäki syvähän,Went into the deep,
40Kahta vaaksoa vajoisen,Sank two fathoms down,
41Löysin mie mereltä miekan.I found a sword from the sea.
42Mie miekan kotihin vein,I took the sword home,
43Vein mä miekan vellolleni,Took it to my brother,
44Kultavästin kullalleni.To my golden sibling.
45Miekan kummiksi kylälle,The sword as a village wonder,
46Ouoksi omille maille,A marvel on our lands,
47Ihmeiksi ihmisille.A miracle to the people.
48Saivat naiset nauramista,Women got to laugh,
49Ihmiset ivaumista.People to scorn.
50Jo alkoit akat sanella;Then the women began to say;
51"Tämä miekka Turusta tuotu,"This sword was brought from Turku,
52Talutettu tappelusta."Dragged from a brawl."
53Minä vasten vastaelin:I retorted in reply:
54"Ei ole miekka Turusta tuotu,"The sword wasn’t from Turku,
55Talutettu ei tappelusta,Nor dragged from a fight,
56Miekka löyetty merestä,The sword was found in the sea,
57Ojan pohjasta otettu,Taken from a ditch’s depths,
58Meren mustista mujuista."From the sea’s dark mire."
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-017417 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.