Olin likka ollessain
In the SKVR edition: Lemp. Vaskela. Räikk. 633. 17. Mari Andrejevna Vaskelainen, 65 v.
SKVR textEnglish
1Olin likka ollessain,I was a girl when I was,
2Aika likka aikonain.A proper girl I intended to be,
3Olin yksi, maksoin kaksi,I was one, paid two,
4Maksoin viisi viikatteessa,Paid five in a scythe's time,
5Kaksi rauvvaas ramus,Two in iron parts,
6Kuusi sirpin vuolijaas.Six in sickle sharpenings.
7Miks miun emo eroitti,Why did my mother part me,
8Parahamman parvestaase,From the better of the flock,
9Joutusamman joukostaase,The swifter from the crowd,
10Vierestään liukkahamman.The more nimble from her side.
11Viipyynt en kauan kaivotiellä,I lingered not long at the well-path,
12Viikkoo vettä ottamaas;A week to fetch water;
13Sittenkii emo erroittelj,Yet still mother parted me,
14Maire muamo vierottelj.Gentle mother sent me away.
15Kasvatti miun emmoin,Raised me without mothers,
16Kasvatti kantajain,Raised by bearers,
17Kasvatt kannoi paljon,The fosterer bore much,
18Joukon suuren joutsenii.A great flock of swans.
19Kanat aijalle asetti,Hens set in the yard,
20Laitto joutsenet juoelle.Swans placed at the stream.
21Kun tulj haukka, ni hajotti,When a hawk came, it scattered,
22Siipilintune sirotti,The feathered one dispersed,
23Vesilintu vierottelj:The waterfowl drove off:
24Vei yhen Vennäin maale,Took one to Russian land,
25Kanto toisen Karjalaan,Bore another to Karelia,
26Kolmannen kottii heittiThrew the third homeward,
27Ison mieliksi hyviksi,To the master’s mind as good,
28Emon mieliksi pahoiksi.To the mother’s mind as evil.
29Tina vier, vier tenga,Tin strayed, copper strayed,
30Raha vier, vier rauta,Silver strayed, iron strayed,
31Mie viel enemmä vierin,I strayed even more,
32Vierin maalle vierahalle,Strayed to a foreign land,
33Tutkin tuntemattomille,To strangers unknown,
34Mis ei muut miuista tunne,Where none know of me,
35Muut miuista, mie muita.Others of me, I of others.
36Ajattelin ken aijjaa,I pondered who’d come,
37Tunnustelin ken tulloo.Guessed who’d arrive.
38Venäläistä velloksein,With Russian brothers,
39Venakkoo sisareksein.With Russian sisters.
40Nyt mie sirroon sisosein,Now I’m split from sisters,
41Ko puu pinosta vieri,Like a tree shedding bark,
42Halko röykystä hajosi,A log from the pile broke,
43Munane kananpesästä,An egg from the hen’s nest,
44Kivi saunan kiukualta.A stone from the sauna stove.
45Suap puun pinnoo panna,One can re-bark the tree,
46Halon röykkyy hakata.Chop the log into a pile.
47Paremp ois olt miun polosen,Better had been my fate,
48Miun olla omilla mailla,To be on my own lands,
49Muata saunan kiukuvalla,To sleep on the sauna stove,
50Lepän oksilla levätä,Rest on alder branches,
51Ennek maalla vierahallaThan in a foreign land
52Syyvvä saikkaa salis,Eat coarse bread in a chamber,
53Kalkitussa kammarissa.In a whitewashed room.
54Paremp ois olt miun polosenBetter had been my fate
55Olla orja vellollein,To be a slave to brothers,
56Isälle ikkuine piika.A maid to an old father.
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.
Permanent address of this poem at SKS: http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:sks-kvr-018216 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.