Kuka kuulin laulavain

SKVR V2 37·Vuole·1859·Collector: Saxbäck, Fr. A.

In the SKVR edition: Vuole, Alakylä. Saxbäck 172. 59.

SKVR textEnglish

1Kuka kuulin laulavainHow I heard the singers

2Ja kuulin kujertavan,And heard the warbling,

3Kuulin laulavan ilolla,Heard singing with joy,

4Luulin äänen äijyvellä.I thought the voice came from an old man.

5Enkän mie ilolla laulaNor do I sing with joy,

6Enkä äänen äijyellä,Nor with an old man's voice,

7Laulan suurella surulla,I sing with great sorrow,

8Äänen laulaan kululla,Sing the voice with weariness,

9Laulan suotta suu himoksi,I sing in vain, mouth for desire,

10Huuitelen huoliani,I while away my worries,

11Laulan rahvaan ratoksi,I sing for the people's sake,

12Iloks' muille ihmisille.For others' joy, for fellow humans.

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.

Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.