Iro neito, impi neito
In the SKVR edition: Suojärvi. Eur. G, n. 615. -46.
SKVR textEnglish
[Iro-neito - Päivölästä-kosintaa.]
1Iro neito, impi neito,Maiden fair, virgin pure,
2Kapu neito kaunokainenDelicate maid, fairest one,
3Söi petäjää pehmiäistä,Ate soft parts of pine,
4Söip on kaunista kalaista.Ate the finest fish.
- - -
6Ei syönyt lehmän lihojaShe ate no cow's meats,
7Här'illä hälinnysiä,No oxen's fatty parts,
8Eikä lampahan lihojaNor sheep's meats,
9Oinahilla oltusia.No rams' offerings.
10Iso pyyti lohen kaloja,Father sought salmon,
11Iso tuutsana tulevi,Father stormed in,
12Iso pilvenä pimitti.Father clouded the sky.
13Iso virkki, noin pakisi:Father blurted thus:
14"Harvoin on hanhi vierahina.""Rare is goose as guest."
15Iro virkki vienosesti:The maid spoke softly:
16"Harvoin on hauki vierahina,"Rare is pike as guest,
17Ei siika sinä ikänä,No whitefish your age,
18Lohen poika polvenah;Salmon's son at my knee;
19Tahtosin lohen kalaista."I crave salmon's kin."
20"Syöös, syöös, tyttäreni,"Eat, eat, my daughter,
21Jos on loittona lohi meressä,If salmon's far at sea,
22Kala kaivossa syvässä,Fish in deepest trench,
23Viikon pyhiä pyhitit,You kept week's fasts,
24I'än kaiken oikeutta."A lifetime's righteousness."
25Kosjoo Päivä poi'alleh.Sun courted the maid.
26"En minä mene Päivöselle"I'll not go to Sun's land,
27Joka päivä paistamah."To shine each day."
28Kosjo kuuhut poi'alleh.Moon courted the maid.
29"En minä mene kuuhuelle"I'll not go to Moon,
30Joka kuu kumottamah,To wane each month,
31Ympäri ilmoin kiertämäh."Circle all realms."
32Kosjo kontio poj'alleh.Bear courted the maid.
33"En minä mene kontiolle"I'll not go to bear's den,
34Kontion kivikotah,To stone-house of bear,
35Karhun kivikartanoh."To Bruin's stone manor."
36Kosjo jänö pojalleh.Hare courted the maid.
37"En mene jänön pojalle,"I'll not wed hare's son,
38Jänön juoksevan jäl'ille."Chase fleeting hare-tracks."
39"Oi iso ihalmoseni,"Oh father, my dear,
40Toit on kaunoset kalaset,You brought fairest fish,
41Lohen poj'at polvilleni,Salmon's sons at my lap,
42Siikaset on silmilleni."Whitefish before my eyes."
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-030595 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.