Vello vesteli pinolla
In the SKVR edition: Metsäpirtti, Saaroinen. Haltsonen, S. 1329. 34. Kaapren Susanna (Repo, o.s. Ahtiainen), 64 v.
SKVR textEnglish
Liekkuvirs.
1Vello vesteli pinolla.Vello spoke at the gathering.
2Mie kyselin velloltain:I asked from Vello:
3"Mitä miun vestät, vellovein,"What are you building, dear Vello,
4Vestätkö sotavenettäAre you building a war boat,
5Tai sotakuarta kalkuttelet?"Or clattering war gear?"
6Vello vasten vastajeli:Vello responded:
7"En vestä sotavenettä,"I’m not building a war boat,
8Sotakuarta en kalkuttele;Nor clattering war gear;
9Mie vestän emon tupaa,I build my mother’s house,
10Kalkuttelen kammariaI clatter the chamber,
11Ilman usta, ikkunii,Without a door, with windows,
12Tuohon ei tuule tuuletkaanWhere no winds blow,
13Eikä saa satehetkaan,Nor rains reach,
14Ko heitetää hiekan al,For it’s thrown under sand,
15Nurmen al nukkumaa."Under turf to sleep."
16Voi ko kuol' kultainen emmoi,Oh when the golden mother died,
17Heitti herttainen issäin,Left my dear father,
18Kaik on huolet huostassain,All sorrows are in my hold,
19Pahat mielet parvessain:Bad thoughts among kin:
20Isän huolet, äitin huolet,Father’s sorrows, mother’s sorrows,
21Viel on viijet veljen huolet,Still five brothers’ sorrows,
22Seitsämän sisaren huolet,Seven sisters’ sorrows,
23Omat huolein on ylimmät.My own sorrows are highest.
24Nyt on muoto mustettuntNow my form is blackened,
25Sekä kasvot kalventunt.And my face has paled.
26En oo musta luonnonmusta,I’m not black by nature,
27En musta emon tekemä;Nor black by mother’s making;
28Mie on musta murhettain,I am black with grief,
29En oo hoikka luonnonhoikka,I’m not slender by nature,
30Mie oon hoikka huoliain.I’m slender from cares.
31Ohhoh kultaista kot't'ii,Oh the golden home,
32Armasta emon elloo,The dear mother’s life,
33Jos ol' leipää vähemmän,If there were less bread,
34Ni ol'ha unta viljemmält,Then sleep would be plentier,
35Ei toruttu torkkumast,No scolding for napping,
36Makkaamasta ei manattu.No orders to stop lying down.
37Ohhoh kultaista kot't'ii,Oh the golden home,
38Armasta isän elloo,The dear father’s life,
39Vaik ois leipää vähemmä,Even if there were less bread,
40Ni ois unta viljemmältä,Then sleep would be plentier,
41Ei toruttais torkunnais,No scolding for napping,
42Makkaamast ei manattu.No orders to stop lying down.
43Makia on kotoinen leipä,Sweet is the home’s bread,
44Vaik ois täynnä tähkäpäitä,Even if full of chaff,
45Vihainen on vieras leipä,Foreign bread is wrathful,
46Vaikka voilla voitakohon.Even if buttered richly.
47Villanen emosen vitsa,Soft is mother’s switch,
48Vaikka viikon virpokohon;Even if whipped for a week;
49Ruokonen isosen ruoska,Bark-like is father’s whip,
50Vaikka kerran iskeköhön,Even if struck once,
51Taikka puolen koskekohon;Or half a time;
52Vitsa vierahan verinen,The outsider’s switch is bloody,
53Kyläläisen kynnäppäinen.The villager’s tight-fisted one.
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-071553 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.