Pääskynen sotahan läksi

In the SKVR edition: Metsäpirtti, Vaskela. Koskivaara 84. 13. Jerlan Oute, kuuli omasta kylästä.

SKVR textEnglish

1Pääskynen sotahan läksi.The swallow set off to war.

2tinatukka tappeluhun,The tin-haired one to battle,

3tinavöihe vyötteleikse,Girded with a tin belt,

4lappavöihe laitteleikse,Arranged with a patchwork belt,

5piä kultahetuleihe.Head toward golden fires.

6Kun sovassa sorrettiin,When in Sova they were crushed,

7alla linnan ammuttiin,Under the fortress they were shot,

8kuului huuto Pietarista,A cry rang from Petersburg,

9itku surkia sovasta.A mournful wail from Sova.

10Siell' ol' verta polven alla,There was blood knee-deep,

11talmua jalan tasalt.Trampled muck at foot-level.

12Siit vietii sana jälest':Hence the word spread after:

13Kolm' ol' kuollutta koton',Three lay dead at home,

14Yks' ol' kuolt miu issoin,One was my dead father,

15toinen ehtone emmoin.The other, the dusk-mother.

16Mie tietän isolle kirstun,I know a great coffin,

17vasesta valatan kirstun,Cast from copper the coffin,

18teräksestä tietän kannen.From steel I forge the lid.

19Mistä ehtosell' emoll'?Where for the dusk-mother?

20Teräksestä kirstun tietän,From steel, the coffin I know,

21vasesta valatan kannen.From copper I cast the lid.

22Kun vaan liene maiset matkat,If earthly journeys exist,

23kuusin kultaisin hevoisin,With six golden horses,

24toisin kuusin kullattavin.And six gilded to bring.

25Ko lienee vesiset matkat,If watery journeys exist,

26kuusin kultaisin venosin,With six golden boats,

27toisin kuusin kullattavin.And six gilded to bring.

28Kustas kurjall' kumppanill'?Where with a poor companion?

29Mie puan parkki altahua,I clothe the ship below,

30mäkätill' vien mäkkie,With a shovel I move earth,

31kikatill kirkkomuaha.With a cart to church land.

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.