Laurin poika Lappalainen

SKVR XIII1 578·Rautu·1854·Collector: Ahlqvist, A. E.

In the SKVR edition: Rautu. Ahlqvist A 368. 54.

Song types: Jauhaja neito, miniä, Lauri Lappalainen, Liuvuin surman suun eteen, Varas vie koristeet

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SKVR textEnglish

1Laurin poika LappalainenLauri's son, the Lapplander

2teki suksia sykysyt,made skis in autumn times,

3kesäkauet liukumia,summer poles for gliding,

4säästi vuoet vuohen voitasaved years of goat's butter

5ja talvet pukin talia,and winters of buck's tallow,

6voisi voilla suksiansa,buttered his skis with butter,

7tamppusi pukintalilla;tamped with buck's tallow;

8läksi noilla liukumahan.set off gliding on those.

9Liukui soita, liukui maita,He glided swamps, glided lands,

10liukui maita liu'uttuja,glided slippery lands,

11liukui surman suun eetse,*glided before Death's mouth,

12kalman kartanon perätse,*past Kalma's manor,*

13liukui liukumattomia.glided the unglideable.

14Jäi liuska liukumatta,A snow slab remained unglided,

15korven laita koskematta:the forest's edge untouched:

16La mie liu'un tuonkin liuskan,"Now I'll glide even that slab,

17kos'en tuonkin korven reunan.touch not that forest's edge."

18Koirat korvelle lähätti,He sent dogs to the forest,

19itse kävi korven äärtä myöten,himself went along the forest edge,

20kuuli koiran haukahuksen,heard a dog's bark,

21villahännän viukahuksen,the bushy tail's whine,

22liukui koiran haukuntahan,glided to the dog's barking,

23villahännän viukuntahan;to the bushy tail's whining;

24katsoi koiran suuta myöten,looked along the dog's mouth,

25haukkujan haventa myöten;along the barker's gums;

26oli koiran suu punainen,the dog's mouth was red,

27haukkujan haven veressä.the barker's gums in blood.

28Katsoi ylös, katsoi alas,Looked up, looked down,

29näki näätän rekkorinnansaw a marten's speckled chest

30sekä oksalta oravan.and a squirrel from a branch.

31Ampui kerran, käv' alatse,Shot once, went below,

32toisen kerran, käv' ylitse:second time, went over:

33"Liekös tää tieolta tehty"Was this made by the path

34vai lienee panossa pantu,*or perhaps set in a trap*,

35vai oma kova osani?"or my own hard fate?"

36Tuo loi lukot lumelle,He cast locks on snow,

37pyyhki pyssynsä lumella,wiped his gun with snow,

38havuksilla harjaeli,brushed with pine twigs,

39katajoilla kampaeli,combed with juniper,

40lukut muilla luutehilla.locks with other brooms.

41Ampui kohti kolmannesti:Shot a third time:

42putosi puhas lumelle,fell clean on snow,

43rahat hangelle hajosi,silver scattered on drift,

44nuo kokosi koprahansa,those he gathered to his pouch,

45sipasi sisällehen.swept them inside.

46pani paitansa povehen.put them in his shirt's bosom.

47Läksi kohti maan kotihin.Set off toward home.

48koiransa keränä vieri,His dogs rolled as a pack,

49sukset juoksivat matona.skis ran like a carpet.

50Kysytteli, lausutteli:He asked, inquired:

51"Emoseni, vaimo vanha."My mother, aged wife.

52(isosein, mies tutilas),(great man, grumbling husband),

53mihin panen mie rahani.Where shall I put my silver,

54saatan suuret saalihini?place my great spoils?

55Ostanko sotiorosenShould I buy a war-steed

56vai saanen sotisatulan?"or obtain a war-saddle?"

57Emo vasten vastaeli:Mother answered against:

58"Elä osta, poikueni,"Don't buy, my son,

59on oro isosi saama,your father got a stallion,

60tallin naulass' on satula,a saddle's on stable's nail,

61mikä miehelle pitävi,what suits a man,

62uroholle kelpajavi.befits a hero.

63Ota neito itsellesi,Take a maiden for yourself,

64ei tuot' ole isois tuonutno grandfather brought that,

65eikä vellosi vetänyt."nor brothers obtained it."

66Läksi, läksi poika nuori,Went, went the young lad,

67läksi neittä noutamahan,went to fetch a maiden,

68pyörykäistä pyytämähän:to request round ones:

69nousi laukin lautasille,rose on stallion's planks,

70liitihen liha-mytylle,slid onto meat-bundle,

71ajoi rannat raksutellen,drove shores clattering,

72hiekkarannat helskytellen.sand beaches jingling.

73meni mustalle merelle.went to the black sea.

74Tuoll' oli neiot kylpemässä,There were maidens bathing,

75valkopäät valelemassa,white-heads washing themselves,

76tuol oli neiot kylpemässä.there were maidens bathing.

77Laurin poika LappalainenLauri's son, the Lapplander

78katsoi kuuesta parahan*chose from crowd the best

79sekä selvän seitsemästä,*and fairest of seven,*

80rahoin neion, toi kotihinsilvered the maiden, brought home

81kotiansa katsomahan,*to his home to behold,*

82otti kuuesta parahan,took from crowd the best,

83seitsemästä hempiämmän.most delicate of seven.

84Anoppi ani kavalaThe mother-in-law, quite cunning

85meni aittahan mäelle,went to hilltop granary,

86toi tuoreita rukeita,brought fresh rye grains,

87pani neion jauhamahan.set the maiden to grind.

88Neito jauhoi jaarotteli,Maiden ground while chatting,

89pereänsä pyöritteli,swayed her hips,

90kivenpuu käkenä kukkui,millstone sang as cuckoo,

91kivi helmenä heläji.stone rang like pearl.

92Anoppi ani kavala*The mother-in-law, quite cunning

93meni kohta katsomahan,went at once to look,

94kuin on jauhoset kivellä.how flour lay on stone.*

95"Voi huora home-sykerö,"Ah whore, mold-cluster,

96pilasit hyvät jyväni"ruined my good grains"

97las'it puolet lastinnoiksi,shook half to chaff,

98toiset suolsit suurimoiksi,salted some to grits,

99kolmannet koko jyviksi!"third as whole kernels!"

100Anoppi ani kavala*The mother-in-law, quite cunning

101hän meni elotupahan:She went to the main house:

102"Laurueni, poikueni,"My Lauri, my son,

103tottele emon sanoa,obey the mother's words,

104ota kultakirvehesi,take your golden axe,

105vaskivarsi tapparasi,your copper-handled hatchet,

106mene kulta-kankahalle,go to the golden heath,

107karsi kultainen kataja,prune the golden juniper,

108karsi kukon kannuksihin.prune for the rooster's spurs**.

109millä neuvot neiostasi,With what will you counsel your maiden,

110ottamoasi opetat!"teach your catch?"

111Anoppi ani kavala*The mother-in-law, quite cunning

112Pani neion jauhamahan, j.n.e.Put the maiden to grind,* etc.

113Lauri poika poikulainenLauri's son, the young man,

114uskonut ei emon sanoja,did not believe the mother's words,

115kuullut vanhan kuikutosta,heard the old one's prattling,

116meni itse katsomahan.went himself to see.

117Neito jauhoi jaaritteli,The maiden ground, chattered,

118pereänsä pyöritteli:twirled her buttocks:

119niin on jauhoa kivelläThere's as much flour on the stone

120kuin lunta kulvahossa,as snow in a melt,

121niin on kyyneltä kivelläas many tears on the stone

122kuin vettä Herajoessa.as water in Hera's river.

123Lauri poika poikulainenLauri's son, the young man,

124meni aittahan mäelle,went to hilltop granary,

125siell' oil kirstu kirstun päällä,there was a chest upon a chest,

126lipas lippahan tasalla,a box level with the banner,

127voisi voita leivän päälle,could butter on bread,

128kiiätti kivi tupahan.fetched the stone to the house.

129antoi neiolle kätehen:gave into the maiden's hand:

130"Syö tuota levätessäsi,"Eat that while resting,

131hiero henkäellessäsi!"massage [it] while catching breath!"

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-072091 · Read at SKS ↗

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