Neitonen oot siityinen sissoin
In the SKVR edition: Sakkola. Reinholm NVIII 18. 49.
SKVR textEnglish
1Neitonen oot siityinen sissoin,Maiden, you are fertile among sisters,
2Viel oot siskosta parempi,Even better than a sister,
3Ehtosamp oot eukon lasta,By evening, you are the old woman's child,
4Minjän puolest oot paremp!In my view, you are best!
5Kuin olit ison kotona,When you lived in the great house,
6Eukon maire majassa.In the old woman’s gentle dwelling.
7Olit kuinl ori hevonenYou were like a stallion horse,
8Tahi kuin tamma sälkeväinen,Or a dappled mare,
9Käit kui pässi päätä puien,You strode like a ram butting heads,
10Oinas otsaa visaten.A ram tossing its brow.
11Ku jouvuit toisee talloo,When you reached another farmstead,
12Kysytellen käyt kylässä,Asking questions in the village,
13Lausutellen lattille.Speaking politely indoors.
14Käy sitt ulkona usemin,Go outside more often,
15Käy sie säätä katsomassa,Go observe the weather,
16Ilmasta ihailemassa.Admire the sky’s mood.
17Tule sitt 3:na tupaa,Then come into the house,
18Tuo sitt luuta tullessas,Bring a broom as you enter,
19Vesikappanen käessä,A water jug in hand,
20Ripsu vettä lattialle.Sprinkle water on the floor.
21Älä lapsii lakase,Don’t sweep the children aside,
22Älä potki polvillese,Don’t kick with your knees,
23Säre ei säärivarsillais!Nor shatter their little shins!
24Nosta lapsi laavitsalle,Lift the child to the bench,
25Pese silmät, pää silota,Wash its eyes, smooth its head,
26Anna leeväst kättee,Offer your left hand,
27Voija voita leivän päälle!Spread butter on the bread!
28Kui se meet sitt puupinoll,When you go to the woodpile,
29Älä se halkoja valitse,Don’t pick the logs selectively,
30Ota se halko haapanenki,Take aspen logs too,
31Leppänenki lennättele,Fling alder logs as well,
32Koppa halko koivunenki.Gather birch logs also.
33Jos tulet sanottavaks,If you become gossip-worthy,
34Tiiät tisvajeltavaks,Known to be reprimanded,
35Pie sitt pääss pistymässä,Keep your head from pricking,
36Käy sitt kohta korskimasta,Hurry to the barn at once,
37Puista puikot polvistais,Shake sticks from your knees,
38Karat on kiisi kannoistais.Flee pests from your heels.
39Käy se rikki riihen nurmetTrample the barn’s meadows,
40Ja tohti toraveräjät!And dare to break quarrel-gates!
41Mut älä vaa itke ilma syytä,But don’t weep without reason,
42Ilma vaivota valita,Nor complain without hardship,
43Anna itkii itikan,Let the fly cry,
44Vuorehese voivotella,Lament to the mountain,
45Määkii nyt mäentakaiset.Let the hill-sheep bleat.
46Anopp on pahatapainen,The mother-in-law is ill-tempered,
47Leivät liialta lukkoo,She locks the bread too tightly,
48Arinalta arveloo,Watches suspiciously by the hearth,
49Voilla ukset voitelo,Greases doors with butter,
50Saranat sijan lihoilla,Hinges with slabs of fat,
51Ei varaa kottiin o mennäNo way to return home
52Ilman kuusen kukkasetta,Without pine’s blossoms,
53Metsän mielitä hyvitä.Or the forest’s goodwill.
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-075344 · Read at SKS ↗
Added by RunoVerse: the English translations, the song types, the verse numbers and the links.