A Blogger’s (Silent) Poetry Reading

Posted by on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

This year, I’m trying to focus more clearly on music than I have since, well, since the world went all pear-shaped in 2009.  I’ve also been doing more research on early medieval Scandinavia than usual.  It feels right, then, to give you a song that circles through my brain, particularly as the ground starts to warm. This is a benediction for a Finnish Goddess of Spring who appears in the beautiful, enigmatic Kalevala. I’ve added the English translation, of course, though I can’t really vouch for its accuracy since I only know a few words of Finnish, and most of them are impolite. I’d also encourage you to listen to the song itself, and watch the original video, which is breathtaking though not entirely safe for work, or the live video, which is.

Suvetar

Suvetar hyvä emäntä Suvetar, fine matron
nouse harja katsomahan Arise to see the seeds
viitimä emännän vilja Raise the matron’s corn
kun ei tuskihin tulisi So that we may be spared pain
Manutar maan emänätä Manutar, matron of the earth
nostele oras okinen Lift up the shoots from the ground
kannon karvanen ylennä New shoots from the stumps
kun ei tuskihin tulisi So that we may be spared pain
Syöttele metisin syömin Feed us with honey-hearts
juottele metisin juomin Give us honey-drink
mesiheinin herkuttele Delicious honey-grass
vihanalla mättähällä On a blossoming knoll
siull on helkiät hopiat You have shining silver
siull on kullat kuulusammat You have glistening gold
siull on helkiät hopiat You have shining silver
siull on kullat kuulusammat You have glistening gold
nouse jo neitonen Rise up, O maiden black from the soil
mustana mullasta Rise up, O maiden black from the soil
Akka mantereen alanen Underground crone
vanhin luonnon tyttäristä Most ancient of Nature’s daughters
pane turve tunkomahan Make the peat shoot forth
maa väkevä väantämähän And the ground turn over
Akka mantereen alanen Underground crone
vanhin luonnon tyttäristä Most ancient of Nature’s daughters
tuhansin neniä nosta Lift up a thousand seedlings
varsin vaivani näöstä To reward my efforts

Filed in blather,Books,Celtic,Music | 3 responses so far

3 Responses to “A Blogger’s (Silent) Poetry Reading”

  1. Lizon 03 Feb 2011 at 2:32 pm 1

    Thanks for sharing that – a beautiful piece to read as I stare at our frozen and snowy landscape. And the quilting! Gorgeous!

  2. gayleon 07 Feb 2011 at 11:41 am 2

    Breathtaking, indeed!
    Thanks for sharing such beauty.

  3. lellaon 25 Feb 2011 at 8:21 pm 3

    That is beautiful. Thank you! It is good to think of Earth Goddesses.

    Yesterday we watched “Dirt, the Movie” for the second time. Spectacular movie about our unique and wonderful dirt layer on Earth.

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