EST/
Kui sii ime minno olli,
Kandijagi minno kanni,

Ime no seie kurõ kurgu,
Kurõ kurgu, lõõvo lõõri.

Selle mu helü helehemb,
Selle kurku kumõhõmb.

Nigu pille pedäjäne,
Nigu kannõl´ kadajanõ.

Kui mul sõnaq puudunõsõq,
Vele ma jo Riiga saada,

Tõõsõ saada Saarõmaalõ.
Veli tõi Riiast sõnasõlõ,

Sõnasõlõ, laalulehe.
Säält ma, latsi, laalu saiõ,

Ullikõnõ, sõnaq op´e,
Säält ma kirja kiroti,

Säält ma parg´e papõrihe,
Säält ma raiõ raamatuhe.

Keeli esä, keeli imä,
Keeliq veleq viieq, kuvvõq.


ENG/
When my mother was expecting me,
My bearer bearing me,

My mom, she ate a stork’s throat,
A stork’s throat, a lark’s gullet.

That’s why my voice is so bright,
That’s why my voice is so loud.

Like an instrument made of pine,
Like a zither made of juniper.

When I ran out of words,
I sent my brother to Riga,

And another to Saaremaa.
My brother brought a book from Riga,

A book, a songbook.
I got my songs from there,

Learnt my words from it,
Wrote down letters from it.

I put ink to paper,
And I penned a book

My mother forbade it, my father forbade it,
My siblings all forbade it.

EST/
Ainale kullale kullale

Läämi laande kuhja looma
Päiv rõkkab palavaste
Õhtutaivan pilvi nätä
Vihm vast hakkab sadamaie

Tule, tule, tuulekene
Vii ära vihmahuugu
Jää meile, päevakene
Meie hainu kuivatama

ENG/
Let’s go make golden hay,

Let’s go build a haystack in the field
The day is burning hot

The evening sky is showing clouds
Looks like it’s going to rain

Come, wind, come
Take the rain away

Day, stay with us
And dry out our hay

EST/
Kiigedsepad, ellad vennad
Ärge mind liiast kiigutage
Ma olen kuri kukkumaie
Kukun maha, kes mind maksab?

Pale mul maksab paari ärgi
Teine pale teise paari
Nina mul noore mehe hobusella
Kui sina kukud, kuku maha.

Kuku minu kuuehõlma peale
Õbedase piibuvarre peale
Miks sa mullu meil ei tulnud?
Kui käisid käsud järella.

Nüid sina tuled külmal ajal
Külmal ajal küünlakuu sees
Ära sina riisud riideelbed
Pärid ära pärgasida.

ENG/
The boys pushing the swing,
Don’t push too hard.
I’m afraid I’m going to fall.
If I fall —who will pay for it?

My cheek costs a pair of oxen,
The other cheek another pair.
My nose costs a young man’s horse.
If you fall, fall straight down.

Fall on the hem of my coat.
Fall on my silver pipestem.
Why didn’t you visit us last year?
When you were given orders.

Now you’ve come when it’s cold,
When it’s cold in February.
You strip away our rags,
Gather up our garlands.

EST/
Mis sina puhud põhjatuuli
Idatuuli eeruteled
Kagutuuli kaaruteled
Lounatuuli eeruteled
Edeltuuli eeruteled
Läustuuli längüteled
Veskaari veereteled
Luestuuli loiguteled

ENG/
Why are you blowing, north wind,
Swirling from the east
Stirring from the southeas
Swirling from the south
Twirling from the southwest
Sloping down from the west
Rolling down from west-northwest,
Beating down from the northwest.

EST/
Jää külmus öösel paadi all,
ei tule uni pääl.
Sääl hulkvad unesulased,
nad käivad üle jää.
Nad otsivad üht lapsukest,
kes magama ei jää.

ENG/
It’s freezing under the boat during the night
And I can’t fall asleep.
There go the servants of sleep,
They’re crossing the frozen sea.
They’re looking for a child
Who can’t go to sleep.

EST/
Oh me kaksi vaestalasta,
sa isata, ma emata,
lähme jaanipäe kiriku
murerät´ik mulle vööle,

teine pühib teise silmi,
teine teise piäd silitab.
Sa lääd isa aua piale,
ma lään ema aua piale:

“Tõuse üles, memmekene,
tõuse mo piad sugema!”
“Ei või tõusta, tütär noori,
muru kasvab mulla piale,
arueinä aua piale,
sinililled silma piale,
kullerkupud kulmu piale.”

“Oh mu ella memmekene,
ma teen sirbist vikatikse,
niidan muru mulla pialta,
arueina aua pialta,
sinililled silma pialta,
kullerkupud kulmu pialta.
Tõuse siis, mu memmekene,
tõuse tütärt õpetama!”

“Oh mu tütar til´lukene,
õhk sind õrnalt õpetagu,
taevas tarka meelta andku,
sest kes seda enne näinud,
et on koolijas kodosse,
külmajalga kelderisse.

ENG/
Oh, we are two poor kids.
You are fatherless, I am motherless.
Going to church at Midsummer
With a scarf of sorrow on my waist.

You are wiping my tears,
I am stroking your head.
You are going to your father’s grave,
I am going to my mother’s grave.

‘Wake up, dear mother!
Wake up and stroke my head!’
‘I can’t wake up, my dear daughter.
The grass is growing on the soil,
Fescue’s growing on the grave,
Liverleaves on my eyes
Globeflowers on my brows.’

‘Oh, mommy dearest,
I will make a scythe out of a sickle,
Cut the grass off the soil,
Fescue off the grave,
Liverleaves off the eyes,
Globeflowers off the brow.
Then you can wake up
And teach your daughter!’

‘Oh, my little daughter,
May the air tenderly teach you,
May the sky grant you wisdom.
Because it’s never happened before
That a corpse is in the house,
Stiff toes in the cellar.’

EST/
Iki, iki, mina vaene
Läksin alla marjaaeda
Kes siis minno kaema tuli?
Sinisilmä tsirgokõnõ
Ilma pääta pääsukene

Mii esi sõsaritsi
Ütõ, katõ, kolmekese
Suga ütel: “Mul on surma.”
Nitsevarva: “Meil on vaeva.”

Iki, iki, mina vaene.

ENG/
Oh, poor, poor me
I went down to the berry garden
And who came to see me?
A blue-eyed bird,
A headless swallow

We are sisters
One two three
Reed says, ‘I had death’.
Heddles say, ‘We had worries’.

Oh, poor, poor me.

EST/
Lipin, lapin laevakesta
Kana sulest kaared sinna
Pardi sulest pardad pääle
Ani sulest aerud kätte

Panen pääle mastisida
Nii kui aia teibasida
Panene pääle nöörisida
Nii kui neiu kingapaelu

Panen pääle purjesida
Nii kui neiu põllesida
Panen pääle lipusida
Nii kui neiu lintisida

Tõstis tuule, tõstis tormi
Viis mu arja viisile
Laia lauda laelessa
Läksin jälle merde sõudma

Siis läen merde sõudamaie
Mis ma meres siista leidsin
Leidsin tamme kasvamasta
Õunapuu või õitsemasta

ENG/
I am fixing up a boat
The ship’s arches are made of chicken feathers
The railings are made of duck feathers

I am putting on the masts
They look like fence poles.
I am tying on the ropes
Like a girl ties her shoes.

The wind was rising, the storm was coming
Threw me on a wave crest
Broad planks flying
I went to sail the sea again

I am tying on the sails
Like a girl ties her apron
Putting a flag on the top
Like a girl wears her ribbons.

The wind was rising, the storm was coming
Threw me on a wave crest
Broad planks flying
I went to sail the sea again.

So, I went to sail the sea.
What did I see in the water?
I found an oak tree growing.
I found an apple tree blossoming.

EST/
Lõpe, lõpe, põllukene, elele, elele,
vähene sa, väljakene,
saa otsa, saarekene,
et saaks väljäd karja käia,
saared sälu mängütada!

Kui sa-i lõpe, siia jätän,
siia jätän sirgu süiä,
sirgu süiä, kärbi käiä,
tedrele teha pesida.

ENG/
Please end, little field, elele, elele,
Please lessen, little meadow,
Please cease, little island,
So the cattle can use the field,
Ponies play on the isles!

If you do not end, then I will
Leave the hay for the birds,
For the birds to eat, the ferrets to trample,
The grouses to nest.

EST/
Püüdsin kinni sääse ma
Hobusest ta suurem
Rasva panin sulama
Tuli terve koorem

Ole kingsepp nõnda hea
Tee nüüd saapsad mulle
Ainult seda ma ei tea
Millest maksan sulle


ENG/
I caught a mosquito
Who’s bigger than a mare
Rendered its fat in a pan
And got a load to spare.

Oh cobbler, I need new boots,
Why don’t you make me a pair.
I don’t know how to pay you
And I hope that you don’t care.