Forests, meadows
Who is cutting trees in the forest?
Refr. Birdcherry's trunk, birdcherry's top,
birdcherry's beautiful blossoms.
Mihkel cuts down trees in the forest.
Who's there for the food?
Manni brings food.
"Eat, eat, dear Mihkel."
"I cannot eat, dear Manni."
"Why is that, dear Mihkel?"
"Broken hand, dear Manni."
"I'll wrap it up, dear Mihkel."
Kes seal metsas puid raiub?
Refr.Toome tüvi, toome latv,
toomel ilusad õied.
Mihkel metsas puid raiub.
Kes seal süüa järgi viib?
Manni süüa järgi viib.
"Söö, söö, Mihklikene"
"Miks nii, Mihklikene?"
"Käsi katki, Mannikõnõ."
"Mähin kinni, Mihklikene."
The forest and the earth all breathe in peaceful sleep,
all the world is covered with dark night,
:,: the moon is rising from the edge of heaven,
all the day's work is done. :,:
A pretty maiden was walking at the woods
with a little child in her arms.
:,:: "Come, child, one last time in my arms,
my bosom will shelter thee no more." :,:
The maid hurried towards a little house,
she put the baby by the door
:,: and then with a quick step, she hurried
into the swift flowing river. :,:
"Thou are the forbidden fruit of love,
thou bearest the sin of thy parents,
:,:: for when thou wakest out of thy sleep,
my breast shall shelter thee no more." :,:
Mets ja maa kõik hingab unerahus,
kõik maailma katab pime öö,
:,: kuu see tõuseb taevaservalt üles,
lõppenud on kõik see päevatöö. :,:
Kena neiu kõndis metsa ääres
süles oidis väikest lapsukest.
:,: "Maga, laps, veel viimast kord mu süles,
ei sind enam varja minu rind." :,:
Neiu väikse maja poole ruttas,
pani lapse ukse najale
:,: ja siis ise kiirel sammul ruttas
kiirelt jooksva jõe laintesse. :,:
"Sina oled armu keeldud vili,
vanemate pattu kannad sa,
:,: sest kui ärkad elust unest üles
ei sind enam varja minu rind." :,:
All I know about Ridassaare is this – my father was 74 years old when he died, and it's been 40 years since he died, – and he told me that Ridassaar and Kääbassaar and all the islands here in this swamp are the result of fire – that here used to be a big forest everywhere. This is proved by the fact that at the shore of the Peipsi lake here, when the wave washes down the shore, there comes out peaty earth, and large burnt stumps of pine. And even I once got a big oak from the meadow, from which I got two steres of wood with burnt trunk.
Well, that is to say, there was a great forest here, and the islands in the swamp are the sandhills that remained there, the kind that hasn't burned. So there's Palksaar – 'Trunk Island', Mikitsaar, Ridassaar – 'Row Island', Vaheliksaar – 'Between Island', Kääbassaar – 'Mound Island'. There were two farms in Kääbassaar in its time and now there is still a house there.
It was said about Ridassaare, that once in the old days, during the war, so many people were killed, that there was a row of corpses, and so the place became Row Island, my father said.
Kääbassaar was also a result of the war, because there were mounds or burial grounds, so that afterwards it was named Mound Island.
Well, I do not know anything else. I once asked, I wrote to the Naturalists' Society, whether it is in our old books that there was a large forest here. In Pedaspää – 'Pine Head' village there probably was a large forest. In the far past Estonians might have come here from the present Russian area. And they started to build their dwellings here, and when they tied a cow to a tree, they started to make a field, and so soon a village emerged, which was named Pedaspää.