Trees and shrubs
Once upon a time there was a man and a woman. They had three daughters: the youngest; the eldest, and the middle one, of course. The berry forest was close to their home and they decided to pick berries there.
The youngest daughter was diligent and would do any work. As they arrived in the berry forest, they saw there were shrivelled strawberries growing on the clearing floor. The eldest and the middle daughter did not want to pick these strawberries and they said: „Why pick these tiny things! We had better go and find the places with bigger berries.“
The youngest daughter said: „I am not going. I will pick these here. You go if you want to!“ and she stayed there alone to pick the little strawberries. The middle and the eldest daughter walked and walked around the forest but it was still early [early summer] and the bigger strawberries were still white. So, they did not get anything. The evening was arriving and they returned to the clearing where the youngest daughter was still picking. Her stomach was full and her basket was full. Having seen this, the eldest daughter became jealous and, considering it with the middle sister behind the tree, said: „Let’s kill her!“ So they did.
There was a lane running through the forest and they buried her near this lane. But how to remember her grave? They planted a birch tree thereon. The lane was for the merchants, who travelled from one town to another.
So, the sisters went home. They shared the younger sister’s strawberries between them. The mother and father asked: „Where is the youngest daughter?“ „We didn’t see her at all. We went to the forest together but she was picking on her own and we were on our own. We know nothing about her.“ They denied it all.
Mother’s and father’s hearts were aching, as it was already getting dark. They heard the merchants coming and did not want to make a fuss about their daughter missing from home.
After a while, some merchants came to the village and rode along the same lane where the birch tree was planted nearby. One of the merchants was a young boy and he chopped down the birch tree and made a harp (kannel) from it. He made the harp’s box [it was made from one tree] and the harp started to play without any strings, and it played like this:
Sister killed me, sister buried me into the earth.
She buried my berry basket, next to the great lane, on the waves of the wide lane.
Great gentlemen passed through, merchants rode through.
They chopped down a birch tree, they dug up a harp tree.
The evening was arriving and merchants went to seek a lodging house in the village. The harp kept singing like that all the time. As there were many merchants, they split themselves between the farms. The merchant with the harp stayed with the family whose youngest daughter was missing. The mother and father heard this harp play and they asked: „Could we have this harp, too.“ The merchant gave it to them and the harp kept playing the same way. As it was given over to the sisters, the harp no longer played.
This is how it was found out that they had killed their sister.
Elasid eit ja taat. Neil oli kolm tütart: noorem, vanem ja muidugi ka keskmine. Marjamets asus nende kodu lähedal ja nad otsustasid sinna marjule minna.
Noorem tütar oli usin ja sai iga tööga toime. Kolmekesi marjule jõudes nägid nad, et raiesmikul kasvasid kidurad maasikad. Vanem ja keskmine tütar ei tahtnud neid maasikaid korjata ja ütlesid, et: „Oh, mis me ikka neid korjame, me läheme otsime parem, kus on priskemad marjad.”
Noorem tütar ütles: „Ei mina enam otsima lähe, mina korjan siin, minge teie pealegi!” ja jäi üksi raiesmikule pisikesi maasikaid korjama. Keskmine ja vanem tütar käisid ja käisid mööda metsa, aga oli varajane aeg ja maasikad olid veel valged. Nii nad ei saanudki mitte midagi.
Õhtu hakkas juba kätte jõudma ning nad läksid tagasi raiesmikule, kus noorem tütar ikka veel korjas. Temal oli kõht täis ja korv täis. Vanem tütar läks seda nähes kadedaks ja jäi keskmisega puu taha aru pidama ning ütles:
„Tapame ta ära!” Tapsidki noorema ära. Metsast viis läbi tee ja nad matsid ta tee veerde. Selleks, et meeles pidada, kus sõsara haud on, istutasid sinna peale kasepuu. Koju jõudes küsisid isa emaga:
„Kus noorem tütar on?”
„Aga meie ei näinudki teda. Metsa läksime küll ühes, aga tema korjas omaette ja meie omaette. Meie ei tea temast midagi.”
Salgasid kõik maha. Isal-emal jäigi süda valutama.
Mõne aja pärast tulid külla kaupmehed ja sõitsid seda sama teed mööda, kuhu veerde oli kasepuu istutatud. Üks kaupmees oli noorem poiss ja tema raius kase maha ning tegi endale kandlepuu. (Noh, vanasti olid targad mehed.) Kannel hakkas ilma keelteta mängima ja mängis nii:
Õhtu hakkas kätte jõudma ja kaupmehed läksid küla peale öömaja otsima. Kannel kogu aeg laulis niimoodi. Kuna kaupmehi oli palju, siis nad jagasid endid talude vahel ära. Kandlega kaupmees sai öömajale selle pererahva juurde, kust noorem tütar oli ära kadunud. Isa emaga kuulsid kandlemängu ning palusid:
„Andke mulle ka toda kannelt”.
Kaupmees andis ja kannel mängis niimoodi isa käes ja ema käes. Anti kannel sõsarate kätte, aga kannel nende käes ei mänginud. Ja nii saadigi teada, et nemad oma sõsara on ära tapnud.
1. There inside a beautiful forest island
a beautiful apple tree grew, a beautiful apple tree blossomed.
So what was was on that tree?
One small branch.
A branch on the tree,
the tree grew on the ground.
2. There inside a beautiful forest island
a beautiful apple tree grew, a beautiful apple tree blossomed.
So what was on that branch?
One small leaf.
A leaf on a branch,
a branch on the tree,
the tree grew on the ground.
3. There inside a beautiful forest island
a beautiful apple tree grew, a beautiful apple tree blossomed.
So what was on that leaf?
One small nest.
A nest on a leaf,
a leaf on a branch,
a branch on the tree,
the tree grew on the ground.
4. There inside a beautiful forest island
a beautiful apple tree grew, a beautiful apple tree blossomed.
So what was inside that nest?
One small egg.
Egg inside the nest,
nest on a leaf,
a leaf on a branch,
a branch on a tree,
the tree grew on the ground.
5. There inside a beautiful forest island
a beautiful apple tree grew, a beautiful apple tree blossomed.
So what was inside that egg?
One little bird.
A bird inside an egg,
egg inside the nest,
nest on a leaf,
a leaf on a branch,
a branch on a tree,
the tree grew on the ground.
6. There inside a beautiful forest island
a beautiful apple tree grew, a beautiful apple tree blossomed.
So what was in that bird's mouth?
A little song.
A song in the mouth of the bird,
bird inside the egg,
egg inside the nest,
nest on a leaf,
a leaf on a branch,
a branch on a tree,
the tree grew on the ground.
There inside a beautiful forest island
a beautiful apple tree grew, a beautiful apple tree blossomed.
1. Seal ilusa metsasaare sees
kasvas ilus uibu, ilus uibu õitses.
Mis oli siis seal selle puu peal?
Üks väike oksake.
Oks puu küljes,
puu kasvas maas.
2. Seal ilusa metsasaare sees
kasvas ilus uibu, ilus uibu õitses.
Mis oli siis seal selle oksa peal?
Üks väike leheke.
Leht oksa küljes,
oks puu küljes,
puu kasvas maas.
3. Seal ilusa metsasaare sees
kasvas ilus uibu, ilus uibu õitses.
Mis oli siis seal selle lehe peal?
Üks väike pesake.
Pesa lehe peal,
leht oksa küljes,
oks puu küljes,
puu kasvas maas.
4. Seal ilusa metsasaare sees
kasvas ilus uibu, ilus uibu õitses.
Mis oli siis seal selle pesa sees?
Üks väike munake.
Muna pesa sees,
pesa lehe peal,
leht oksa küljes,
oks puu küljes,
puu kasvas maas.
5. Seal ilusa metsasaare sees
kasvas ilus uibu, ilus uibu õitses.
Mis oli siis seal selle muna sees?
Üks väike linnuke.
Lind muna sees,
muna pesa sees,
pesa lehe peal,
leht oksa küljes,
oks puu küljes,
puu kasvas maas.
6. Seal ilusa metsasaare sees
kasvas ilus uibu, ilus uibu õitses.
Mis oli siis seal selle linnu suus?
Üks väike lauluke.
Laul linnu suus,
lind muna sees,
muna pesa sees,
pesa lehe peal,
leht oksa küljes,
oks puu küljes,
puu kasvas maas.
Seal ilusa metsasaare sees
kasvas ilus uibu, ilus uibu õitses.
A small, low oak tree,
that grew there in the valley.
Refrain: Traa riidi rallalla,
traa riidi rallalla.
Break, break the branches,
don't break the tops.
The treetop becomes the babies' cradles,
the trunks become the girls' beds.
Tammekene madal puu,
mis seal kasvas oru sees.
Refr: Traa riidi rallalla,
traa riidi rallalla.
Murdke, murdke oksakesi,
ärge murdke ladvakesi.
Ladvast saavad laste hällid,
tüvest tütarlaste sängid.