Anthology of Estonian Traditional Music

The groom's entourage sings:

Dear groom, my boy and
darling globeflower and
golden wheeled-wooer,
groomsman and best man,
groom's boy and groom's servant,
let's get the black horses geared up,
let's ride the grey ones without any reins,
let's have the sorrel ones run abreast,
let's put sequins into their flaxen manes,
rings onto the ring-eyed horses,
our road is unknown,
our highway immeasurable,
our turnings unpredictable,
the maiden's street is unknown,

if we run into a puddle, it will ruin the bow,
if we ride over a stump, it will ruin the frame,
another puddle will take the other shaft.

When are we going to get there,
to the place where fir trees grow golden,
where the birches are shimmering,
to the grand house,
to the high-roof[ed house],
where warm food is steaming for us,
and the beer tastes sweet for us,
the beer tankard is swaying and
a glass of spirits is being passed around.

The bride's entourage responds:

Come on this way, ride on over,
to this grand house,
to the high-roof[ed house]!
Here the room has been heated with peatmoss,
the saunas have been stoked hot with ashwood,
we don't have any smouldering brands in the room,
nor smoke from wood chips under the ceiling.

Kinfolk, dear dickeybirds,
come on this way, ride on over,
we have been waiting for you for a long time,
we have been watching out for you at the gates,
there is warm food smoking for you,
the red beer is steaming,
the glass of spirits is singing out.

The groom's entourage sings:

Get out of the way, sweet kinfolk,
back off wise women,
back away fine ladies!

I'll say it again once more:
back off you burlap shirts,
back away you sackcloth shirts,
silken kinfolk are coming in,
silken kinfolk, fine kinfolk.