Recordings from the Estonian Folklore Archives 3

The Songster's Childhood

Hella Keem learned from Ann Rammo, Põlva (1966)

Kui ma ol´li väikokõnõ,
alle-aa, alle-aa,
kasvi ma sis kaunikõnõ,
ol´li üte üü vannu,
pääle kate päävä vannu,
imä vei kiigu kesa pääle,
pan´de hällü palo pääle,
pan´de pardsi hällütämmä,
suvõlinno liigutamma.
Par´dsil ol´le pal´lo sõnno,
suvõlinnul liiäl laaluq,
par´ts sääl man mul pal´lo laule,
suvõlindu liiast kõnõli.
Säält mina, lat´s, sis laulu oppe,
ul´likõnõ sõna osasi,
kõik mina pan´ni papõrihe,
kõik mina raie raamatuhe.
Selle minol pal´lo sõnno,
selle laajalt lauluviisi.

Tuli ütel´: “Olõt tuima!”
Vesi ütel´: “Käü vihanõ!”
Kivi ütel´: “Olõk kinmä!”
Kandu ütel´: “Olõk kal´gi!”
Kuis ma tuima, tulõkõnõ,
vihane käü, viikene,
kinmä olõ, kivikene,
kal´gi olõ, kannukõnõ –
olõ-i mina tuima tütterestä,
kale naise kanasesta.
Ilokas ol´le mino imä,
nal´akas ol´le naane kanja.

When I was very little,
alle-aa, alle-aa,
I grew so prettily,
I was but one night old,
just two days old,
mother took my cradle to the meadow,
put my crib on the heath,
put a duck to rock the cradle,
the bird of summer to push me.
The duck had many words,
the bird of summer had lots of songs,
the duck sang many songs to me there,
the bird of summer, it spoke to me a lot.
That is where this child learned the songs,
this crazy one [got to] know the words,
all of them I placed on paper,
all of them I hewed into a book.
That is why I have so many words,
that is why I have lots of tunes.

The fire said: “Be indifferent!”
The water said: “Go about angry!”
The stone said: “Be inflexible!”
The stump said: “Be heartless!”
How can I be indifferent, dear fire,
go about angry, dear water,
be inflexible, dear stone,
be heartless, dear stump –
I am not one of those indifferent daughters,
not one of the heartless women's chicks.
My mother was happy,
the woman who bore me was merry.

Chorus is sometimes: alle-aa, ai-ai-aa

ER < Tartu l. < Põlva khk., Koiola v., Adiste k. – O. Kõiva Eesti Raadios 1966. a. < Hella Keem, 52-a. < Ann Rammo, s. 1864. a.
[LP V a 2; CD2-2].