Anthology of Estonian Traditional Music

A stepmother is an evil mother,
a stranger with the grace of evil,
she saw coming from afar,
glimpses of me along the yard,
she placed a rock on the chest,
a stump on the corner of the lid:
“The big eater is already coming,
the big eater, the big drinker –
she will eat the food of the oxen,
she will drink the drink of the oxen.
Bring it for her in a tub,
carry it in two pails!”

My own mother, gracious mother,
my own gracious loving one,
she saw coming from afar,
glimpses of me along the yard,
she took the rock off the chest,
the stump off the corner of the lid:
“My daughter is coming now,
already my little chick is bending this way!”
She took some milk to heat up,
a bit of meat to warm up:
“Bring it for her in a beaker,
carry it for her in a pitcher!”

Mother was taken from the house,
love stepped across the threshold,
mother was taken along the road,
love along the edge of the road,
mother was taken to the graveyard,
love stepped over the fence,
a grave was dug for mother,
love leapt to the spot,
mother was lowered into the grave,
love lay down beside her.

“Wake up, dear mother,
leap up, you who raised me,
come show me the right roads,
clear my paths [for me]!”
“I cannot wake up dear daughter,
nor can I leap up, dear chick –
the cross lies heavy on my breast,
the grave mound lies heavy on my hands,
blue leaves thrust through my eyes,
cool leaves beset my feet.”

If I had known the house of death,
Had known the threshold of death's own home,
I would have brought my mother out of those doors,
I would have carried the one who raised me out of those doors,
I would have made a dish of lye,
a trough full of black soap,
I would have washed the smell of the earth from her,
the smell of death from her mouth,
the smell of the grave mound from her hands,
the smell of the cross from her breast,
I would have set her up against the lamp holder,
stood her against the wall.
She would have called me darling,
would have named me silver.
Now I am called a devil,
I am railed as an insect.