Anthology of Estonian Traditional Music

Others were given other work,
the farmhands got important work,
I was given a poor job:
to watch the geese, to keep the hens.

I drove the geese to the waters,
the hens to the golden copse.

A wind came from some other land,
lightening flashed from the north,
it drove my geese from the waters,
the hens from the golden copse.

I went home sad in spirit,
sad in spirit, with words of mourning:
“Oh, my gentle mother,
honey sweet mama,
make me a day's bread,
a cake for two months,
I am going to seek the geese!”

Then I went quite a ways,
quite a ways, over a bit of land,
a patch of sandy hills,
a stretch of sand so white.

I looked and looked,
who was coming toward me,
or rolling along at me?
Ten ploughers were coming toward me,
one hundred grubbers.

I greeted them
with greetings and good words:
“Have you seen our geese?”
“We have not seen your geese.
What were your geese like?”
“They had gold on their napes,
silver on top of their heads.”
“We have not seen or heard them.”

Again I went quite a ways,
quite a ways, over a bit of land,
a patch of sandy hills,
a stretch of sand so white.

I looked and looked,
who was coming toward me,
or rolling along at me?
A group of men were coming toward me,
a group of men, a troupe of boys.

I greeted them
with greetings and good words:
“Have you seen our geese?”
“What were your geese like?”
“They had gold on their napes,
silver on top of their heads.”
“We have not seen or heard them.”

Again I went quite a ways,
quite a ways, over a bit of land,
a patch of sandy hills,
a stretch of sand so white.

I looked and looked,
who was coming toward me,
or rolling along at me?
Four maidens were coming toward me,
three of them were young brides,

I greeted them
with greetings and good words:
“Have you seen our geese?”
“What were your geese like?”
“They had gold on their napes,
silver on top of their heads.”
“They were at Mõõlu Manor.
Go there and you will get them back!”