Anthology of Estonian Traditional Music

Haw, haw dear sweet hawk.
Why did this hawk come to visit us?
The hawk is looking for the village hens,
he wants the farm's geese,
a couple of ducks from the manor,
mottled turkeys from the inn.

What is the hawk's little head like?
Like the manor's big bushel.
What are the hawk's little eyes like?
Like little tiny golden boxes.
What is the hawk's little beak like?
Like the spigot of the farm's ale keg.
What are the hawk's little claws like?
Like the hook for the village well.
What is the hawk's little tail like?
Like the manor house's winnowing broom.

That was the song. – It was sung right at the start then? – That's right, the song right away, first of all they sang the song and then: “Hello sir! What's that hole you're digging?” – But who were the singers, all of the players or how? – Oh, all of them sing the song, if they know it, or just the old hen sings by herself, or it doesn't matter who sings.

Well, there it was, the other one was like the chicken-hawk. He stands over there somewhere and the hen comes with her chicks – now a person with all her children behind her – and says: “Hello sir! What's that hole you're digging?” – “It's a coal pit.” – “What are you going to put on the coals?” – “Going to put a pot.” – “What are you going to put in the pot?” – “Going to put some water.” – “What are you going to do with the water?” – “Going to pluck the cocks and hens.” – “What did the cocks and hens do?” – “They ate up all the master's beans, the mistress' peas, the maiden's lentils, the kitchen boy's tobacco, the swineherd's onions and the shepherd's cabbages.” – “And where were you all this time?” – “In the forest, making a fence.” – “And where were your wife and children?” – “They were handing me the slats.” – “How long was this fence?” – “From here to there.” – “How high?” – “Up to the sky.” – “How wide?” – “Like the blade of an axe.” – “How tightly spaced were the slats?” – “Like a horsehair sieve.” – “You liar! You were sitting on the stove with a jug of cream on your belly and a frog's leg in your fist. You were dunking the frog's leg in the cream and pulling it through your mouth, smacking your lips.” – “If you keep this talk up I'll eat your children!”

Then she asks: “This one?” the first one then shows her leg, the one right behind the old hen, and so on until the very last one shows her leg. “Yes!” and then he tries to grab hold of her and capture her. And then the others, the mother tries to protect her and all the chicks behind her all going all over the place. Oh my Lord, all that running about, and that little one at the end, has to really run like mad until the hawk finally catches her. Then this one is out of the game and the hawk chases after the next one.