Please translate from Finnish to English: Värttinä - Äijö :)

[AxmxZ]

I have another song:

Äijö (Värttinä)

Kylän äijä, vanha väkkärä
Kylän äijä, vähä-älynen
Kylän äijä, kumma käppänä
Kylän äijä vääräsäärinen
Kylän äijä, kylmäl mäellä
Kylän äijällä, kyy ol kyljel
Rääkyi männikössä yöllä yksinänsä
Rääkyi männikössä kekäleet käessä
Kämmenet käryssä kengät kankahalla
Yöllä yksinänsä, äijä väsyksissä
Kylmällä mäellä kyy ol kytkyessä
Ylähällä yksi alemmalla kaksi
Purrut kämmenestä kyy ol käppänätä
Syyhyn synnyttänyt, syytäny sylkeä
Äijä yksinänsä yöllä väännätteli
Kynnysportahalla kyytä kyttäeli
Päätä pölkyllensä, pahan pirulaisen
Kieron kastiaisen kurkun kirvehelle

Äijä paranteli pirun puremaista
Viinalla valeli, pirrulla pesevi
tervaksella teki, lämmöt löylytteli
Loitsusi loruja, manasi majoilla
Kummasteltiin kyllin äijän pitäjässä
Äijän vääntelöitä, miehen mittelöitä
Köyryselkäkyijjen kummia kujeita
Äijän ähkimistä yöllä yksinänsä
Kylän äijä, vanha väkkärä
Vähemmästäki äijä väsyvi
Väkevämmätki, heti hyytyvi
Kylän äijä väsyneenä

The thing is, their website gives a translation, but it doesn't seem to fit the text! There is no element of poetic repetition to it - it seems to be a text in prose.

"There was a cranky old coot lived in the village, bowlegged
and weak in the head. One night he was out in the pines;
crowing and screeching, carrying firebrands that scorched
his palms; alone in the night, exhausted.
Now on that chilly hillside he kept snakes, one at the top
and two lower down. And then he was bitten in the palm,
a stinging wound, a load of venom.
Alone in the night he trudged along, lurking by the porch
waiting for the snake to appear, wanting to put that wily
devil's head on the block, to take an axe to its slithery neck.
The old man was weary, he'd already had more than many
a stronger man could have taken.
To heal the snakebite he washed it with liquor, poured proof spirit
over it, took some resinous wood and made the sauna steaming hot,
went round the garden reading charms and incantations.
And there was much speculation about his doings: all that trudging
and stumbling, the crookback snakes and their strange antics,
that cranky old coot wheezing and crowing alone in the night."

But this tells me nothing about what "Kylän äijä" means or any of the other repeating elements! If anyone can help me in this, I'll be very grateful!

[lollipop]

I know, this English translation is at Värttinä's homepage

"Old coot" is "vanha äijä"

I won't even try to act, like I could translate this, I simply ain't good enough. But this English translation, that you have, explains quite good, what this song is about.

I try at least 6 first lines:

Kylän äijä, vanha väkkärä
Coot of the village, old "väkkärä" (didn't find correct word in English)
Kylän äijä, vähä-älynen
Coot of the village, weak in the head
Kylän äijä, kumma käppänä
Coot of the village, weird old man
Kylän äijä vääräsäärinen
Coot of the village, bowlegged
Kylän äijä, kylmäl mäellä
Coot of the village, on the cold hill
Kylän äijällä, kyy ol kyljel
Coot of the village, had snake at his side

Sorry, I know, this post is not much help for you, as i am no Finnish, but I thought, that when I try to put here those 6 first lines, then it is more than nothing

[AxmxZ]

Thanks, lillipop! The official translation told me just fine what the song was about, but I wanted to know specifically what each sentence said.

[lollipop]

I tried to put other sentences in order too, but i failed. I understand, what it says, and i can translate those words in my own language, but I fail to translate in word-by-word English. It takes a Finnish person, with good English skills...
But I'm glad, that you found even this bit helpful

[AxmxZ]

Is "Äijö" very far from standard Finnish?

[lollipop]

It is not, how average Finnish person speaks, it is "old words".

We have the same here in Estonia, we have old folk songs that are built something like this, they come from certain regions (like Setuland) and have somewhat similar "accent".

In example:
"Äijä paranteli pirun puremaista
Viinalla valeli, pirrulla pesevi
tervaksella teki, lämmöt löylytteli"
is translated like this:
To heal the snakebite he washed it with liquor, poured proof spirit
over it, took some resinous wood and made the sauna steaming hot,
But it is a long translation, like you see...

The "word in word" would be this:
"Coot healed the biting of devil,
poured over with vodka, washed with "pirtu" ("pirtu" is very high % alcohol)
made it with resin wood, steamed the warmths"

Here you see, that my "word to word" is not understandable...

Like you see, the Finnish words are easy, and short; but they can't be translated word by word to English

Ok, this article maybe tells better, what is it all about, because i am doing here a terrible job at this : http://www.ritmoartists.com/Varttina/varttina.htm

There is better explained, from where this all comes, and why it is hard to translate Värttinä.

[AxmxZ]

lollipop, I am learning so much here - thank you for the explanations!

[MusicHeals]

Lollipop, you rock!

[AxmxZ]

Another song:

Värttinä - Linnunmieli

Lenteleisin kuin koivunlehti
Liiteleisin kuin lintu pieni
Vaan en oo lintu lentäjäksi
Koivunlehtenä liehuvaksi

Suuri korpi kotinani, kotinani, korpi kotinani
Päällä katto katajainen, katajainen, katto katajainen
Rannat kierrän kujat kuljen,
kujat kuljen, rannat kujat kuljen
Ahon laidat alittelen,
alittelen, laidat alittelen

Lenteleisin kuin koivunlehti
Liiteleisin kuin lintu pieni
Taivaan alla ilmojen yllä
Meren sinisellä sylillä

Nousisin linnun liitimille
Lentäisin lahelle laajalle
Vaan en oo lintu lentäjäksi
Koivunlehtenä liehuvaksi

Niin on pitkät miun pihani,
miun pihani, pitkät miun pihani
Kuin on pitkät pilven reunat,
pilven reunat, pitkät pilven reunat
Niin on kylmät kynnykseni,
kynnykseni, kylmät kynnykseni
Kuin on kylmät kosken kuohut,
kosken kuohut, kylmät kosken kuohut

It's so chirpy and trilly and happy. Amazing.

[lollipop]

Värttinä - Linnunmieli

Lenteleisin kuin koivunlehti
I would like to fly like birch leaf
Liiteleisin kuin lintu pieni
I would like to fly like a small bird
Vaan en oo lintu lentäjäksi
But I am not a bird that flies
Koivunlehtenä liehuvaksi
But I am not fluttering birch leaf

Suuri korpi kotinani, kotinani, korpi kotinani
Big swamp is my home, my home, swamp is my home
Päällä katto katajainen, katajainen, katto katajainen
The roof is made from juniper, roof from juniper
Rannat kierrän kujat kuljen,
I walk the beaches, and go the alleys
kujat kuljen, rannat kujat kuljen
go the alleys, walk the alleys and beaches
Ahon laidat alittelen,
I pass underneath the glades
alittelen, laidat alittelen
i pass underneath, i pass underneath the glades

Lenteleisin kuin koivunlehti
I would like to fly like birch leaf
Liiteleisin kuin lintu pieni
I would like to fly like a small bird
Taivaan alla ilmojen yllä
under the skies above the sights
Meren sinisellä sylillä
in the blue arms of the see

Nousisin linnun liitimille
I would rise where birds fly
Lentäisin lahelle laajalle
I would fly to a large bay
Vaan en oo lintu lentäjäksi
But I am not a bird that flies
Koivunlehtenä liehuvaksi
But I am not fluttering birch leaf

Niin on pitkät miun pihani,
My yards are so long
miun pihani, pitkät miun pihani
my yards, so long are my yards
Kuin on pitkät pilven reunat,
The edges of clouds are long
pilven reunat, pitkät pilven reunat
the edges of clouds, long are the edges of clouds
Niin on kylmät kynnykseni,
So cold are my sills
kynnykseni, kylmät kynnykseni
my sills, cold sills (at least i think, it is "sills", that they are talking about here)
Kuin on kylmät kosken kuohut,
So cold are outbursts of waterfalls
kosken kuohut, kylmät kosken kuohut
outbursts of waterfalls, cold outbursts of waterfalls

I truly tried, but it is one clumsy translation, i must say...
All improvememnts from other members warmly welcomed!

[AxmxZ]

lollipop, you're a gem! Thank you so much!

[lollipop]

Ohh, I still have somewhat heavy heart about this translation, but if a Finnish member comes online, and sees this, then i hope, that she/he will do some corrections.

You're welcome!