Bremnes - Slåttevise - Norwegian to English

Apart from her solo career Kari also made music with her brethren. In 2000 Kari, Ola & Lars Bremmes released the album Soløye. It is on Kari's website, but without lyrics and certainly without translation into English. I know some songs (I do not know which ones) are in Norwegian dialect rather than 'regular' Norwegian, so it may be difficult to translate. But still I'd love to have a fairly accurate translation.

And apparently lja055 is the hero that likes to give me just that!

See also:
already translated:
song #1 in post Bremnes - Å kunne æ skrive - Norwegian to English
song #2 in post Bremnes - Lykken - Norwegian to English
song #3 in post Bremnes - Kanskje e det du - Norwegian to English
song # 7 in post Bremnes - Send mæ et brev - Norwegian to English


10. Slåttevise
Kom dæ ut, ta orv på nakkan,-
ljåen den e nylig kvesst
Få med brynet oppi dunken
vi ska slå tel ku og hest !
Rygg og mage vil nok klage
over lange dagas vri.
Mens vi slår, vi tørke svetten,
bløte brynet, spøtte tvi !

Vi ska slå av heile marka,
kver ei tue ska stå snau.
Vi ska balber alle reinan,
De ska skin som nyklept hau (sic!).
Surmelksblengen oppi bøtta
gjer oss kraft når vi blir tørst.
Bli du ætte, står på «holme»,
får du hanflir kun som trøst.

Bestefar han tinne rive,
skjennes over kor de bryt,
skinnfolkan när de ska rake,
han får høyre kor de syt.
«Riven tåle ikkje gresset,
tinnan dine e førr veik!»
Vess de bære va førsekti,
- tinnan e kje utav eik!

Elingan e snart på pletten.
Hiv vekk ljåan! Kom og mu!
Trudde at han holdt ut dagen.
Skulle nettopp breien snu.
Muan står som damehatta
Tett i tett når regnet kjem.
Kar og kvinnfolk står og kure,
- håpe sola snart stekk frem.

This is actually quite hard song to translate. It contains some archaic words, in dialect.... But I'll give it a try...

10. Slåttevise
Haymaking song

Kom dæ ut, ta orv på nakkan,-
Get out, put the handle (of a scythe) on your shoulders
ljåen den e nylig kvesst
the scythe has recently been sharpened
Få med brynet oppi dunken
Bring the sharpening stone in the cloth
vi ska slå tel ku og hest !
we are mowing (cutting the grass) for cow and horse!
Rygg og mage vil nok klage
Back and stomach will probably complain
over lange dagas vri.
over/about the long days twist and turn
Mens vi slår, vi tørke svetten,
While we are mowing (cutting the grass), we wipe off the sweat,
bløte brynet, spøtte tvi !
making the sharpening stone wet, spit tvi!*

Vi ska slå av heile marka,
We are going to mow/cut the whole field
kver ei tue ska stå snau.
every tuft shall be bare
Vi ska balber alle reinan,
We are going to shave/cut all the reindeer**
De ska skin som nyklept sau.
They will shine like newly cut sheeps
Surmelksblengen oppi bøtta
The butter/cultured milk in the bucket***
gjer oss kraft når vi blir tørst.
gives us strength when we get thirsty
Bli du ætte, står på «holme»,
If you fall behind, standing on an "islet"
får du hanflir kun som trøst.
the only comfort you'll get is a sneer

Bestefar han tinne rive,
Grandfather is tearing his teeth out
skjennes over kor de bryt,
scolding over how much the are resting
skinnfolkan när de ska rake,
when the skin/leather people**** are raking
han får høyre kor de syt.
he get to hear how they are complaining
«Riven tåle ikkje gresset,
«The rake can't stand the grass,
tinnan dine e førr veik!»
your teeth (on the rake) are too weak!»
Vess de bære va førsekti,
It you just are careful,
- tinnan e kje utav eik!
- the teeth will not come out (from the rake)

Elingan e snart på pletten.
The rain showers will soon be here
Hiv vekk ljåan! Kom og mu!
Throw away the scythes! Come and gather the grass
Trudde at han holdt ut dagen.
Thougth it wouldn't rain today
Skulle nettopp breien snu.
Were just to turn the ???*****
Muan står som damehatta
The piles are standing like women's hats
Tett i tett når regnet kjem.
very close together when the rain comes
Kar og kvinnfolk står og kure,
Men and women standing and doing nothing
- håpe sola snart stekk frem
- hope the sun turns up soon

The blue words are words with typos, I think...
* In Norway( I'm not sure if this is the case for other countries aswell) people, at least used to, say tvi! when they were spitting... I don't know why...
** To be honest I'm not sure if they are talking about reindeer here or not. But it seems right since the artist is from the northern part of Norway, and here there are people who have reindeer husbandry. I don't know...
*** I don't know what "blengen" in "Surmelksblengen" is, but at least "surmelk" is buttermilk or cultured milk.
**** If you directly translate "skinnfolkan" its "the leather people". Maybe its refering to the 'reindeer people', and that they used to come to the farms in the area to work during the haymaking? Again, I don't know...
*****Don't know what "brengen" means..

Originally Posted by lja055

This is actually quite hard song to translate. It contains some archaic words, in dialect.... But I'll give it a try...

The blue words are words with typos, I think...
* In Norway( I'm not sure if this is the case for other countries aswell) people, at least used to, say tvi! when they were spitting... I don't know why...
** To be honest I'm not sure if they are talking about reindeer here or not. But it seems right since the artist is from the northern part of Norway, and here there are people who have reindeer husbandry. I don't know...
*** I don't know what "blengen" in "Surmelksblengen" is, but at least "surmelk" is buttermilk or cultured milk.
**** If you directly translate "skinnfolkan" its "the leather people". Maybe its referring to the 'reindeer people', and that they used to come to the farms in the area to work during the haymaking? Again, I don't know...
*****Don't know what "brengen" ERR you meant "breien" means..

+ 2 of the 3 blue words were typos indeed. Sorry about that. The last (hau vs sau) I verified with the booklet, it says hau clearly enough. But then, the lyrics in booklets can have spelling mistakes as well of course.
* tvi tvi tvi. I know a sound like that together with a spit a the feet of somebody to show disdain (contempt, disrespect, ~hate) for that somebody. Alternatively "ha!". Seen in Slavic and Franco/Iberian movies, so somewhat international, yes.
** It is not unlikely that reindeer herdsmen come down to the south for season labour, herding reindeer will have it's seasons as well as farming and possibly doesn't need the same amount of workforce the whole year round
*** Like this haymaking song there are also churning songs (or melodies). When you churn the fresh milk it differentiates into butter and buttermilk. Buttermilk can be further turned into cultured milk.
**** Breien in Dutch is knitting (when you make a sweater from wool). I couldn't find the Norwegian meaning either. Breien is a Norwegian last name / family name though. See Wiki. (http://www.google.no/search?lr=lang_...&q=breien+wiki)
"breier" is a word though, in one form meaning things like "wide" / "broad", in another things like "spread out".
Possibly what is meant that tufts of grass are turned over in the process of drying. A tuft of grass is something in between a bundle of grass and spread out grass, so 'spreads' of grass.

Just guessing here. I do not know if you can turn a verb or an adjective based on "breie" into a noun by adding an "n" or something. But you will know that, being a Norwegian and all...

Sorry SongReQ for claming that hau was a typo... I think I made the lyrics more complicated than they really are . The word hau is referring to a pile, so the right sentence will be ( although I don't know if it makes sence...) :

De ska skin som nyklept hau.
They will shine like newly cut piles

When it comes to blengen in the "Surmelksblengen", I actually think this comes from the Norwegian word blanding, which in English means a mix or a blend.

I think you are right about the word breien and that it refers to tufts of grass that needs to be turned over in the process of drying. (By the way, sorry about my typo here )