Anybody available to translate from Finnish into English?

Cafe Society
#1

The Finnish-Swedish music ensemble called Gjallarhorn (www.gjallarhorn.com) sings some material in Swedish, some in Finnish.
The first song from their album “Sjovn” is called “Suvetar,” and it’s in Finnish.
The song text is here, taken from http://www.gjallarhorn.com/sjofn3.html#suvetar 

               Suvetar hyvä emäntä
               nouse harja katsomahan
               viitimä emännän vilja
               kun ei tuskihin tulisi

               Manutar maan emäntä
               nostele oras okinen
               kannon karvanen ylennä
               kun ei tuskihin tulisi

               Syöttele metisin syömin
               juottele metisin juomin 
               mesiheinin herkuttele
               vihannalla mättähällä

               siull on helkiät hopiat
               siull on kullat kuulusammat

               nouse jo neitonen
               mustana mullasta

               Akka mantereen alanen
               vanhin luonnon tyttäristä
               pane turve tunkomahan
               maa väkevä vääntämähän

               Akka mantereen alanen
               vanhin luonnon tyttäristä
               tuhansin neniä nosta
               varsin vaivani näöstä

My spouse, who likes the music, would really like to know exactly what the words of this song are about, but we have had very poor luck locating an on-line Finnish machine translator.
So, Dopers, can anybody out there help an unfortunate, non-Finnish speaking American?

#2

I just happen to have my copy of “Sjofn” sitting next to me, and the CD is playing in my PC as I type…

Anyway, my CD booklet has the translation of the words…

Goddess of Spring

Suvetar, fine matron
Arise to see the seeds
Raise the matron’s corn
So that we may be spared pain

Manutar, matron of the Earth
Lift up the shoots from the ground
New shoots from the stumps
So that we may be spared pain

Feed us with honey-hearts
Give us honey-drink
Delicious honey-grass
On a blossoming knoll

You have shining silver
You have glistening gold

Rise up, O maiden
Black from the soil

Underground crone
Most ancient of Nature’s daughters
Make the peat shoot forth
And the ground turn over

Underground crone
Most ancient of Nature’s daughters
Lift up a thousand seedlings
To reward my efforts

The text is “traditional”, and it is an invocation to the goddess of spring and the fertility of the earth

#3

P.S. If you like Gjallarhorn, try the group “Värttinä” as well…

#4

I’ll second that recommendation

#5

I’ll third that. I love Värttinä.

BTW, does anyone know what the Finnish for “You can tackle me any time you like” would be. I need it for a piece of erotica I’m writing. Plus it would come in useful (for comedy value, rather than for an actual chat up line - I am a good girl really) should I ever find myself face to face with Liverpool captain and Finnish love-god Sami Hyypiä.

#6

Oh, thank you VERY much for your help!
If I had known the lyrics were in the CD booklet I would have just
gone and bought that first!
Well, I’ll have to buy it anyway.
Varttina is a lot of fun–we’ve heard a few of their pieces but don’t have any of their recordings. We have a few Nordic Roots samplers that contain a wide assortment of music from that area of the world.
We have a Frifot CD as well; that is fascinating listening.

#7

“Voit taklata minut milloin vain haluat.”

#8

ta very much :smiley: