# Anybody available to translate from Finnish into English?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 3, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016 "2002-05-03T06:16:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016/1 "2002-05-03T06:16:48Z")
## The Finnish-Swedish music ensemble called Gjallarhorn ([www.gjallarhorn.com](http://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](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?
---
### Author:  [@Tamealien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamealien)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2002, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016/2 "2002-05-03T10:28:55Z")
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
---
### Author:  [@Tamealien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamealien)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2002, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016/3 "2002-05-03T10:31:29Z")
P.S. If you like Gjallarhorn, try the group “Värttinä” as well…
---
### Author:  [@kiffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiffa)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2002, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016/4 "2002-05-03T11:38:14Z")
I’ll second that recommendation
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### Author:  [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2002, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016/5 "2002-05-03T15:42:47Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2002, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016/6 "2002-05-05T02:18:14Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2002, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016/7 "2002-05-05T07:26:45Z")
> [@](#):
>
> BTW, does anyone know what the Finnish for “You can tackle me any time you like” would be.
“Voit taklata minut milloin vain haluat.”
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### Author:  [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-available-to-translate-from-finnish-into-english/107016/8 "2002-05-05T14:11:25Z")
ta very much 😃