AMORPHIS and Kanteletar
Writers:
The lyrics on Amorphis' third album 'Elegy' and their
composition on mini-album 'My Kantele' are based on the Finnish
book 'Kanteletar'. The 'Kanteletar' is a collection of ancient
poems, most of which were written back in the Finnish pagan period, which
means they are as old as 13th century and beyond. They were since preserved
by oral tradition (mostly sung) by bards for about thousand years. These
poems were collected by Elias Lönnrot (1802 - 1884) during the several
trips he made in Finland and Karelia. It is during these same trips that
he collected the poems that formed the 'Kalevala', the Finnish national
epic.
The 'Kanteletar' was released in 1840. Still, to this day,
there exists only partial translations of the 'Kanteletar' in english
or french.
Unlike on the 'Kalevala', the poems on 'Kanteletar'
follow no storyline, nor do the songs on 'Elegy'. Following the
index are the names of the 'Kanteletar' poems corresponding to the
Amorphis
songs.
|Better Unborn|Against
Widows|The Orphan|Of Rich And Poor|
My
Kantele|Cares|Song Of The Troubled
One|
|Weeper On The Shore|Elegy|The
Brother-Slayer|
THE BROTHER SLAYER
"...And when will you be returning home
my son, my merry son?"
"When all the world to a judgment comes
my dame, my darling one"
---VELJENSURMAAJA ---
(Alkulause
4)
..."Koskas sieltä kotihin käännyt,
poikani poloinen?"
...
"Konsa kaikki tuomiolle tullaan,
muorini kultainen." |
|
WEEPER ON THE SHORE
"...O why are you weeping alone on the shore?
Now still from your eyes I can see the tears pour
What sorrow and smart
So pierces your heart
That even at midnight it will not depart?"
---RANNALLA ITKIJÄ
---
(Alkulause
19)
"Mitä itket, sä raukka, rannalla yksin? --
Ja sunsilmistäsi veet vierivät nytkin.
Mikätuska ja vaiva
sinun syäntäsi kaivaa? --
Ei anna syänyölläkään hoivaa."
MY KANTELE
"So it will not play will not rejoice at all
Music will not play to please
Give off the right sort of joy
For it was fashioned from cares
Moulded from sorrow"
---ERISKUMMAINEN KANTELE
---
(I:1)
"...Sentä ei soita kanteleni,
ei iloitse ensinkänä,
soitto ei soita suosioksi,
laske ei laatuista iloa,
kun on huolista kuvattu,
murehista muovaeltu."
THE ORPHAN
"The callo's spirits are low
Swimming on the chill water
But the orphan's are lower
Walking down the village street..."
---ARMOTTOMAN OSA ---
(I:26)
"Alahan' on allin mieli
uiessa vilua vettä,
alempana armottoman
käyessä kylän katua..."
BETTER UNBORN
"Better it would be for me
And better it would have been
Had I not been born, not grown
Not been brought into the world..."
---PAREMPI SYNTYMÄTTÄ
---
(I:46)
"Parempi minin olisi,
parempi olisi ollut
syntymättä, kasvamatta,
ilmahan sikiämättä..."
CARES
"Drag my cares away
Carry off my griefs
For no horse can draw
No iron-shod jerk
Without the shaft-bow shaking off
The cares of this skinny one
The sorrows of this black bird"
---USIAHUOLINEN ---
(I:54)
"...joka mun huoleni vetäisi,
kaihe'eni kannattaisi.
Hepo ei jaksa veteä,
rautakisko kingotella,
ilman luokin lekkumatta,
vempelen värisemättä,
minun hoikan huoliani,
mureitani, mustan linnun."
SONG OF THE TROUBLED ONE
"...The sea-swell rumbles
And the wind it blows
And the king hears it
From five miles away
From six directions
From seven backwoods
From eight heaths away"
---MIN RASTAS RAATAA
---
(I:219)
"...Meren rämä ränkyy,
tuulonen tuulee,
kuningas kuulee
viieltä virstalta,
kuuelta kulmalta,
seitsemältä selkoselta,
kaheksalta kankahalta."
ELEGY
"...In the earth my berry lies
In the soil she's mouldering
Under the sand my sweet one
Beneath the grass my treasure
The one I grieve for"
---MAASSA MARJANI MAKAAVI
---
(II:53)
"...Maassa marjani makaavi,
mullassa muhaelevi,
alla hiekan herttaiseni,
kulon alla kultaseni."
AGAINST WIDOWS
"The Devil weds a widow
Death another's leftovers
Better to lie on a willows
Rest on alder boughs
Than upon a widow's bed
A used woman's pillow..."
---LEMPO LESKELLE MENEVI
---
(II:248)
"...Lempo leskelle menevi
Tuoni toisen tähtehille.
Parempi on pajuilla masta,
lepän oksilla levätä,
puin on lesken vuotehella,
pielluksilla pietyn naisen..."
Even if all the other songs are based on only one poem of the Kanteletar,
the following borrows parts from at least three different poems. The title
is borrowed from yet another poem.
OF RICH AND POOR
"Old folk remember
And those today learn
How before their time
Life was different here:"
---KÖYHÄ JARIKAS
VOUTI ---
(I:123)
---TOISIN ENNEN, TOISIN ELLEN
---
(I:86)
"Nyt tämä nykyinen kansa
sekä kansa kasvavainen..."
---TOISIN ENNEN, TOISIN
ELLEN ---
(I:14)
"Toisin ennen, toisin eilen
toisinpa tänä'i päänä:"
---NEITSYT MAARIAN VIRSI
---
(III:6)
Now you can download a electronic copy of the 'Kanteletar'
at:
http://www.sci.fi/kalevala/
and begin reading.
Antoisia lukuhetkiä!
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