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As a Finn it's both delightful and also bit sad to read the translation. First of all it's great that this is available for international friends but it's sad h
by raptorraver 4y ago
As a Finn it's both delightful and also bit sad to read the translation. First of all it's great that this is available for international friends but it's sad how much is lost in translation and how it's impossible to translate the beauty of ancient Finnish. It's quite far from the language we speak also and might be bit hard for us to understand but once you get into the flow (preferably by singing the poems in their original tones) there's nothing quite like them (judge yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRdCsEVFd4I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRdCsEVFd4I)
Here's the first verses as an example. Hope someone can enjoy the rhymes and rhythm without understanding the language.
"Mieleni minun tekevi, aivoni ajattelevi
lähteäni laulamahan, saa'ani sanelemahan,
sukuvirttä suoltamahan, lajivirttä laulamahan.
Sanat suussani sulavat, puhe'et putoelevat,
kielelleni kerkiävät, hampahilleni hajoovat."
"MASTERED by desire impulsive,
By a mighty inward urging,
I am ready now for singing,
Ready to begin the chanting
Of our nation's ancient folk-song
Handed down from by-gone ages.
In my mouth the words are melting,
From my lips the tones are gliding,"
- nshm 4y agoWell, you can give them the link to The Song of Hiawatha, largely inspired by Kalevala https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9b_VTW4FSE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9b_VTW4FSE
- bradrn 4y agoI quite like the recording included on the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vaka_vanha_Vainamoinen.ogg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vaka_vanha_Vainamoinen.og...
- soundnote 4y agoI've seen the video before, but not the subtitles. They're some of the best flowing I've ever seen, highly recommended.
- msla 4y agoAt once I leapt upon the poem English only (to my sorrow) For I know no word of Finnish (Least no word that's fit for HN); But the meter kept me nodding Kept my head from being stable As it cantered ever onwards "It's the Song of Hiawatha!" "Bastard nicked the walking rhythm From Longfellow's long-ass poem!" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Song_of_Hiawatha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Song_of_Hiawatha
- 2000UltraDeluxe 4y agoIt never ceases to amaze me how much "metadata" you can pack into the Finnish language, and how it directly affects one's thinking. As a native Swedish-speaker, I occasionally find myself thinking in Finnish when needing to look at a problem from a different angle. One's sense how things are positioned and headed changes completely when describing thing's in Finnish than in Swedish.
- tomrod 4y agoFunnily, I do this with Cebuano (which is much more verbose than my native English) but the code switch is super helpful to reframe context and shed idiomisms.
- zasdffaa 4y agoLiterally never heard of it so for any others in the dark Cebuano (/sɛˈbwɑːnoʊ/ seb-WAH-noh), natively called by its generic term Bisaya or Binisaya (both translated into English as Visayan, though this should not be confused with other Bisayan languages)[5] and sometimes referred to in English sources as Cebuan (/sɛˈbuːən/ seb-OO-ən), is an Austronesian language spoken in the southern Philippines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebuano_language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebuano_language . What makes it verbose? Does it gain or lose anything by being so? (curious monolinguist is curious)
- tomrod 4y agoThe grammar and vocabulary tend to require more syllables and letters (it uses a similar alphabet to English). So a book's printing might require 50% - 75% more pages. But its not a universally longer language. As an example, prepositions are typically optional ('sa' being the generic preposition). So, texting from dual speakers (most Filipinos in the Philippines speak a local language, Filipino, and quite often English) mixes all three to become exceptionally compact. This intermixing from multiple domains for complete, almost fractal, symbology translates to a lot of domains. I've used code switching for system architecture and mathematical proofs approaches several times over the decades.
- 4y ago
- nabla9 4y agoI would translate the the beginning of the first poem in Kalevala as like this. My mind wants, my brain thinks, to go singing, to go saying, to spout the family hymn, to sing song of my species. Words are melting in my mouth, speech is falling out, emerging in my tongue, busting up against my teeth. (I think the Kalevala Melody and singing could make a good rap)
- giva 4y agoAmorphis wrote some songs/albums allegedly based on the Kalevala
- soundnote 4y agoYes, one of their songs is literally called "The First Poem" (or the First Rune, maybe, which is an oft used and awful translation, IMO. In modern Finnish, "rune" very firmly means ᛋᛏᚢᚠᚠ᛬ᛚᛁᚲᛖ᛬ᚦᛁᛋ)
- Sharlin 4y agoThis is of course (understandably) missing the alliterative phrasing that’s present on almost every line and is a major ingredient of the Kalevala poetic form. MIeleni MInun tekevi AIvoni AJattelevi LÄhteäni LAulamahan SA’ani SAnelemahan and so on.
- vintermann 4y agoI use to joke that all the Finnish I know I learned from reading product labels. Here in Scandinavia, for a lot of convenience store products they don't bother making different boxes for each country, so there's a "Nyhet! Nyhed! Uusi!" breakfast cereal from Nestlé containing "Havre/Havre/Kaura" etc. And of course "Ei saa peittää" (do not cover!) and "Ei lapsille alle 3 vuoden" (not for children under 3 years). But these words are familiar, and they're not from product labels! Turns out I heard them in a Rajaton song ("Nouse Lauluni"). I should have guessed it was from Kalevala!
- 4y ago
- tryauuum 4y agosounds inspiring enough to learn finnish language
- soundnote 4y agoHow about our rock music? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REI0BDJRJDs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REI0BDJRJDs Unelmien nukkuja Ulvoin kuuta mustaa, ulvoin kuuta, kutsuin kuolemaa Ei kiiras roihua kuin minä roihuan Tusina sakaraa on liikaa kaikkeutta kuvastamaan Kumarsin kultaa, kultaa kumartaen tartuin tuonelaan Ei valo lankea kuin minä lankean Siivetkin kutittaa voi hetken, voi, minä en! Niin tiimalasi kääntyy, kääntyy alaspäin vanhin voitehista kanssa veren käsikkäin Hiekka valuu maahan kylmään uinumaan, vaan ei unet idä ilman unelmien nukkujaa Kiitin hulluudesta, kiitin julmuudesta jumalaa Ei meret kuohua kuin minä kuohuan Aallot voi armoaan pois jakaa, voi, minä en! Niin tiimalasi kääntyy, kääntyy alaspäin vanhin voitehista kanssa veren käsikkäin Hiekka valuu maahan kylmään uinumaan, vaan ei unet idä, idä ilman, ilman unelmien, unelmien nukkujaa Niin tiimalasi kääntyy, kääntyy alaspäin vanhin voitehista kanssa veren käsikkäin Hiekka valuu maahan kylmään uinumaan, vaan ei unet idä, idä ilman ei, ei, ei unet idä, idä ilman unelmien nukkujaa Attempt at proper English: Dreamer of dreams At the black moon, I howled, at the moon I howled and called for death Blaze the Fire won't, like I blaze A dozen aisles is too much, to depict creation I bowed to gold, bowing to gold I grasped at the netherworld Fall the light won't, like I will fall Even wings can tickle for a moment, but, not I! Thus the hourglass will turn, turn downwards The oldest of medicines, hand in hand with blood The sand pours to slumber on the cold hard ground, but dreams won't sprout without the dreams' dreamer Thanked for madness, I thanked God for cruelty Seas won't foam, like I foam Waves can give away their mercy, but, not I! Thus the hourglass will turn, turn downwards The oldest of medicines, hand in hand with blood The sand pours to slumber on the cold hard ground, but dreams won't sprout, won't sprout without, without the dreams', dreams' dreamer Thus the hourglass will turn, turn downwards The oldest of medicines, hand in hand with blood The sand pours to slumber on the cold hard ground, but dreams won't sprout, won't sprout without, no, no, no dreams' won't sprout without their dreamer
- tomrod 4y ago