Kalevalainen vieraan tervehdys

("Kalevalan greeting of a guest")

An old Finnish poem from Kanteletar, to greet a guest arriving to a house:

Kamanat kohottukohot
lakin päästä laskematta
kynnykset alentukohot
kengänkannan koskematta

Pihtipielet väistyköhöt
ovet ilman auetkohot
vieraan tullessa tupahan
astuessa aimo miehen

Harvoin yhtehen yhymme
saamme toinen toisihimme
näillä Väinölän ahoilla
Kalevalan kankahilla

Terve tänne tultuanne,
suuri valtavierahamme
juhlahetkemme iloksi
päivän kuulun kunniaksi

Here's a translation (not really a good one - not too much alliteration =), by me:

Let the door's lintels rise
with the guest not taking hat off
let the door's thresholds lower
without the boot heels them touching

Let the door frame give him way
Open the door without touching
when the guest shall step inside,
when the big man pays us visit.

We don't meet each other often
rarely we see each other
In the wide fields of Väinölä
forestlands of Kalevala.

So be welcome to my house
you, the great guest of mine
to brighten our celebration
to honor the day's passing.

Here's a fine example of Kalevala singing melody, the way the poem is usually sung. (Arranged by yours truly, just with gut feeling, so it may not be perfect!)

(The song is in Lilypond format.)

\include "paper26.ly";

\header {
  title="Kalevalainen vieraan tervehdys";
  composer="trad.";
  poet="Kanteletar";
  tagline="";
  enteredby="Weyfour WWWWolf";
}

KalevalaMelody = \notes { 
        \clef "treble";
        \key d;
	\time 5/4;

	[a8  a8]  [d'8  e'8]  [fis'8  d'8]  e'4  e'4  |
	[g'8  g'8]  [fis'8  d'8]  [e'8  fis'8]  d'4  d'4  |
	[a8  a8]  [d'8  e'8]  [fis'8  d'8]  e'4  e'4  |
	[g'8  g'8]  [fis'8  d'8]  [e'8  fis'8]  d'4  d'4  |

	[b'8  b'8]  [b'8  b'8]  [g'16 () a'16  b'16]  r16  a'4  a'4  |
	[g'8  g'8]  [fis'8  d'8]  [fis'8  a'8]  e'4  e'4  |
	[a8  a8]  [d'8  e'8]  [fis'8  d'8]  e'4  [fis'8 () g'8]  |
	[a'8  b'8]  [a'8  fis'8]  [e'8  fis'8]  d'4  d'4 \bar "||";
}

KalevalaLyrics = \lyrics {

        Ka- ma- nat ko- hot- tu- ko- hot
        la- kin pääs- tä las- ke- mat- ta

        kyn- nyk- set a- len- tu- ko- hot
        ken- gän- kan- nan kos- ke- mat- ta

        Pih- ti- pie- let väis-8 _ ty-16 kö- höt
        o- vet il- man au- et- ko- hot
        vie- raan tul- les- sa tu- pa- han4 _
        as- tu- es- sa ai- mo mie- hen
}

\score{
	\simultaneous {
	     \addlyrics
             \context Score \KalevalaMelody
             \context Lyrics \KalevalaLyrics
	}
        \paper {  linewidth = 16.0\cm; }
	\midi { \tempo 4=100; }
}