Latvian Folk song -- translation?

Peter Vanroose

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Feb 28, 1993, 5:30:05 PM2/28/93

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Hello everybody,

I recently received text and music of a folk song from Latvia.
The title is ``Put, vejini''. We are planning to sing this
with the chorus ``Kabaal -- world music'' from Leuven (Belgium).

My main question is: could anybody on this list provide me with
a translation of the text (appended below)? And, also important,
I am also interested in a correct pronunciation.

Here we go...

Put, vejeni, dzen laivinu,
aizdzen mani Kurzeme.

Kurzemniece man solija
sav' meitinu malejin.

Solit sola, bet nedeva,
teic man' lielu dzerajin'.

Teic man' lielu dzerajinu,
kumelina skrejejin.

Kuru krogu es izdzeru,
kam noskreju kumelin'?

Pats par savu naudu dzeru,
pats skrej' savu kumelin'.

Pats preceju ligavinu,
tevam, matei nezinot.

P.S. Several vowels have a bar (to be pronounced long?)
Half of the ``n'' (those at the ends of words) are
written with a comma (,) inside. (To be pronounced nj ?)

P.S. For those interested in the music: I can try to write it
down and eMail. It is harmonized for 4 voices by Adolf Lohmann
(1907--1983) in 1954.

--

Peter Vanroose
Electrotechnical Department, ESAT
K.U. Leuven, Belgium.
VANR...@esat.kuleuven.ac.be
tel. +32 16 220931

Gints Klimanis

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Mar 1, 1993, 3:14:11 PM3/1/93

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In article <C36Ju...@gate.esat.kuleuven.ac.be>,

Yeah, here we go. My weak translation skills yield a nearly literal
translation.

|> Put, vejeni, dzen laivinu,
|> aizdzen mani Kurzeme.

Blow wind, sail my boat,
Send me to Kurzeme.

|> Kurzemniece man solija
|> sav' meitinu malejin.

A woman (from Kurzeme) promised me
her daughter for betrothal. (Guess on malejin)

|> Solit sola, bet nedeva,
|> teic man' lielu dzerajin'.

Promised, promised, but didn't give,
told me I'm a drunk.

|> Teic man' lielu dzerajinu,
|> kumelina skrejejin.

Told me I'm a big drunk,
Pony racer.

|> Kuru krogu es izdzeru,
|> kam noskreju kumelin'?

Which bar did I drink,
at which I lost my pony?

|> Pats par savu naudu dzeru,
|> pats skrej' savu kumelin'.

Drank with my own money,
Rode my own pony.

|> Pats preceju ligavinu,
|> tevam, matei nezinot.

Married the maiden,
Without her dad, mom knowing.

|>
|> P.S. Several vowels have a bar (to be pronounced long?)
|> Half of the ``n'' (those at the ends of words) are
|> written with a comma (,) inside. (To be pronounced nj ?)

n is "ny" enunciated rapidly. Say "Nyet, Nyet, Soviet" rapidly.
,

Latvian -> English pronounciation

-
Put -> Poot

-
Vejini -> Vehhyihnyi
,

Laivinu -> Lahhivihhnyu
,

M. Bickis

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Mar 4, 1993, 2:24:20 PM3/4/93

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In article <1mtqq...@fido.asd.sgi.com> gi...@prophet.esd.sgi.com (Gints
Klimanis) gives a translation of the song "Put Vejini" {That's
P\-ut V\-eji\cni for the TeX-nicians}:

>|> Put, vejeni, dzen laivinu,
>|> aizdzen mani Kurzeme.
>Blow wind, sail my boat,
>Send me to Kurzeme.
>

etc.

This song has a curious place in the Latvian soul. Reading the words, it
certainly sounds like a lively drinking song, to be sung with bravado and
gusto. The tune, however, is very lyrical, and is always song
*reverently*, almost like a hymn. The song has become like a
surrogate national anthem, and is frequently sung even at solemn social
gatherings. The story I have heard (but I can't confirm it) is that at
various times of oppression, this innocuous song was sung instead of something
more provocative, such as "Dievs, sveti Latviju!". Everybody knew what
was the mood of the meeting, but the authorities couldn't say anything
because after all they were just singing a simple folk song.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>bic...@math.usask.ca<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Mik Bickis \,,, .*#*. \ University of Saskatchewan
Department of \,,, ^\\|//^ ```\ Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Mathematics & Statistics \ )|( ```\ Canada S7N 0W0
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<S|A|S|K|A|T|C|H|E|W|A|N|>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

M. Bickis

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Mar 10, 1993, 4:55:42 PM3/10/93

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In article <1natsi$m...@usenet.pa.dec.com> put...@andris.chi.dec.com
(Andy Putnins) writes:
>Let me offer a few refinements to Gints Klimanis' translation:

>
>|> |> Kurzemniece man solija
>|> |> sav' meitinu malejin.
>|> A woman (from Kurzeme) promised me
>|> her daughter for betrothal. (Guess on malejin)

How's this for a guess for "m\-al\-eji\cn":

Could it be a diminutive feminine corruption of the German "Mahler"--i.e.
a painter? Could it be that the Courlander's daughter is a budding artist?
:-)

Then again, "mala" (short 'a') means edge or border or margin. So perhaps
the daughter has been marginalized?

Gints Klimanis

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Mar 10, 1993, 5:56:03 PM3/10/93

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In article <1nlo4u...@access.usask.ca>, bickis@skmath1 (M. Bickis) writes:
|> In article <1natsi$m...@usenet.pa.dec.com> put...@andris.chi.dec.com
|> (Andy Putnins) writes:
|> >Let me offer a few refinements to Gints Klimanis' translation:
|> >
|> >|> |> Kurzemniece man solija
|> >|> |> sav' meitinu malejin.
|> >|> A woman (from Kurzeme) promised me
|> >|> her daughter for betrothal. (Guess on malejin)
|>
|> How's this for a guess for "m\-al\-eji\cn":
|>
|> Could it be a diminutive feminine corruption of the German "Mahler"--i.e.
|> a painter? Could it be that the Courlander's daughter is a budding artist?
|> :-)

You are quite the wise guy. Mahler was a German composer.

Juris Rungis

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Mar 10, 1993, 9:57:56 PM3/10/93

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In article <1nlo4u...@access.usask.ca> bickis@skmath1 (M. Bickis) writes:
>In article <1natsi$m...@usenet.pa.dec.com> put...@andris.chi.dec.com
>(Andy Putnins) writes:
>>Let me offer a few refinements to Gints Klimanis' translation:
>>
>>|> |> Kurzemniece man solija
>>|> |> sav' meitinu malejin.
>>|> A woman (from Kurzeme) promised me
>>|> her daughter for betrothal. (Guess on malejin)
>
>How's this for a guess for "m\-al\-eji\cn":
>
>Could it be a diminutive feminine corruption of the German "Mahler"--i.e.
>a painter? Could it be that the Courlander's daughter is a budding artist?
>:-)
>
>Then again, "mala" (short 'a') means edge or border or margin. So perhaps
>the daughter has been marginalized?
>

"male'jin'a" fem., dim., one who grinds grain in a "maltuve" (usually
a hand turned stone).

(I saw the smiley but thought others might be confused.)

********************************************************************************
Dr Juris Rungis | internet - run...@dap.csiro.au
CSIRO Applied Physics | Pho: + 61 2 413 7045
National Measurement Laboratory | Fax: + 61 2 413 7383
PO Box 218 |
Lindfield NSW 2070 |
Australia |
********************************************************************************

M. Bickis

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Mar 13, 1993, 3:43:43 PM3/13/93

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In article <gij...@zola.esd.sgi.com> gi...@prophet.esd.sgi.com
(Gints Klimanis) writes in reply to me:
>|> Could [malejin] be a diminutive feminine corruption of the German "Mahler"

>|>--i.e. a painter? Could it be that the Courlander's daughter is a budding
>|> artist?
>|> :-)
>
>You are quite the wise guy. Mahler was a German composer.

But the common noun "der Mahler" means "painter". In Latvian, "malet"
[with both vowels long] is used as a verb meaning "to paint".
It is, of course, not a "pure" Latvian word, being derived from the
German, and thus would not likely be used in a folk song. Hence the
smiley above.