Lennä, lennä, leppäkerttu
"A traditional Finnish lullaby in more or less Kalevala metre. Kalevala poems originated in the Finnish iron age. The poems survived as a singing tradition until they were collected and published in written form in the 19th century. Just like Kalevala poems, this little traditional song about a ladybird is still today transferred from parents to their children as a lullaby." -Moorvis2
Lennä, lennä, leppäkerttu
Fly, Fly Ladybird
Lullaby
Lullaby
(Finnish)
(English)
Lennä, lennä, leppäkerttu,
ison kiven juureen.
Lennä leikkikedon kautta
unipuuhuun suureen.
Kulta-kultalehden alla
äiti puuron keittää.
Unituutu leppäkertun
lämpimästi peittää.
Laula, laula, unilintu,
tuoksu, tuomenterttu.
Nuku, punapaitulainen,
pikku leppäkerttu.
Fly, fly, ladybird*,
To the root of the big rock,
Fly through the playground
To the large dream-tree.
Under the golden-gold leaves,
Mom cooks porridge,
Dream-cradle, the ladybird
She warmly covers.
Sing, sing, dream-bird,
Smell the bird cherry tree clusters**.
Sleep, kind red-smocked
Little ladybird.
Notes
*Ladybird is the British word for ladybug.
**This is the prunus padus tree which is a species of cherry tree. It's native to northern Europe and northern Asia and is known as bird cherry, hackberry, hagberry, or Mayday tree.
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Translated by Lisa Yannucci and Marja-Leena Lounasmaa. Thanks to Christopher Wirtanen for correcting the translation.
Photo by Leo Michels.
