Ussid
Ussi tappa ei tohtinud, kui ta muidu poesast välja kutsuti.
The snake was not to be killed if it was just called out of the bush.
Nõeluss laulab nagu rohutirts, seda ma olen ise kuulnud. Uss on püsti puu naeal, kui laulab, aga tal on lamedam ääl kui rohutirtsul.
A poisonous snake1 sings like a grasshopper. I have heard it myself. He stands up at a tree when singing but his voice is more plain than that of a grasshopper.
1 Viper, lit. ‘needle snake’ here.
Ussimaarjapäeva järel öeldi, et nüüd võib metsa minna, et nüüd on ussid löönud punti ja minema mätta sisse, siis ei ole metsas enam ussi karta.
After the Nativity of Mary2 it was said that now you can go to the forest because the snakes have gathered and have started going into the sod. So, there is no need to be afraid of snakes in the forest.
2 In Estonian lit. ’Feast of Mary of the Snakes’ Sept 8.