Recordings from the Estonian Folklore Archives 3

The Maiden Is Not at Home

Miina Lambot and Anna Paalberg Kuusalu (1938)

Pruudipoolsed pulmalised, kui saajarahvas on kohale jõudnud:

Seie-p tuleb võera'aida,
Seie-p võerasta vägeda.
Kust sie rahvas seie tulnud:
kas on tulnud Turgimaalda,
vai on saanud Saksamaalda,
vai vierend Vene rajalta?
Mis sie rahvas siita otsib –
meil pole neiduda koduna,
neid on Virus vihtlemassa,
Arjus päädä arjamassa.

The bride's wedding party sing this as the grooms entourage arrives:

Strangers are coming here,
a company of strangers to this place.
Where has this folk come from;
have they travelled from Turkey,
or perhaps they have arrived from Germany,
or rolled in from Russia?
What do these people want from here –
we don't have any maidens at home,
our maiden is bathing in Viru,
she is brushing her hair in Harju.

ERA, Pl. 86 A2 < Kuusalu khk., Kolga v., Juminda k. ja Tapurla k. – H. Tampere, A. Pulst Riigi Ringhäälingus 1938. a. < Miina Lambot, 70-a., Anna Paalberg, 64-a.
[LP IV a 1; CD1-42]. Mirov, Rüütel, Tormis 1977, 51 (nr. 11).