A Finnish Lullaby

7/10/2012

In my family we hardly have any trinkets, treasures, or heirlooms from generations past. However, when I was a little girl my mom sang me a Finnish lullaby, which her mother sang to her, and her mother sang to her and so on... I had never seen the words to the song before or had any idea of the translation until someone from Finland helped me discover what the song was and translated it for me.

Piu pau paukkaa,
Jänis metsässä laukkaa,
Poron kello kaulassa,
(name) nuttu naulassa.

Pew Pow Bang!
A hare gallops in the forest
with a reindeer(’s) bell on her neck
(name) jacket (is) hung up on a nail.

Seeing the words and knowing the translation of my lullaby has somehow made the song more real to me and has made me think differently of it. To me, it's as real as any physical object, and it was brought by my ancestors from Finland and passed down generation to generation. I am suddenly aware of a special family heirloom and am contented knowing that I have something of the past which can be carried into the future.

3 Comments

Sandra

9/6/2012 02:49:40 pm

what a lovely memory!

Dan

6/10/2013 07:14:24 am

This lullaby was sang to me when I was a child as well. I grew up in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and this lullaby was sung to my grandmother, who sang it to my father, who sang it to me.

Now, I am the father of 3 children, and I only knew the first two lines, so I have been singing them to my children, over and over.

Thank you sooo much for finding this. It is actually bringing tears to my eyes.

Miss Bojambo 'Jamie'

6/24/2013 11:26:03 pm

Dan -- Thank you for sharing! I only remembered part of the song as well, but have always clung to the part that I did remember. It seemed like a hopeless search, but I am so happy that I was able to figure out the song and get the translation. I am even happier knowing that it has found it's way to you and your family as well. Go Finnish revival!

A Finnish Lullaby

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Jamie L. Luoto