| Latvian song | Free translation | Word-for-word translation |
|---|---|---|
| Kur mēs lieldienu* Šūpuli** kārsim? Avota lejā Siltā saulē. | Where shall we hang The Easter* swing? In the dale of a sweet spring, In the warm sunshine. | where we-1.p.nom.pl. Easter-acc.sg.* swing-acc.sg. hang-1.p.pl.fut. spring-gen.sg. valley-loc.sg. warm-fem.loc.sg. sun-loc.sg. |
| Kar, brālīti, šo lieldienu* Māsiņai šūpulītes; Kārsi citu lielu dienu Savai jaunai līgavai***. | Brother, hang swings For your sister this Easter*; Another Easter* you shall hang them For your young bride***. | hang-2.p.sg.imper. brother-dim.voc.sg. this-fem.acc.sg. Easter-acc.sg.* sister-dim.dat.sg. swing-dim.acc.pl. hang-2.p.sg.fut. other-fem.acc.sg. big-fem.acc.sg. day-acc.sg. own-fem.dat.sg. young-fem.dat.sg. bride-dat.sg. |
| Kas to lieldienu* Iešūpoja, Tam auga liniņi, Tam kaņupītes. | Whoever swings on Easter* day, For them, Flax will grow well And also hemp. | who-nom.sg. that-fem.acc.sg. Easter-acc.sg.* start-rock/swing-3.p.pst. that(one)-masc.dat.sg. grow-3.p.pst. flax-dim.nom.pl. that(one)-masc.dat.sg. hemp-dim.nom.pl. |
| Pelnu dienu$ krogā dzēru, Lai liniņi gari aug; Lieldien gāju šūpoties, Lai telītes ganijās. | On Ash Wednesday$ I drank at the pub So that my hemp would grow tall; On Easter I went to swing So my calves would find good pasturing. | ash-gen.pl. day-acc.sg. pub-loc.sg. drink-1.p.sg.pst. so flax-dim.nom.pl. tall-masc.nom.pl. grow-3.p.pres. Easter(acc.sg.) go-1.p.sg.pst. swing-inf.refl. so calf-dim.nom.pl. graze(refl.)-3.p.pst. |
| Pervēsim, māsiņas, Raibas oliņas, Šķiņķosim$$ bāliņam$$$ Lieldienas rītā. | Sisters, let us paint Eggs in gay colours To give to brother$$$ On Easter morning. | paint-1.p.pl.fut. sister-dim.voc.pl. variegated-fem.acc.pl. egg-dim.acc.pl. ham-1.p.pl.fut. brother-dim.dat.sg. Easter-gen.sg. morning-loc.sg. |
* The Latvian word for Easter is lieldienas. This is derived from the adjective liel-s, meaning "big, large", and the noun diena "day". Thus, the term lieldienas literally means "big days". Since Easter occurs in late March or early April, when the days are getting longer, I presume that the days are called "big" because there are more hours of daylight.
Typically the word lieldienas occurs in the plural. However, occasionally, it will occur in the singular. In particular, this happens with the "accusative of time". In other words, the accusative singular form lieldienu is often used to mean "on Easter".
** In this context I have translated the word šūpuli as "swing". However, the word can also be used to mean "cradle". It derives from the verb šūpot meaning "to swing". So, a šūpulis is clearly an "object that swings".
*** The Latvian word līgava most often means fiancée, betrothed, or sweetheart, as well as bride. Interestingly, the word is not a Baltic word originally, but derives from Estonian or Livonian, which are Finnic languages. Perhaps this indicates a high degree of intermarriage between the original Baltic tribes that moved into the area, and the Finnic peoples who were already living there.
$ The phrase pelnu dienu literally translates as "(on) the day of ashes". However, in English the phrase "Ash Wednesday" is used, so that is the way I have translated it. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent (i.e. 40 days before Easter) and normally occurs in February or early March.
$$ The word šķiņķosim is clearly derived from the noun šķiņķis, which means "ham". However, this is a verb. I have no idea what "to ham (someone)" means. If anyone knows, please e-mail me (alisteinbergs@yahoo.ca) and tell me! Meanwhile, I've just translated it as "give".
$$$ I have translated the word bāliņam as "(to) brother". However, the word bāliņš usually has a wider application. In folk songs it seems to apply to any young male relative, such as a brother or male cousin.
To see the explanation of the grammatical abbreviations used in the "word-for-word" translations, go to → Grammatical Abbreviations
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Last revised November 8, 2008