Olis mulla poika sulle
hiukan sanomista.
Sen mie kuiskin kahen kesken,
jos se on mahollista.
I would have something to tell you boy.
I'll whisper it to you just the two of us, if I may.
Tokkopa tohit miule tulla
talonpitäjksi,
pienen mökin iloksi
ja karjanhoitajaksi.If you'd like to come to master my house
to be the joy of my small cottage and the keeper of my cattle.
(Yes, this is a song about a girl proposing to a guy.)
Tumala, tumala, tumala ko kolena
tumala, tumala kolena.(I have no idea what this part means, it's probably just nonsense.)
Hiukan se mökki ahdas lie,
ja tiekin on pitkänlainen,
silti se meijät yhteen vie,
vaikk' onkin vajavainen.The cottage may be a little small and the road there is long as well,
but it will lead us together just the same though it may be lacking in some way.
(A very typical Finnish theme is to talk down the things you actually think highly about, so you can't entirely trust that the house is small and the road lacking - later on the song lets you in that the girl singing is actually fairly wealthy.)
Tumala....
En oo koskaan rouvastellu
lankkisaappahissa,
vaan tallustelu virsuissa, ja
sarkavaattehissa.I've never ladied around in polished boots,
I've only worn birch bark shoes and worn homespun clothes.
(Now she's talking down her looks, in any case it's not proper to show off with fancy clothes.
This is where she's trying to appear modest.)
En oo päätäin kammannu,
en liikoja silitelly.
En oo liioin muita poikii
viereen vikitelly.I haven't been combing my hair not petted it smooth.
And I haven't tried to get other boys to sit by my side.
(She insists she's not vain about her looks. The combing part means setting her hair to a hair-do. Likewise she makes a point that her proposal is not just lightly thrown at whoever, the boy she's proposing to is special.)
Tumala....
Mull on lehmät nutipiät,
sarvekas on mulli,
läävä täysi lampaita, ja
pässin nimi Julli.I have cows, the hornless ones, the one with horns is the bull,
a stable full of sheep and the ram's name is Julli.
(Welp no one who owns this much cattle is actually poor, so after stating her business and making polite remarks on how she's not all that hot it's time to REALLY woo the guy by flaunting the other goods!)
Sika sekä porsaita,
ja pari vasikoita.
Eikö syki sydämesi
aatellessa noita?A pig and piglets and a few calfs.
Doesn't your heart beat faster when you think of all that?
Tumala...
Jollet sä usko sanojain,
ja sydäntäs et anna,
itseppä sitten mullin syötän,
elä huolta kanna.If you won't believe my words and won't give me your heart,
I'll feed the bull on my own, don't worry about that.
(In other words, if you say no then hah I'll just keep everything I own myself, none for you. Consider that.)