Baturin ... pray ... request ... please ...

at school did a research
about Nikolai Baturin
who is still one
of my favourite Estonian poets.

He has even a homepage
even partly in English,
but no translations of poems.

Some examples of his poems in Estonian
can be found by link 'Luulekogud'
(collections (kogud) of poetry (luule))
on http://www.baturin.pri.ee/
(the first one in a really old version of Estonian language
that is quite difficult to understand
for young Estonians too).

One example (nicely translatable):
Kui oskaks (if one could) palvetada (to pray)
nagu (like) valetada (to lie),
paneks (would put) käed (hands) kokku (together),
paluks (would request) mäed (mountains) kokku (together).

ok - the last 'kokku (together)'
is quite untranslatable.
it's not like
'would ask the mountains to come together'
but more like
'would ask huge mountains of everything i'd ever want to be mine'.

similarity of the words 'palvetada' (to pray)
and 'paluda' (to ask/request
(in the poem the form 'paluks'
with the -ks ending as 'would')).

the first form of the word 'paluma'
is 'palun' (direct translation 'I ask/request')
that means also the English word 'please'
and is one of the two most important words
to teach to polite children
- the other on is of course
'tänan/aitähh' (thanks).

The word 'palun' is used mostly in 2 kinds of situations -
when one wants something ('please give me')
and when one gives something to someone
(like 'palun anna (give me) ...'
- 'palun' (when giving the thing asked)
- 'tänan' (when taking the thing given).

I'm not sure
whether in English
'please' is used when giving sth
or then rather more 'here you go/are' or sth like that.

and also I don't know
what are the old roots
of the English word 'please'
but in Estonian
it is obviously connected with the
in-English-differently-sounding words
'palvetama' ('to pray' like 'God please give me...')
and 'paluma' ('to ask/request' like 'anyone, please give me...').

and 'paluma' (to ask/request) is often used
instead of 'palvetama' (to pray)
- some people say 'palvetama' (to pray)
some people say 'jumalat paluma' (to ask/request the God).

but we don't say 'palvetama' (to pray)
in situations
not connected with God
and we don't say 'jumalat palvetama',
but we sometimes say 'palvetama Jumala poole'
(to pray towards the God).

well, I'm really amazed
that English people have invented
3 absolutely different words (to pray, to request, please)
for the concepts
so closely connected
in Estonian :)

and I think you are very right
that in Estonia
singing/lyrics/poetry/literature
has been a way
of showing
identity
and independence.

could never put it
in words
so simply
myself :)

___
poem by Nikolai Baturin

translations ... explanations ... contemplations ... by Katrin
photo by Ian in Wales 2010

The Poem on Eesti Vabadussammas

poem identified :)

The first part of the poem on the monument :

Tõsta lipp! Las aja käänul
lehvib tõotus tuulte väänul
üle mandri, üle vee:
tund on tulnud vannet vandu,
ei iial enam andu
ikke alla rahvas see!

quite untranslatable
word by word.

the main idea
that this (see)
nation (rahvas)
will vow
(in the poem 'tund (the hour)  
on tulnud (has come)  
vannet (the oath in 3rd form)  
vandu (to vow)')
never (iial)
to be occupied
by anyone
any more
('andu ikke alla'
- really old
and poetic
way to say
'not be occupied').

probably there is
some translation
somewhere
in the world
or even in Internet
but no idea
how to find that...

and would not
help much in learning
Estonian
i guess :)

don't know much
about Gustav Suits.
but u post on blog
everything u find out,
would be really interesting,
really :)

___
poem in Estonian by Gustav Suits on Estonian National Freedom Monument
translation-explanation by Katrin
photo by Jenn in Palupõhja 2009

alliteration - algriim

alliterations - words  same letter/sound. It is used in very old poetry and Scandanvian type poetry like Beowulf...) :))
___
alliterations are in Estonian old songs too. the Estonian word is 'algriim' - 'alg' as the beginning of the word 'algus' that means 'beginning' and 'riim' meaning 'rhyme' that usually means the same sounding of the ends of the rows but in 'algriim' the rhyme is in the beginning instead of end. in one word - alliteration :) some examples of Estonian old songs (regilaul) here http://www.folklore.ee/UTfolkl/loengud/poeetika/2alliteratsioon.html
___
explanations by Ian and Katrin
picture by 7-year-old Laas Hendrik in 2010

What is 'Best Wishes' in Estonian?

parimate soovidega,

now a bit of Estonian grammar:
parim - the best
soov - wish
parim soov - the best wish
parima soovi - 2nd form of the best wish (makes base for most of the other 14 forms)
parima sooviga - wish the best wish (ending -ga meaning with)
parimad soovid - the best wishes (ending -d meaning plural)
parimate soovide - 2nd form of the best wishes in plural (still making base for most of the other 14 forms in plural)
parimate soovidega - with the best wishes (combining the plural ending -d (that in parimate changes to t) and with-ending -ga that adds only to the last word)

___
language explaining by Katrin
photo by Ian of Michelle and Jenn in Wales 2010