Lumi on jo peittänyt kukat laaksosessa
Järven aalto jäätynyt talvipakkasessa
Varpunen pienoinen syönyt kesäeinehen
Järven aalto jäätynyt talvipakkasessa
Pienen pirtin portailla oli tyttökulta
Tule, varpu, riemulla, ota siemen multa
Joulu on, koditon varpuseni onneton
Tule tänne riemulla, ota siemen multa
Tytön luo nyt riemuiten lensi varpukulta
Kiitollisna siemenen otan kyllä sulta
Palkita Jumala tahtoo kerran sinua
Kiitollisna siemenen otan kyllä sulta
En mä ole, lapseni, lintu tästä maasta
Olen pieni veljesi, tulin taivahasta
Siemenen pienoisen, jonka annoit köyhälle
Pieni sai sun veljesi enkeleitten maasta
❤
Feeding small birds at Christmas is an old tradition in Nordic countries. Varpunen jouluaamuna
(Sparrow on Christmas Morning) is a moving poem by Zachris Topelius from 1859. His son had died at the age of one the spring before the poem was written. From the Swedish original it has been translated into Finnish by Konrad Alexis Hougberg (K. A. Waaranen). The translation into English, below, follows the Swedish original.
White snow has fallen on birch trees in forests,
frozen is lake all along, spring winds it expects.
Small sparrow, poor sparrow, eaten all its summer store.
Frozen is lake all along, spring winds it expects.
At a green small house's door was a girl now standing:
Sparrow small, come as before, seeds from me pecking!
Christmas is in our home, and you bird so grey alone.
Sparrow small, come as before, seeds from me pecking!
Bird flew at maiden's feet, on the wings so merry,
Happily I'll take your seed that you for me carry.
God will yet reward you, who to poor a friend was true.
Happily I'll take your seed that you for me carry.
I am not who you assume, as your eyes are in tears.
I am your young brother, whom you in spring lost last year.
When you gave crumbs of bread to the poor and well him fed,
you gave it your brother, whom you in spring lost last year.
