Nuori nainen

POSTED IN translated Finnish-English September 11, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nuori nainen

Liukas niinkuin lumella suksi,
kova niinkuin kuolon uksi,
kitkerä niinkuin kiukaan lieska,
makea niinkuin maito ja rieska,
leikkivä niinkuin lehti haavan,
ankara niinkuin aalto aaavan,
synkkä niinkuin suossa vuori:
niin on lemmessä nainen nuori.

Eino Leino

 

The young woman

Slippery as a ski on the snow,
hard as the death’s door from where you can’t go,
bitter as much as sauna’s fire,
sweet as milk and bread of desire,
playful as a leaf of the aspen tree,
strong as a wave on the open sea,
dark as a swampy mountain above:
so is the young woman who is in love.

 

translated by Maria Magdalena Biela