| Traduzione svedese / Swedish translation / Traduction suédoise ... |
ARRIVAL OF A SAVO [1] BOY IN AMERICA | EN SAVOLAXPOJKES ANKOMST TILL AMERIKA |
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When we left home for this country | När vi gick hemifrån för att flytta till detta land |
And took farewell from our Mothers, | och tog farväl av våra mödrar |
Tears were falling from our eyes | så föll tårar ned från ögonen |
Like water from thunder clouds. | nästan som regn från åskmålnen. |
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On the following morning we were in Hanko [2]. | Följande morgon var vi på Hangönäset |
We were speaking the Savo language [3]. | och talade savolaxspråket. |
We could also have done it in English, | Fast man redan kunde engelska |
but there was no one around to reply. | så fanns det ingen som svarade. |
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The Baltic Sea was proudly waving | När Östersjön böljade stolt |
And Arcturus [4] us gently cradling. | och Arcturus gungade oss |
Looking towards the shore | blickade vi ut mot stranden |
We saw the beam of the lighthouse flashing. | och såg fyrtornet kasta sitt ljus. |
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Seasickness was already kicking in | Sjösjukan började sprida sig |
And when I felt it coming | och när jag kände de första tecken i mig |
I ate some cured vendace [5] | så tog jag bara en sup från min butelj |
And flushed it down with a sip from my bottle. | och åt saltad siklöja därpå. |
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After having arrived in Hull | Så anlände vi till Hull |
And passed the customs control [6] | och efter att ha kommit genom tullen |
We took the train through the country | åkte vi med tåg över landet |
And came to Liverpool. | och kom till Liverpool. |
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Then we went to see our next liner, | Sen gick vi och se vårt nästa skepp |
far longer and more severe than the one before. | ännu längre och strängare än förut. |
Onboard, it felt downright creepy | Ombord kände man sig rätt så skrämd |
When the foghorn sounded its farewell. | när mistluren dånade sitt farväl. |
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Stars were twinkling on the sky | Stjärnorna blinkade på himlen |
When we were on open Atlantic waters again | och vi var på Atlantens öppna vatten igen |
Onboard an Allan Line ship | ombord på ett skepp av Allan Line. |
In a raging storm with no land in sight. | Stormen rasade och inget land var i sikte. |
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Approaching the New York shore | Men när vi narmade oss New Yorks kust |
And my food supplies running out, | och reseprovianten i min påse började ta slut |
I felt like I was reborn | kände jag mig som om jag vore nyfödd |
To get out of the Atlantic storms. | för att komma ut ur Atlantens stormar. |
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We were brought to the Americas | Hit till Amerika har vi kommit fram |
And in a mine we shoveled dirt. | Och i en gruva har vi fått skyffla jord. |
There was no need for a foreman | En förman behövdes där inte |
Since others had arrived before us. | För att andra hade kommit före oss. |
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But when we came to the logging camp | Men i skogshuggarnas timmerkoja |
The Savo language already sounded like English | lät savolaxspråket redan som engelska |
When the guys from Pori [7] started adapting | när björneborgaren började adaptera |
And those from Savo bossing around [8]. | och savolaxpojken strax kommendera. |
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[1] A historical province in the east of Finland
[2] The southernmost city in Finland and an important port town
[3] Savo dialect, or in Hiski Salomaa's case, Southern Savo dialect
[4] Built in Scotland in 1898, SS Arcturus was a passenger ship of the Finland Steamship Company operating primarily on the route between Hanko, Finland and Hull, England. Arcturus remained in service until 1956.
[5] Coregonus albula, known as the vendace or as the European cisco, is a species of freshwater whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is found in lakes in northern Europe.
[6] It's told that Salomaa, who travelled without any relatives as he was orphan back then, had difficulties passing the customs control, because he was very young and stunted for his age and, therefore, potentially not fit to immigrate into the USA.
[7] A city on the west coast of Finland
[8] People from Savo are said to be inclined to take the lead or boss around or act as self-proclaimed initiators and supervisors.