On aamu.
Parvekkeen kaiteelta hyppää varpunen
keittiön ikkunan alle tutkimaan,
onko äiti ravistanut pöytäliinan.
Translator’s Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| aamu (n.) | the period of time between midnight and noon, especially from sunrise to noon | morning, dawn, daybreak, sunrise, first light, sunup |
| äiti (n.) | a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth | mother, mom, mama, mommy, ma |
| alle (prep.) | at a lower level or layer than | below, under, beneath, underneath, further down |
| hyppää (v.) | from the verb hypätä—to push oneself off a surface and into the air by using the muscles in one’s legs and feet | hops, skips, jumps, leaps, springs, bounces, dances |
| ikkunan (n.) | an opening in the wall that is fitted with glass, allowing people to see out | window, aperture, casement, fenestra, porthole, bay window |
| kaiteelta (n.) | a bar fixed to posts or a wall for people to hold on to for support | railing, handrail, rails, siding, banister |
| keittiön (n.) | a room or area where food is prepared and cooked | kitchen, kitchenette, cookery |
| on (v.) | stating a thing’s existence or presence | it is, this is, here is |
| onko (conj.) | expressing an inquiry or investigation | if, whether, whether or not |
| parvekkeen (n.) | a platform enclosed by a wall or railing on the outside of a building | balcony, veranda, terrace, balustrade, patio |
| pöytäliinan (n.) | a piece of fabric spread over a table, especially during meals | tablecloth, table linen, napery |
| ravistanut (v.) | to move something up and down or from side to side with rapid, forceful movements | shaking, shaking out, unfurling, brandishing, agitating, jiggling |
| tutkimaan (v.) | to ascertain or discover something with the eyes | see, examine, investigate, check out, glimpse, detect |
| varpunen (n.) | a small finch-like bird related to weaverbirds, typically with brown and gray plumage | sparrow |
Artistic Elements
I. About Free Verse
• Free verse is a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from
limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms. Such
poems are without rhythms and rhyme schemes; do not follow regular rhyme
scheme rules and still provide artistic expression. In this way, the poet can give his
own shape to a poem how he/she desires. However, it still allows poets to use
alliteration, rhyme, cadences or rhythms to get the effects that they consider are
suitable for the piece.
Bio
Risto Rasa is one of Finland’s most popular poets. He has written nine books of poetry, most often short meditations on nature, love, and everyday life. He is currently the head librarian in the rural town of Somero where he lives with his wife.
Located in northern Europe, Finland is the eighth largest country in the continent. Despite its size, it only has a population of 5.4 million (a little less than the population of the San Francisco Bay Area). The Finnish word for Finland is Suomi. The Finnish language does not belong to the Indo-European language family to which most of Europe’s languages (English, Spanish, French, German, and Russian, for example) belong.