Oterma and Katerma
A translation of Oterma ja Katerma
There once was a man, Oterma,
he had a brother, Katerma,
both had young wives.
Early one morning they were driving
through a dim forest;
a devil-bird sang in a tree:
“Oterma has a limp
while Katerma is handsome,
a bird of hell enjoys eating
the bloody liver of a brother.”
The elder brother swore:
“Got something to say, bird of hell?”
The younger brother spoke thus:
“Just some birdsong to entertain us on our journey.”
The brothers were returning home
as a winter day darkened;
evil spoke from a tall pine:
“Oterma’s joy is full-figured
while Katerma’s woman is skinny,
a bird of hell enjoys eating
the nipples of a young woman.”
Katerma took a stick
and threw it at the winged creature.
“What are you saying, abomination?”
The elder brother grunted:
“Singing some sense into a man’s head.”
Some time passed,
snow was gleaming, hazel grouses were burring,
blackcocks were cooing;
fair Katerma spoke:
“You approach the game from that direction,
I’ll go this way.”
Limping Oterma saw
a grouse fall in front of him,
met his brother in the woods.
“You didn’t go away after all!”
Said fair Katerma:
“I must have walked in a circle.”
The brothers parted;
fair Katerma heard
a feathered arrow swish past.
“Why did you shoot at me?”
Limping Oterma said:
“My finger must have slipped.”
Some time passed,
sun shone, the ground reappeared,
even the deepest snow melted;
the frost of hearts would not melt
in the darkness of the brothers’ house.
The brothers came to the dinner table;
Oterma’s bride spoke
to fair Katerma:
“Do it! Kill your brother,
then we can be together!”
Fair Katerma spoke:
“Wait, we are going to the sauna!”
The brothers went to the sauna;
Katerma’s woman whispered
to limping Oterma:
“Do it! Kill your brother,
he’s wooing your woman!”
Limping Oterma said:
“Wait, we are going to bed!”
The brothers went to bed;
fair Katerma got up,
his wife beside him asked:
“Where are you going, dear?”
Fair Katerma spoke:
“I’ll go feed the stallion.”
Hearing the door squeak,
Oterma’s bride got up;
his husband beside him asked:
“Where are you going, my little bird?”
His full-figured wife replied:
“I’ll go check on the cows.”
The two negotiated in front of the house.
Fair Katerma spoke:
“I won’t spill my brother’s blood;
the lake is open at the shore,
I’ll raise the red sail,
we’ll travel far from here!”
Katerma’s woman heard this
through a gap in the wall,
hurried back:
“Be quick, Oterma, run,
a boat rides the waves,
one brother steals the other’s wife!”
Limping Oterma gloated:
“Let them go,
the boat is broken at the bottom.”
He got up all the same,
brought the stallion from the stable,
rode down the path to the shore;
his wife, as she way taken away, was startled:
“O my fair Katerma!
A red cloud rises from the hills of our home.”
Fair Katerma smiled:
“Hush, my love!
The cloud will bring a long wind.”
She spoke by the mast:
“O my fair Katerma!
The sun is coming down from the hills of our home.”
Fair Katerma smiled:
“Don’t cry, dearest!
Dawn will reveal the rocks in the lake.”
Hearing hoofbeats,
the young wife cried in agony:
“O my fair Katerma!
Your brother comes shining,
a fierce quiver at his belt.”
Fair Katerma said:
“This is the end, I fear.”
The wife rowed, the boat glided on,
fair Katerma paddled,
the boat was being flooded;
he shouted, in mortal danger:
“My brother, listen to your brother!
Please spare the young lady
and let me sink.”
The boat submerged,
they were rowing the water with their fingers,
and limping Oterma was standing
on the gravel on the shore;
he sent a whooshing arrow
towards the swimming man,
pierced his brother’s shoulders,
shot through his woman’s bosom;
he then called out:
“May the blood in my brother
sink as a rock,
may the youth in my wife
rise as the wing of a gull,
so that they will never meet,
never share a guilty embrace,
neither here nor there,
not on the ground, under the ground
or in God’s heaven!”
There once was a man, Oterma,
he had a brother, Katerma,
both had young wives.
Early one morning they were driving
through a dim forest;
a devil-bird sang in a tree:
“Oterma has a limp
while Katerma is handsome,
a bird of hell enjoys eating
the bloody liver of a brother.”
The elder brother swore:
“Got something to say, bird of hell?”
The younger brother spoke thus:
“Just some birdsong to entertain us on our journey.”
The brothers were returning home
as a winter day darkened;
evil spoke from a tall pine:
“Oterma’s joy is full-figured
while Katerma’s woman is skinny,
a bird of hell enjoys eating
the nipples of a young woman.”
Katerma took a stick
and threw it at the winged creature.
“What are you saying, abomination?”
The elder brother grunted:
“Singing some sense into a man’s head.”
Some time passed,
snow was gleaming, hazel grouses were burring,
blackcocks were cooing;
fair Katerma spoke:
“You approach the game from that direction,
I’ll go this way.”
Limping Oterma saw
a grouse fall in front of him,
met his brother in the woods.
“You didn’t go away after all!”
Said fair Katerma:
“I must have walked in a circle.”
The brothers parted;
fair Katerma heard
a feathered arrow swish past.
“Why did you shoot at me?”
Limping Oterma said:
“My finger must have slipped.”
Some time passed,
sun shone, the ground reappeared,
even the deepest snow melted;
the frost of hearts would not melt
in the darkness of the brothers’ house.
The brothers came to the dinner table;
Oterma’s bride spoke
to fair Katerma:
“Do it! Kill your brother,
then we can be together!”
Fair Katerma spoke:
“Wait, we are going to the sauna!”
The brothers went to the sauna;
Katerma’s woman whispered
to limping Oterma:
“Do it! Kill your brother,
he’s wooing your woman!”
Limping Oterma said:
“Wait, we are going to bed!”
The brothers went to bed;
fair Katerma got up,
his wife beside him asked:
“Where are you going, dear?”
Fair Katerma spoke:
“I’ll go feed the stallion.”
Hearing the door squeak,
Oterma’s bride got up;
his husband beside him asked:
“Where are you going, my little bird?”
His full-figured wife replied:
“I’ll go check on the cows.”
The two negotiated in front of the house.
Fair Katerma spoke:
“I won’t spill my brother’s blood;
the lake is open at the shore,
I’ll raise the red sail,
we’ll travel far from here!”
Katerma’s woman heard this
through a gap in the wall,
hurried back:
“Be quick, Oterma, run,
a boat rides the waves,
one brother steals the other’s wife!”
Limping Oterma gloated:
“Let them go,
the boat is broken at the bottom.”
He got up all the same,
brought the stallion from the stable,
rode down the path to the shore;
his wife, as she way taken away, was startled:
“O my fair Katerma!
A red cloud rises from the hills of our home.”
Fair Katerma smiled:
“Hush, my love!
The cloud will bring a long wind.”
She spoke by the mast:
“O my fair Katerma!
The sun is coming down from the hills of our home.”
Fair Katerma smiled:
“Don’t cry, dearest!
Dawn will reveal the rocks in the lake.”
Hearing hoofbeats,
the young wife cried in agony:
“O my fair Katerma!
Your brother comes shining,
a fierce quiver at his belt.”
Fair Katerma said:
“This is the end, I fear.”
The wife rowed, the boat glided on,
fair Katerma paddled,
the boat was being flooded;
he shouted, in mortal danger:
“My brother, listen to your brother!
Please spare the young lady
and let me sink.”
The boat submerged,
they were rowing the water with their fingers,
and limping Oterma was standing
on the gravel on the shore;
he sent a whooshing arrow
towards the swimming man,
pierced his brother’s shoulders,
shot through his woman’s bosom;
he then called out:
“May the blood in my brother
sink as a rock,
may the youth in my wife
rise as the wing of a gull,
so that they will never meet,
never share a guilty embrace,
neither here nor there,
not on the ground, under the ground
or in God’s heaven!”