How to Survive November 2020 – 14

Päiväkävelyllä satamassa kohtasin Kauniin Veeran. Veera on Lappeenrannan uusin patsas/vesiaihe. Veera saapui Rantapuistoon kesällä. Tämän kaunottaren on toteuttanut kuvanveistäjä Markku Hirvelä. Patsaan saapumisesta täällä on kuulemma kiistelty viimeiset viisikymmentä vuotta. Tämän version on kaupungille lahjoittanut paikallinen liikemies. Tässä linkki Ylen uutisiin, jossa kerrotaan patsaan historiasta.

At our pier is a new statue/water feature, a statue of ‘Beautiful Veera’. She’s a character in a classical Finnish film from 1950 called ‘Beautiful Veera or A Ballad from Saimaa‘. She was a koffee maker in a steamship that was sailing in the Lake of Saimaa. There’s been lots of controversy about the statue over the years, actually the city folk have been arguing is it all right to place a statue of a shady movie character in a city. This one is a contribution of a local business man. 

– Kaunis Veera by Markku Hirvelä (2020) –

– Kaunis Veera –

Lyrics in English:

Beautiful Veera or A Ballad from Saimaa

Rollups, rollups, bits of beams

on the blue Saimaa we sailed,

boys, shorties and tall lads

we gazed at beautiful Veera.

 

And the steamship’s name it

was Prinsessa Armaada1

and among the beam cargo

we sailed the waves of Saimaa

 

Beautiful Veera boared the ship

in the Saimaa Channel, yes indeed.

Came, came to make the coffee,

for a monthly pay, yes.

 

Veera was a natural wanderer,

Veera was dark by herritage.

Veera made us guys lose our minds,

when she told to us all “No way”.

 

Wiggle, jiggle, wiggle, jiggle

so did the waves rock the ship,

oh how peculiary the dark girl

affected the boys’ feelings.

 

Only the skipper danced with Veera,

Veera captivated him with her gaze,

but to the others Veera said “No thanks”,

Veera made us lads lose our minds.

 

And the steamship’s name it

was Prinsessa Armaada

and among the beam cargo

we sailed the waves of Saimaa.

 

Oh, we lads did wondered

what had gone into us,

that every man was like out of his mind,

and the skipper was just plain nuts.

 

Pokes, pokes, punches, blows,

we gave to each other for Veera

On the shores of Puumala a handsome boy

already was carried to see the doctor.

 

In Lappeenranta boarded the ship,

a strange, dark and tall man.

Whispered into Veera’s ear,

what was the strange man’s plan?

 

Such was his plan, such was his plot,

the stranger took away our Veera.

We cried, we cried to no end,

for Veera she didn’t return to us.

 

Boys, shorties, tall lads

oh, we were all feeling sad.

Thick, thick, punches, blows

to each other we forgave.

 

Veera was a natural wanderer,

Veera was dark by herritage.

Veera made us guys lose our minds,

when she told us all “No way”.

 

And the steamship’s name it

was Prinsessa Armaada

and among the beam cargo

we sailed the waves of Saimaa.

https://lyricstranslate.com

Päivän osallistujat/Today’s participants:

Ritva

Millin 

Susupetal