Patriotic/Nationalist Finnish Military Marches

[Routasydän]

Just thought I'd post these three marches I've seen featured on youtube. They have film footage from the second world war acting as a background to these great pieces of patriotic military music.

I'll provide English translations where possible.

Jääkärimarssi - The Jäger March

The Jäger March (Jääkärimarssi in Finnish, originally Jääkärien marssi) was composed by Jean Sibelius to the words written by the Finnish Jäger, Hilfsgruppenführer Heikki Nurmio in Libau, while in the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion of the Imperial German Army. This was fighting against the Russian Empire, of which the Grand Duchy of Finland was part. The words were smuggled into Finland to Sibelius, who composed the song. The first public performance was in Helsinki January 19, 1918 by Akademiska sångföreningen, led by Olof Wallin. The Finnish Civil War began on the same day between the White and the Red troops. The march is the honorary march of many army detachments.

-Wiki

+ YouTube Video

Lyrics:

Deep is our blow, our wrath invincible,
we have no mercy, no homeland.
Our fortunes are at the tip of our swords,
our hearts may not give in.
Our war cry rings, enchanting the country,
which is severing its chains.
Our defiance may not tire,
until the nation of Finland are free.

When lowered with despair were the heads of the nation, the land,
we Jägers still believed.
A dark night in our hearts, a thousand pains,
but one thought proud, holy:
We shall rise as the revenge of Kullervo,
it is sweet to pass the fates of war.
A new tale of Finland is to be born,
it grows, it fights, it conquers.

Häme, Karelia, the shores and lands of Viena,
one great is Finland's reign.
Its ideology can't be driven by brute force,
From beneath the northern sky.
Its Lion Flag is carried
by the strong hand of the Jäger,
Over thunderous, gory fields
towards the coast of a rising Finland.

I got the translation here, and I made some stylistic changes to it.

The other two I don't have translations for and I don't think I'd do a very good job if I attempted them on my own.

Porilaisten Marssi - March of the Pori Regiment

+ YouTube Video

Karjalan Jääkärien Marssi - March of the Karelian Jaegers

+ YouTube Video

[Loorberitega Pärjatu]

OK. Writing in Finnish was banned and I don't remember what I said really.

Good songs! "Porilaisten marssi" has also Estonian words.

[Routasydän]

Some more songs! Both songs that I'm adding now are from the time of the Civil War and the subsequent Tribal Wars in Estonia and Russian Karelia.

Vapaussoturin Valloituslaulu - The Freedom Fighter's Song of Conquest

+ YouTube Video

Kauvan on kärsitty ryssien valtaa
Suomen kansan vapautta suojellessa.
:,: Ylös pojat Pohjanmaan!
Urhot kalliin Karjalan!
Jäämit ja Savon miehet rintamahan! :,:

Sotahan nyt marssimme kotikulta jääköön
jääkäriveri tässä velvoittaa.
:,:Ylös veljet valkoiset!
Alas ryssät punaiset!
Ei auta vihamiestä armahtaa:,:

Voittoja väkeviä saatu jo monta!
Meillä on Valkoisessa Suomessa:
:,: Oulu olkoon omamme!
Vaasa varsin varmamme!
Viipuria vastahan nyt vierimme! :,:

Veriset on taistelut takanamme käyty!
Kukahan niitä kaikkia Muistaakaan
:,:Vaskivesi, Varkaus!
Mäntyharjun harppaus!
Karjalan kaikkivoipa varjelemus!:,:

Hannilan harjuilla pommit ne paukkuu!
Raudussa shrapnellit räiskähtelee!
:,: Ahvola se ankarin!
Suninmäki sankarin!
Pullilankin punikit viel' rangaistaan! :,:

Tulkoon ryssiä tuhannen tuhatta!
Karjalan armeija kestää sen!
:,:Aika on jo ahdistaa!
Punakaartit puhdistaa!
Venäläisten verikoirat karkoittaa!:,:

Kuolema korkea - sankarin palkka!
Urhojen haudoilla hurratahan.
:,: Ruumis saakoon haavan vaan!
Kuulat käykööt kulkuaan!
Sielu jääpi perinnöksi syntymämaan. :,:

Viaporin linnahan leijonalippu
Jukoliste, poijat, me nostetahan!
:,: Suomen voimat näytetään!
Keinot karskit käytetään!
Jääkäriveri tässä velvoittaa! :,:



Vöyrin Marssi - March of Vöyri

+ YouTube Video

(The translation in the video is awful, I know).

Suojeluskunnat Suomenmaassa
järjestystä vaatii,
kaikki ryssät maasta pois
ja alas punakaarti!
Hei, Saksannieni, jääkärijoukko,
Lapuan ja Härmän loukko,
Vöyri, Kauhava ja muut!

Jääkäreillä mukanaan
on menestys ja onni.
Meikäläisten vyöllä riippuu
saksalainen pommi!
Hei, Saksannieni, jääkärijoukko,
Lapuan ja Härmän loukko,
Vöyri, Kauhava ja muut!

Pikkuryssät Pietarissa näkee
pahaa unta:
Venäjä on rajamaa
ja Suomi valtakunta!
Hei, Saksannieni, jääkärijoukko,
Lapuan ja Härmän loukko,
Vöyri, Kauhava ja muut!

Eespäin veikot, pelko pois
ja rivakasti tahti.
Suojeluskunnat Suomenmaan
on vapauden vahti!
Hei, Saksannieni, jääkärijoukko,
Lapuan ja Härmän loukko,
Vöyri, Kauhava ja muut!

[Ikutiera]

Jazz version - Jääkärimarssi

+ YouTube Video

[Routasydän]

Veteraanin Iltahuuto

A beautiful song about veterans sung here by a veteran choir. I quickly pieced together this youtube video using some pictures and video footage from the war years to act as a background.

+ YouTube Video

Rannalle himmeän lahden aurinko laskenut on.
Kutsu jo soi iltahuudon, taakka jo laskettu on.
Taattoa muista sa silloin, askel jo uupunut on.
Lapset ja lastemme lapset, teidän nyt vuoronne on.

Hoivatkaa, kohta poissa on veljet, muistakaa: Heille kallis ol' maa.
Kertokaa lastenlapsille lauluin: Himmetä ei muistot koskaan saa!

Hymni soi holvissa hiljaa, tummana kaipuuta soi.
Aika on korjannut viljaa, sarka jo kynnetty on.
Ammoin me marssimme kahden, tulta löi taivas ja maa.
Rannoilta Äänisen lahden kelle nyt kertoa saa?

Hoivatkaa, kohta poissa on veljet, muistakaa: Heille kallis ol' maa.
Kertokaa lastenlapsille lauluin: Himmetä ei muistot koskaan saa!

Laineissa Laatokan mahti, kahlita kenkään ei voi.
Veljet sen rantoja vahti, konsa on koittava koi?
Ylväänä Karjalan heimo tuskansa kantanut on.
Maaäiti suojaansa sulkee, vartija poissa jo on.

Hoivatkaa, kohta poissa on veljet, muistakaa: Heille kallis ol' maa.
Kertokaa lastenlapsille lauluin: Himmetä ei muistot koskaan saa!

[Routasydän]

Some new additions:

Vilppulan urhojen muistolle - In memory of the heroes of Vilppula (Civil war song)

+ YouTube Video

A clip from the movie Winter War with the same song:

+ YouTube Video

Käy rohkeena taistoon - Go bravely into battle

+ YouTube Video

The first verse is quite funny, imo:

Käy rohkeena taistoon mies Suomen,
sillä pelkoa tunne hän ei.
:,:Kohtaa naisen suun taikka hirsipuun
yhtä tyynenä ainiaan.:,:

Which would translate into English roughly like this:

The Finnish man goes to battle with courage,
for he feels no fear.
:,:He'll meet the lips of a woman or the gallows
always with the same calm.:,:

[Taurin]

I can sing the first verses of the Jääkärimarssi. That's probably all my knowledge of Finnish

Syvä iskumme on, viha voittamaton, meill' armoa ei kotimaata.
Koko onnemme kalpamme kärjessä on, ei rintamme heltyä saata.
Sotahuutomme hurmaten maalle soi, mi katkovi kahleitansa.
Ei ennen uhmamme uupua voi, kuin vapaa on Suomen kansa.

[Routasydän]

Originally Posted by Taurin

I can sing the first verses of the Jääkärimarssi. That's probably all my knowledge of Finnish

Syvä iskumme on, viha voittamaton, meill' armoa ei kotimaata.
Koko onnemme kalpamme kärjessä on, ei rintamme heltyä saata.
Sotahuutomme hurmaten maalle soi, mi katkovi kahleitansa.
Ei ennen uhmamme uupua voi, kuin vapaa on Suomen kansa.

I think Jääkärimarssi is very powerful lyrically.

[Routasydän]

Not sure if this really belongs in this thread, but I suppose its related enough. Allow me to present the march of Infantry Regiment 200 (Fin. Jalkaväkirykmentti 200). I read a book about these guys and they really inspired me.

Infantry Regiment 200 (Fin.: Jalkaväkirykmentti 200, JR 200) was a unit of the Finnish army during World War II made up mostly of Estonian volunteers, who preferred to serve in the Finnish armed forces instead of the armed forces of Germany or the Soviet Union. When the Russians retreated before the German advance from Estonia in 1941, many Estonians were forcefully conscripted into the Red Army, and later Estonians were pressed into service in German uniform. Although initially the Germans were perceived as liberators by most Estonians, it was soon realized that they were but another occupying power. Against this background, the armed forces of Finland, a kindred nation, appeared as a third way, which allowed Estonians to fight for their freedom without having to do so in the ranks of the Germans or the Soviets. Some of the volunteers saw themselves as heirs to the Finnish Jäger troops of World War I, which consisted of young Finnish men making their way secretly to Germany, where they received training and battle experience that enabled them later to play a major role in the liberation of their nation. The Estonian volunteers saw themselves to be on a similar mission. Their motto was "For the freedom of Finland and the honour of Estonia".

Service in the Finnish armed forces

While there had been some Estonian volunteers in the Finnish Army already during the Winter War, the first men of JR 200 crossed the Gulf of Finland in early spring of 1943. It was a dangerous journey to make, as the gulf was ablaze with war and ravaged by storms, and the German authorities did not allow Estonians to cross over to Finland, which also put the Finnish authorities in an awkward position. The first batch of volunteers formed the third battalion of Infantry Regiment 47. In the autumn of the same year, when the German authorities called into service those born in 1925, more volunteers arrived from Estonia. The volunteers made their way over the Gulf independently, or with the help of the "hawks" (Finnish: haukat). The Hawks were Estonian volunteers working for the S-office which was part of the secret service of the Finnish headquarters. The hawks were equipped with speed boats and many of them had served in the reconnaissance unit ERNA, also made up of Estonian volunteers, in the early days of operation Barbarossa.


On February 8, 1944, Finnish Field Marshal Mannerheim ordered the formation of the Estonian volunteer regiment, Infantry Regiment 200. The regiment consisted of two four-company infantry battalions (Companies 1–8 ), the 13th Mortar Company and the 14th Anti-Tank Company. On May 4, 1944, there were 1,973 Estonians and 361 Finns in Infantry Regiment 200, including 67 officers and 165 non-commissioned officers. The regiment took part in the defensive battles of summer 1944 on the Finnish front. They were sent to the front, on June 10 1944, as part of the Finnish 10th Division, and they took up positions around the Bay of Viipuri. The regiment became known as "The Finnish boys" (Finnish: Suomen-pojat, Estonian: Soomepoisid).

JR 200 in Estonia

In August 1944, the Germans began their withdrawal from Estonia. The war in Finland was nearly over, and the men of Infantry Regiment 200 wished to return to Estonia and continue their fight. The regiment had been withdrawn from the front and had been following the developments south of the water anxiously. On August 1 1944, it was broadcast on the Finnish radio, that the Finnish government and President Ryti were to resign. On the next day, Aleksander Warma announced that the National Committee of the Estonian Republic had sent a telegram, which stated "Estonians return home!" On the following day, the Finnish government received a letter from the Estonians. It had been signed in the name of "all national organizations of Estonia" by Captain Karl Talpak, minister Aleksander Warma and several others. In the letter, the Finnish government was asked to send the Estonian volunteer regiment back to Estonia fully equipped.


It was then announced that JR 200 would be disbanded and that the volunteers were free to return home. An agreement had been reached with the Germans, and the Estonians were promised amnesty if they were to return. The men wanted to return armed and as a unit, but if their wishes would be followed was another question. The uncertainty of situation made the decision difficult, but 9 out of 10 decided to return. As soon as they landed, the regiment was sent to perform a counter-attack against the Soviet 3rd Baltic Front, which had managed a break-through on the Tartu front, and was threatening the capital Tallinn.

+ YouTube Video

(Video by me )

The song is sung by the soomepoiste meeskoor (Finnish Boys' Male Choir) and it is the march of the regiment.

Põhjamaa pojad

Teid me tervitame, kodumaa metsad
kaunid kodumaa järved, jõed
lokkamas kus viljapõllud
põllumeest kus kündmas näed

Chorus:
Me vabad Põhjamaa pojad
ja julged võitlejad
:,:Me vaba kodumaa pojad
ja poisid vapraimad :,:

Meeles alati meil Põhjamaa neiu
kelle karge ilu võlunud meid
Sinu silmis pole nuttu
naeratad ja ootad vaid

Kallis emakene meeles meil on ikka
kuigi kodus polnud see ehk nii
ei me unusta sind iial
sa meie juures surreski.

[Routasydän]

Nuijamiesten Marssi - March of the Cudgel War Combatants

(what a poor translation, but its from the website of the FDF so I suppose its official. Nuijamies means literally Cudgel Man, so a direct translation would be March of the Cudgel Men. The name traces back to the Cudgel War, a peasant uprising in 1596.)

+ YouTube Video

Meill on hanki ja jää, meill on halla ja yö,
meill on ankarat käskyt kohtalon.
Kenen kerran nuijamme maahan lyö, se maassa on.

On meidät vihurit valinneet, yöt meille salansa uskoneet, on antanut hukka hampahansa ja ilves varmimman katseistansa.

Meill on halla ja yö, meill on hanki ja jää, pelätkää, pelätkää! Meill on leimuva lemmen ja vihan lies. Kuka meidän tiellämme kestää vois! Kun on kerran lähtenyt Pohjan mies - seis, voitto pois!

Me tulemme voimalla kotoisen tarmon ja hylkäämme kaiken vieraan armon. Ken on syntynyt lakeilla Pohjanmaan, hän kantaa tuomion tunnossaan: hän ei leppyä voi, hän ei väistyä saa - vaviskaa, vaviskaa!

I'll make an attempt at translating the lyrics.

We have snow and ice, we have frost and night,
We have the stern commands of fate.
Whom is struck down by our cudgel, is down for good.

We have been chosen by stormy winds, the night has entrusted us with its secrets, the wolf has given its fangs and the lynx rendered us its strong sight.

We have frost and night, we have snow and ice, be afraid! Be afraid! We have a fiery stove of love and hate. Who could stand in our way! When once the man of the North has gone to battle - Halt! Victory shall be ours!

We come with the strength of our native vigour and we abandon all foreign mercy. Whom is born on the fields of Ostrobothnia, is bound by the judgement in his heart: He cannot grow soft, he cannot step aside - Tremble! Tremble!

A powerful piece of music which is currently the traditional march of Finnish Aerial Defence forces.

[Kalevi]

Hakkapeliittain Marssi - March of the Finnish cavarly from the 30 years war

One of the Finnish cavalry's battle marches, the "Hakkapeliittain Marssi", became popular with military bands and is one of the oldest currently played. It was given lyrics (in Swedish) in 1872 by Zacharias Topelius and is commonly known as the "March of the Finnish Cavalry during the Thirty Years War". The Prussian army officially adopted it for use in 1891; it is now a standard of the German marching band repertoire. The march is the official regimental march of the Swedish 19th Infantry regiment, "I19".

The Finnish composer Uuno Klami developed a free orchestral version of this theme under the title "Suomalaisen ratsuväen marssi" ("March of the Finnish Cavalry" op. 28) in 1939. The Finnish poet Eino Leino published another "Hakkapeliittain Marssi" as part of a collection by the name of Tähtitarha ("Garden of stars") in 1912.

Names of the song in different languages:

Finnish:
Suomalaisen ratsuväen marssi 30-vuotisessa sodassa

Swedish:
Finska Rytteriets Marsch i trettioåriga kriget

German:
Marsch der Finnländischen Reiterei im 30-jährigen Kriege or Schwedischer Reitermarsch ("Swedish Cavalry March")

Finnish lyrics

On Pohjolan hangissa meill' isänmaa
sen rannalla loimuta lietemme saa
käs' säilöjä käyttäiss' on varttunut siell'
on kunnialle, uskolle hehkunut miel'
Kun ratsujamme Nevan vuossa uitettihin
kuin häihin se ui yli Veikselinkin;
Ja kalpamme kostavan Reinille toi
ja Tonavasta Keisarin maljan se joi!

Alternative lyrics

On pohjolan hangissa maa isien
saa loimuta lietemme rannoilla sen
me kasvoimme kalpaan mi mainetta suo
ja uskon huomisen kun sä luontoomme luot
Ja ratsuamme Nevan vuossa juotettihin
se uljaasti ui yli Leipz-Erikin!
Se kalpamme Reinin rannalle toi
ja Tonavasta Keisarin maljan se joi!
Yli rovion tuhkan kun karautamme
tuli kipunoi kavioista ratsujemme!
Ja missä nämä säilämme säihkyy ja lyö
siel vapaus on kallistunut ja väistyköön!

Original Swedish lyrics

Den snöiga nord är vårt fädernesland,
där sprakar vår härd på den stormiga strand,
där växte vid svärdet vår seniga arm,
där glödde för tro och för ära vår barm.
Vi vattnade i Nevans bad vår frustande häst
han sam över Weichseln så glad som till fest,
han bar över Rhen vårt hämnande stål,
han drack utur Donau kejsarens skål.

Literal English translation

The snowy Scandinavia is our fatherland;
there our hearth crackles on the stormy beach.
There our sinewy arm grew by the sword,
there our chest burned with faith and honour.
We watered our snorting horse in the Neva's bath;
he swam across the Vistula as happy as to a feast,
he carried our avenging steel over the Rhine,
he drank the emperor's toast from the Danube.

Poetic English translation

Our homeland lies in the snows of the North;
the hearth of the home glowing warm and strong
Our hand has grown sure with playing the sword
and honour and pure faith lies in our record
At the river Neva our mounts did draw their first blood
like in a wedding march they went across the Vistula flood
Our swords they did bring to the Rhineland's coast
and by the Danube they raised up the Emperor's toast!

[Routasydän]

Pohjola = Scandinavia?