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Early Indo-European Texts
Lithuanian
Jonathan Slocum and Virginija Vasiliauskiene
This page contains a text in Lithuanian with an English translation. This particular text and its translation are extracted from a lesson in the Early Indo-European Online series, where one may find detailed information about this text (see the Table of Contents page for Baltic Online in EIEOL), and general information about the Lithuanian language and its speakers' culture.
The Seasons, by Kristijonas Donelaitis
Tàs nenáudėlis Plaučiū́ns, pàs Kãsparą pérnai
Talkojè pavitóts, taĩp baĩsiai bùvo prir̀ijęs,
Kàd jìs nãktyj, añt tamsių̃ laukų̃ klydinė́dams,
Bùdę naũją sù dalgiù šukė́tu prapùldė
Ir̃gi namõn išaũšus jaũ vos võs parsibãstė.
Taĩp jisaĩ paskuĩ, per̃ diẽną vìsą miegódams,
Pàmestų rỹkų laukè ieškót neminė́jo,
Ìk põ mẽto vė̃l šienáut jaũ pùtpela šaũkė.
Štaĩ Plaučiū́ns sàvo dal̃gio beĩ bùdės pasigẽdo
Ir̃ vaitódams vìs ir̃ šeñ, ir̃ teñ bėginė́jo;
Ìk paskiaũs, ìš pãpykio beržìnį pagãvęs,
Pãčią sù glūpaĩs vaikaĩs konè nùmušė smir̃das.
Taĩp potám jisaĩ, nesvíetiškai prisidū̃kęs
Ir̃ vienaũsį kuĩnpalaikį prastaĩ pažebójęs,
Į̃ Karaliáučių dal̃gį pir̃kt tiesióg nukeliãvo.
Õ veĩ teñ, dỹvų visókių daũg pamatýdams
Ir̃ žioplinė́dams vìs beĩ bū̃riškai šokinė́dams,
Bùdę sù naujù dalgiù nusipir̃kt užsimir̃šo;
Bèt ir̃ kuĩnpalaikį taip jaũ pàs Mìką pragė́ręs,
Pė́sčias põ dviejų̃ nedė́lių võs parsibãstė,
Ir̃ sàvo píevą prìdergtą (tìkt gė́da sakýti)
Šnỹpšdams ir̃ rėplinė́dams vìs sù piáutuvu kir̃to.
Translation
That good-for-nothing Plauciunas (having participated) last year in the collective labor and having been given food and drink at Kasparas' place, had eaten and drunk so much, that wandering around at night he lost his new whetstone and chipped scythe. He wandered home just barely at the break of dawn, so that afterwards sleeping through the whole day he didn't remember to look in the field for his lost tools, until after a year the quail called him to make hay again. So Plauciunas missed his scythe and whetstone and groaning ran hither and thither until finally from anger grabbing up a birch stick the stinking fellow almost killed his wife and their stupid children. And then in a fit of unbridled rage he saddled up the one-eared nag and set off directly for Karaliaucius to buy a scythe. But seeing many marvelous wonders there, gaping still and dancing like a peasant he forgot to buy a whetstone and a new scythe. But having drunk up the old nag (i.e., having spent all the money he got from selling the nag) at Mikas' place, he wandered home on foot after two weeks and harvested his befouled field (it's only shameful to say it) with a sickle, crawling and snorting.