Ar an gcúigiú lá de Mhí Feabhra is gnách le muintir na Fion-lainne lá Runeberg a cheiliúradh. Is é Johan Ludvig Runeberg file náisiúnta na tire. Ach ba le Sualainnis a tógadh é, cosúil leis an gcuid is mó de lucht an léinn sa tír sa naoú haois déag, agus mar sin ba í an tSualainnis teanga a chuid filíochta.
Mar sin féin is féidir a rá go raibh sé ar duine de na filí is ‘Fionlannaí’ riamh, agus ar ndóigh d’aistrigh scoth filí na Fionlainnise a chuid saothair le go léifeadh an chosmhuintir é. Cuid den lá iad ‘cístí Runeberg’; deirtear gurbh í bean chéile an fhile a cheap an t-oideas.
Cé gur chum Runeberg a lán eile glactar leis gurb í an díolaim úd Fänrik Ståls sägner, nó Scéalta an Mheirgire Stål, an saothar is tábhachtaí dár tháinig óna pheann. Is éard is ábhar don díolaim seo ná Cogadh na Fionlainne sna blianta 1808-1809.
Roimh an gcogadh seo ba chuid den tSualainn í an Fhionlainn, ach ansin d’ionsaigh Impireacht na Rúise sinn, agus ba é ba toradh don chogadh seo ná go ndearna Impire na Rúise a chuid féin den Fhionlainn. Níor athraigh sé na dlíthe Sualannacha a bhí i bhfeidhm anseo, áfach: bhí sé sásta an Fhionlainn a rialú mar ard-diúcacht nach raibh mórán i bpáirt aici leis an Rúis ach amháin an tImpire féin, arbh é Ard-Diúc na Fionlainne é.
Saolaíodh Runeberg ar an gcúigiú lá de Mhí Feabhra 1804, rud a chiallaíos nach raibh sé ach ina thachrán bheag nuair a cuireadh an cogadh. Deirtear go ndeachaigh an Ginearál Rúiseach Kulnev i bhfeidhm ar an mbuachaill toisc go raibh sé ina cheann mhaith dó agus é ina pháiste, cé gur saighdiúir de chuid an namhad a bhí ann. Mar sin chum sé dán faoi Kulnev a foilsíodh sa díolaim faoin gcogadh sin.
Clasaicigh iad a lán de na dánta a chuir Runeberg i mbéal an Mheirgire Stål, cosúil le ‘Gamle Hurtig’, nó Sean-Hurtig. Seansaighdiúir é Hurtig agus é ag labhairt leis féin cois tine roimh an gcath mór, agus é míshásta leis an dóigh a bhfuil arm na Sualainne ag cúlú roimh na Rúisigh. Cinneann sé ar an gcomhairle éirí as an síorchúlú agus an fód a choinneáil mar a bhfuil sé; ach tá sé i ndán don tSualainn an cath a chailleadh, agus mar sin, is éard atá daite don tseanfhear chróga ná bás a fháil i bpáirc an áir.
Ina dhiaidh sin féin, is iontach an dán é, go háirithe nuair a chantar ina amhrán é. Uaireanta, sílim go mba chóir dom an dán a aistriú go Gaeilge, nó chuirfeadh sé sracadh na Fionlainne i ngluaiseacht na Gaeilge agus iad ag iarraidh an fód – is é sin, na forais Ghaeilge atá ann faoi láthair – a choinneáil gan a dhath a ghéilleadh.
Ó pheann Runeberg a tháinig amhrán náisiúnta na Fionlainne chomh maith, ‘Vårt land’ (‘Ár dTír’), agus na focail a ghabhas le ceol oifigiúil máirseála Uachtarán na Fionlainne, ‘Björnebor-garenas marsch’, is é sin, ‘Máirseáil Mhuintir Pori’. Cathair chois chósta thiar na Fionlainne í Pori, nó Björneborg as Sualainnis, agus tagairt é an teideal don reisimint cos-slua a bhí ar garastún in Pori nuair a bhí rí na Sualainne ag rialú na Fionlainne go fóill.
Ar ndóigh is iomaí radacach óg a d’ionsaigh is a lochtaigh saothar Runeberg i rith na mblianta. I luathbhlianta neamhspleáchais ár dtíre bhí dlí i bhfeidhm a choisc gach cineál dímheasúlacht i leith shaothar Runeberg mar sheoid náisiúnta, rud a chiallaigh nach bhféadfá scigaithris a dhéanamh air, mar shampla.
Cé gur cuireadh an dlí sin ar ceal le fada, ghreamaigh a chuimhne i bhfo-chomhfhios an náisiúin, agus nuair a tháinig na seascaidí reibiliúnacha, cuireadh i leith Runeberg go raibh sé ag adhradh an chogaidh, ag idéalú doirteadh fola.
Bhí cuid den cheart ag na radacaigh óga, ar ndóigh, ach ba chuid d’fhilíocht an Rómánsachais a leithéid d’idéalú, agus rachadh sé thar fóir a mhilleán sin a chur ar aon scríbhneoir amháin nuair a bhí coinbhinsiún liteartha a linne i gceist.
Scríbhneoir Gaeilge ón bhFionlainn é Panu Höglund a tógadh le filíocht Runeberg.
The 5th of February in Finland is Runeberg’s Day in honour of Johan Ludvig Rune-berg, our national poet. But his native language, and the language of his poetry, was Swedish, as he was a learned man in Finland in the 19th century.
Anyway, you could call him one of the most Finnish poets ever, and of course the best Finnish-language poets translated his works for the benefit of the common people. On Runeberg’s Day we eat special ‘Runeberg pastries’; it is said that the recipe was his wife’s originally.
Runeberg did write a lot of poems, but generally it is held that his most important works are found in the book called Fänrik Ståls sägner, or Ensign Stål’s Stories. These poems are about the Finnish War in 1808-1809.
Before this war Finland was part of Sweden, but then the Russian Empire attacked us, and as result the Emperor annexed Finland. But he did not change the Swedish laws that were observed in Finland: he was happy to rule the country as a grand duchy which had little in common with Russia except the person of the emperor himself, who was styled the Grand Duke of Finland.
Runeberg was born on the 5 February 1894, which means that he was just a little boy when the war was waged. It is said that the Russian general Kulnev, although an enemy soldier, made a favourable impression being friendly to the little child, and that this was why Runeberg wrote a poem about the general.
Many of the poems Runeberg put in the mouth of his Ensign Stål are now classics. A good example is ‘Gamle Hurtig’, the poem about the old soldier Hurtig talking to himself at the campfire before the great battle. He is not happy with the way the Swedish army is retreating all the time, and he decides to stop the retreat himself and stand his ground. However, the Swedish troops lose the battle, and thus his destiny is to be killed in action.
Anyway, it is a great poem, especially when it is sung. Sometimes I wonder if I should translate it into Irish. At the very least it would put some Finnish fighting spirit in the Irish language movement when they are trying to stand their ground and keep the existing Irish language institutions, without ceding an inch.
Runeberg also wrote the national anthem of Finland, ‘Vårt land’ (‘Our Land’), as well as the words that go with the official march of the President of Finland, ‘Björneborgarenas march’, which means ‘The March of the Men of Pori’. Pori, or Björneborg in Swedish, is a western coastal town, and the name of the march refers to the infantry regiment stationed in the town back when Finland still was ruled by the King of Sweden.
Of course many young radicals have over the years criticised and attacked Runeberg’s poetry. In the early years of independence there was a law against any kind of disrespect for such monuments of national culture as Runeberg’s poems, which meant that you couldn’t write a parody of them, for instance.
Although that law was repealed a long time ago, its memory lingered on in the subconscious, and when the rebellious sixties began, Runeberg was said to have adulated war and idealised bloodshed.
This was partly true, of course, but such idealisation is part and parcel of Romantic poetry, and it would be unfair to lay the blame on one writer for the literary convention of his whole era.
Panu Höglund is an Irish-language writer from Finland who was brought up to love Runeberg’s poetry.
