# Kuolema Tekee Taitelijan (Song)



## Nightquest

I always was interested in this song. Since *there isn't any accurate translation*, it's always a mess trying to understand the lyrics.
The composer from this band (Nightwish) is known for being poetic and very sensible. So, I'll give you hints in order to help you translating the song.

The man is always trying to return to that "state" of pure innocence, he wants it back to him, and remember how he was able to be innocent when he was a child.

So the main theme in the song is that: the wish to "return to innocen", and you may find words such as "child", "innocence", "wish", "beauty", "heaven", etc. Here are the lyrics:
_*Kerran vain haaveeni nähdä sain
En pienuutta alla tähtien tuntenut
Kerran sain kehtooni kalterit
Vankina sieltä kirjettä kirjoitan

Luojani, luoksesi anna minun tulla siksi miksi lapseni minua luulee

Sinussa maailman kauneus
Josta kuolema teki minusta taiteilijan

Luojani, luoksesi anna minun tulla siksi miksi lapseni minua luulee

Oman taivaan tänne loin
Anna minun päästä pois

*_There is a "closer" translation, but still, it has a few mistakes we can discuss.
_

(ENGLISH TRANSLATION) - from sing365.com

Death Makes An Artist 

Only once I could see my dream 
Didn't feel the smallness under the stars 
Once I got bars in my cradle 
As a prisoner I write a letter from there 

My Lord, let me come to you, let me become what my child thinks I am *
In you is the beauty of the world, of which death made me an artist 
My Lord, let me come to you, let me become what my child thinks I am 

My own heaven I created here 
Let me get away 

---_ 
Translator Notes (from Sing365.com):

* This sentence contains a wordplay ("become" and "come" are the same  word in Finnish, "tulla".) Literally translated it would go like this:

My Lord, to you let me (be)come what my child thinks I am

"luoksesi anna minun tulla" means "let me come to you" and "anna minun  tulla siksi miksi lapseni minua luulee" means "let me become what my  child thinks I am."
____________


I would like to get an accurate translation because it's a great song, and you can see in all of the band's songs how beautiful are the lyrics. He's a great composer.


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## Gavril

Nightquest said:


> I always was interested in this song. Since *there isn't any accurate translation*, it's always a mess trying to understand the lyrics.
> The composer from this band (Nightwish) is known for being poetic and very sensible. So, I'll give you hints in order to help you translating the song.
> 
> The man is always trying to return to that "state" of pure innocence, he wants it back to him, and remember how he was able to be innocent when he was a child.
> 
> So the main theme in the song is that: the wish to "return to innocen", and you may find words such as "child", "innocence", "wish", "beauty", "heaven", etc. Here are the lyrics:
> _*Kerran vain haaveeni nähdä sain*__*
> En pienuutta alla tähtien tuntenut
> Kerran sain kehtooni kalterit
> Vankina sieltä kirjettä kirjoitan
> 
> Luojani, luoksesi anna minun tulla siksi miksi lapseni minua luulee
> 
> Sinussa maailman kauneus
> Josta kuolema teki minusta taiteilijan
> 
> Luojani, luoksesi anna minun tulla siksi miksi lapseni minua luulee
> 
> Oman taivaan tänne loin
> Anna minun päästä pois
> 
> *_There is a "closer" translation, but still, it has a few mistakes we can discuss.
> _
> 
> (ENGLISH TRANSLATION) - from sing365.com
> 
> Death Makes An Artist
> 
> Only once I could see my dream
> _



Question for the native Finnish speakers: is _nähdä haaveen _similar  in meaning to _nähdä unta_? If so, then _*Kerran vain haaveeni  nähdä sain *_could be translated "I only got to dream my dream  once."



> _
> Didn't feel the smallness under the stars
> Once I got bars in my cradle
> As a prisoner I write a letter from there
> 
> My Lord, let me come to you, let me become what my child thinks I am *
> In you is the beauty of the world, of which death made me an artist
> _



I'm not sure about this translation of _*Josta kuolema teki minusta taiteilijan*_. Two more questions for the native Finnish speakers:

- What does _josta _refer to -- _sinussa, maailman kauneus _or something else? 
- What does the whole phrase (_josta kuolema teki minusta_)mean? "Because of which death made me ...", "through which death made me ..."?

Apart from these two lines, the translation seems basically accurate to me.


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## Nightquest

> Apart from these two lines, the translation seems basically accurate to  me.


Yes, it does. But I'm looking for a perfect translation xD

For example, there's a sentence I'm not sure if it's 100% right:

*My Lord, let me come to you, let me become what my child thinks I am*

It doesn't make any sense to me "let me come...". "Let me go to you" would have more sense. 
With google translator (sorry xD), I got a "to you". And according to the lyrics, he's "writing a letter"

_*As a prisoner I write a letter from there 

*_Perhaps it could be: _My Lord, let me go to you, let me become..._

And it has more sense if we pay attention to the vocalist. She's interpreting the song (search on youtube)_. _When she's singing "luojani...", she raises her hands, in a way of pointing to heaven, and she close her hands so tightly as if she was asking/begging something desperately. What would she ask for? Going to heaven, with God (Luojani), I guess...
_
My own heaven I created here 
Let me get away _

He wants to get away from his own heaven (fame/success/becoming an _idol_ or "fake god") and in the chorus he wants to go to God's heaven, so he wants THAT heaven, not his own one.



> - What does the whole phrase (_josta kuolema teki minusta_)mean?  "Because of which death made me ...", "through which death made me ..."?


Interesting! The death of that _beauty/innocence/dream_ made him write these kind of songs. It would have more sense now.

Thank you for helping me, Gavril
I hope a native finnish speaker could help us with our doubts.


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## Gavril

Nightquest said:


> Yes, it does. But I'm looking for a perfect translation xD
> 
> For example, there's a sentence I'm not sure if it's 100% right:
> 
> *My Lord, let me come to you, let me become what my child thinks I am
> 
> *It doesn't make any sense to me "let me come...". "Let me go to you" would have more sense.



Often, one language will use a word meaning "go" in a context where another language will use a word meaning "come". As an English speaker, I don't see a problem with the translation "Let me come" in this case.


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## Nightquest

Gavril said:


> Often, one language will use a word meaning "go" in a context where another language will use a word meaning "come". As an English speaker, I don't see a problem with the translation "Let me come" in this case.



I didn't know about it.
Perhaps, because in spanish "come" implies the "here". How could you want to "come" to a place where you already are? But it's ok if it can be used as "go".

Oh, and talking with a finnish friend, he told me that he'd already tried to translate the song, but it's impossible. I'm going to quote him:



> The real pain in the butt in this song is the  line that even this translator is unsure of. "Luojani, luoksesi anna  minun tulla siksi miksi lapseni minua luulee" is terribly ambiguous. It  combines two different meanings into one sentence and does not imply  which interpretation is the correct one. The problem here is that  "*tulla*" can mean '_come_' or '_become_' depending on the context. The  beginning of the sentence makes only sense if it was meant to be "_come_"  since the destination ("My God, to you") is stated. However, the rest of  the sentence serves as an object of sorts because *"siksi" requires the  entire subclause to be defined.* And with that in mind, the only  reasonable translation is "_become_". I guess it's meant to be that  complicated and deal with it yourself. That's about as much as I can do.


I think my doubts are already cleared, but if you want to share another translation, I'd love to see it and check it.


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