Isa (Lovisa) Asp
(1853-1872)

Isa Asp was the daughter of a civil servant. She had attended the Swedish girls’ school in Raahe and wrote poetry for the school magazines “Fågeln” and “Lauluja”. She started at Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary in 1871. During her studies she wrote rather solemn poetry in Finnish, the first Finnish woman to write poetry. Her native country and nature were her favourite topics. She never published any poetry but some of her poems are written in the Student Album I of the Teacher Seminary. At her funeral her friends got a poetry notebook called Muisteliaisia (roughly translated “little remembrances”). Her most famous poem is the Aallon kehtolaulu (roughly “the lullaby of a wave”). No translation available. Isa Asp died in November 1872 when she caught a cold on her way to the Teacher Seminary.

Nuku, nuku aaltonen,                Herätessäis heloittaa
nuku jo!                                 kukat jo,
Tuolla laulaa humisten              suloisesti tuoksuaa
kuusisto!                                tuomisto.
Kehtolaulusi se on -                  Liverrykset lintusten
nuku aalto rauhaton                 silloin soi kuin Väinösen
nuku jo!                                 kantelo!

Miksi tahdot katsella,               Sydän! nuku sinäkin,
kuinka jo                               nuku jo!
loukannut on luontoa               Uni sull' on suloisin
turmio!                                 nautinto.
Kuinka kukat surkastuu,           Toivo aikaa armaampaa,
kuinka tuuless' paljastuu           nuku, kunnes lopun saa
lehdikko?                               taistelo.

Nuku aalto, vaahtopää!
Nuku jo!
Kerran sinun herättää 
aurinko.
Senpä sulle, rauhaton,
hellä silloin suotu on
suutelo.

Sources: Jyväskylän seminaari 1863 - 1937.

Pioneers in women’s education

Isa Asp

Minna Canth

Lucina Hagman

Immi Hellén

Anni Swan

Emma Åström

Jyväskylä University Museum