Kogumik tutvustab lühidalt eesti regivärsilise rahvalaulu ajalugu ja liike. Põhiosa raamatu mahust moodustavad regivärsilised rahvalaulud paralleelselt nii eesti kui ka inglise keeles.

The oral traditions of Estonia - folk song, riddle, proverb, joke, folktale, fairy tale - have a history that goes back for millennia. The most remarkable of these traditions is the archaic folk song, called the regivärss. While crosscurrents from East to West have left their traces in Estonia, especially in the fairy tale, the folk song preserves its ancient meter and its archaic language.
In many countries the advent of literacy spelled the end of the oral traditions. But as the Estonians emerged from their cultural isolation, they took care to record all aspects of their old heritage. The loving and caring work of folklore collectors such as Jakob Hurt helped to create one of the richest folklore archives in Europe, with over 80,000 variants of the regivärss songs and over one million total items recorded.
This book endeavors to offer the best possible selection of original collections and to make this selection accessible through a major language. The Estonian folk song is a unique record through which we gain insight into the world of long ago. It contains mythic elements, dreamlike visions, stories of creation, death, resurrection, love, war, work and joy. Its language takes obvious delight in exploring the extreme possibilities of the Estonian language. It bears witness to the creativity and playfulness of the human mind regardless of time and place.