Chapter VI: Part 6

Onward sped the ship of Pohja,
Gliding swiftly through the lake-waves,
And upon the reef came rushing,
And upon the rocks wedged firmly.
Broke across the wooden vessel,
And to splinters it was broken; 130
In the lake the masts fell crashing,
And the sails fell drooping downward,
By the wind away were carried,
And the spring wind all dispersed them.

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress,
Plunged her feet into the water,
And she tried to push the vessel,
And she tried to raise the vessel,
But no spear could lift the vessel,
And she could not even move it, 140
For the ribs had all been shattered,
All the rowlocks had been broken.

And she pondered and reflected,
And she spoke the words which follow:
"Who can aid me now with counsel?
Who can help me in this trouble?"

Then her form she quickly altered,
To another shape transformed her,
And she took five scythes the sharpest,
And six hoes, worn out completely; 150
These she fashioned into talons,
Into claws did she convert them;
Half the broken vessel's fragments
Did she then arrange beneath her,
And the sides to wings she fashioned,
And to tail she turned the rudder,
'Neath her wings took men a hundred,
On her tail she took a thousand,
And the hundred men were swordsmen,
And the thousand men were archers. 160
Then she flew, her wings extending,
And she soared aloft as eagle,
And she poised herself and hovered,
To attack old Väinämöinen;
In the clouds one wing was flapping,
In the water splashed the other.

Then the fairest Water-Mother
Spoke aloud the words which follow:
"O thou aged Väinämöinen,
Turn thy head beneath the sunrise, 170
Do thou turn thine eyes to north-west,
Look a little now behind thee."

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Turned his head beneath the sunrise,
And he turned his eyes to north-west,
Looked a little just behind him.
Onward came the crone of Pohja,
And the wondrous bird was hovering
Like a hawk about his shoulders,
With the body of an eagle. 180

Soon she came near Väinämöinen,
And she flew upon the masthead,
Clambered out upon the sailyard,
And upon the pole she sat her,
And the boat was nearly sinking,
And the vessel's side lurched downward.

Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
Sought from Jumala assistance,
And invoking the Creator,
Then he spoke the words which follow: 190
"Save us, O thou good Creator,
Gracious Jumala, protect us,
That the son may not be hurried,
Nor the mother's child hurled downward,
From among the living creatures,
From the creatures whom thou rulest.

"Ukko, Jumala the Highest,
Thou our Father in the heavens,
Cast a fiery robe around me,
Over me a shirt of fire, 200
That I thus may fight protected,
And may thus contend protected,
That my head may fear no evil,
Nor my hair may be disordered,
When the shining swords are clashing,
And the steely points are meeting."

Said the aged Väinämöinen,
And he spoke the words which follow:
"Hail, O Pohjola's great Mistress!
Wilt thou now divide the Sampo, 210
Out upon the jutting headland,
On the misty island's summit?"

Then said Pohjola's old Mistress,
"No, I'll not divide the Sampo,
Not with thee, thou wretched creature,
Not with thee, O Väinämöinen!"
And she swooped to snatch the Sampo
From the boat of Väinämöinen.

Then the lively Lemminkainen
Drew his sword from out his swordbelt, 220
Firm he grasped the sharpened iron,
And from his left side he drew it,
Striking at the eagle's talons,
At the claws of eagle striking.

Struck the lively Lemminkainen,
As he struck, these words he uttered:
"Down ye men, and down ye swordsmen,
Down with all the sleepy heroes!
From her wings, ye men a hundred,
Ten from ends of every feather." 230

Answered then the crone of Pohja,
And she answered from the masthead:
"O thou lively son of Lempi,
Wretched Kauko, worthless fellow,
For thou hast deceived thy mother,
Lied unto thy aged mother!
Thou wast pledged to seek no battle
In the space of sixty summers,
Whether need of gold should tempt thee,
Or the love of silver urge thee." 240

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
He the great primeval minstrel,
Thought his doom had come upon him,
And he felt his bane approaching;
From the lake he drew the rudder,
Took the oak-spar from the billows,
And with this he struck the monster,
On the claws he struck the eagle,
All the other claws he shattered,
There remained the smallest only. 250

From her wings the youths dropped downward,
In the lake the men splashed downward,
From beneath her wings a hundred,
From her tail a thousand heroes;
Down there dropped the eagle likewise,
Crashing down upon the boat-ribs,
As from tree the capercailzie,
Or from fir-branch drops the squirrel.

Then she tried to seize the Sampo,
Seized it with her nameless finger, 260
From the boat she dragged the Sampo,
Down she pulled the pictured cover,
From the red boat's hold she pulled it,
'Mid the blue lake's waters cast it,
And the Sampo broke to pieces,
And was smashed the pictured cover.

Then the fragments all were scattered,
And the Sampo's larger pieces
Sank beneath the peaceful waters
To the black ooze at the bottom; 270
Thence there springs the water's riches,
And the wealth of Ahto's people.
Nevermore in all his lifetime,
While the golden moon is shining,
Shall the wealth of Ahto fail him,
Neither shall his watery honours.

Other pieces were remaining,
Rather small those other fragments,
On the blue lake's surface floating,
Tossing on the broad lake's billows, 280
And the wind for ever rocked them,
And the billows drove them onward.

And the wind still rocked the fragments,
And the lake-waves ever tossed them,
On the blue lake's surface floating,
Tossing on the broad lake's billows;
To the land the wind impelled them,
To the shore the billows drove them.

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
In the surf beheld them floating, 290
Through the breakers shoreward driving,
Then on shore upcast by billows,
Saw the fragments of the Sampo,
Splinters of the pictured cover.

Very greatly did it please him,
And he spoke the words which follow:
"From these seeds the plant is sprouting,
Lasting welfare is commencing,
Here is ploughing, here is sowing,
Here is every kind of increase, 300
Thence there comes the shining moonlight,
Thence there comes the lovely sunlight,
O'er the mighty plains of Suomi,
And the lovely land of Suomi."

Then did Pohjola's old Mistress
Speak aloud the words which follow:
"Still can I devise a method,
Find a method and contrivance,
'Gainst thy ploughing and thy sowing,
'Gainst thy cattle and thine increase, 310
That thy moon shall cease its shining,
And thy sun shall cease its shining.
In the rocks the moon I'll carry,
Hide the sun in rocky mountains,
And will send the Frost to freeze you,
That the frozen air destroyeth
What thou ploughest and thou sowest,
Thy provisions and thy harvests.
I will send a hail of iron,
And a hail of steel o'erwhelming, 320
Over all thy finest clearings,
And the best among the cornfields.

"On the heath the bear I'll waken,
From the pines the wide-toothed monster,
That he may destroy thy geldings,
And that he thy mares may slaughter,
And that he may kill thy cattle,
And that he thy cows may scatter.
I'll with sickness slay thy people,
And thy race will wholly slaughter, 330
That so long as shines the moonlight,
In the world no more 'tis mentioned."

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Answered in the words that follow:
"Never Lapland spell affects me,
Neither threats from Turjalainen.
Jumala is lord of weather,
Keys of fate are the Creator's,
Not to wicked men entrusted,
Neither to malicious fingers. 340

"If I turn to my Creator,
To my Jumala upreaching,
From my corn he'll banish maggots,
That they do not spoil my harvests,
That they may not harm my seed-corn,
Nor destroy my corn when growing,
Nor may take my seed-corn from me,
Nor my splendid corn when growing.

"Go thou, Pohjola's great Mistress,
Drag unto the stones the lost ones, 350
Crush thou in the rocks the wicked,
Evils in thy chosen mountain,
Not the shining of the moonlight,
Nor the shining of the sunlight.

"Send the Frost to freeze the country,
Send the frozen air destroying,
Send it only on thy seed-corn,
That thy corn when sown be injured.
Send thou forth a hail of iron,
And a hail of steel o'erwhelming, 360
Let it fall on thine own ploughing,
Only on the fields of Pohja.

"On the heath the bear awaken,
And the fierce cat in the bushes,
From the wood the curving-clawed one,
'Neath the pines the wide-toothed monster,
But to range the paths of Pohja,
And to prey on Pohja's cattle."

Then did Pohjola's old Mistress
Answer in the words which follow: 370
"Now my might has all departed,
And my strength has greatly weakened.
By the lake my wealth was taken,
By the waves was crushed the Sampo."

Then she hastened homeward weeping,
Back to Pohjola lamenting.
Nothing worthy to be mentioned
Of the Sampo brought she homeward,
Nothing but a little fragment,
By her nameless finger carried, 380
But a fragment of the cover,
Which to Sariola she carried:
Hence the poverty of Pohja,
And the starving life of Lapland.

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Went back likewise to his country,
But he took the Sampo's fragments,
And the fragments of the cover,
From the lakeshore where he found them,
From the fine sand of the margin. 390

And he sowed the Sampo's fragments,
And the pieces of the cover,
Out upon the jutting headland,
On the misty island's summit,
That they there might grow and flourish,
Might increase and yield their produce,
As the ale obtained from barley,
As the bread that rye is yielding.

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Spoke aloud the words which follow: 400
"Grant, O Jumala, Creator,
That we now may live in comfort,
And be joyous all our lifetime,
And thereafter die in honour,
In our pleasant land of Suomi,
And in beautiful Carelia.

"Keep us, O thou great Creator,
Guard us, Jumala most gracious,
From the men to us unfriendly,
And from that old woman's malice. 410
Guard us from terrestrial evils,
And the spells of water-sorcerers.

"O protect thy sons for ever,
May'st thou always aid thy children,
Guard them always in the night-time,
And protect them in the daytime,
Lest the sun should cease from shining,
Lest the moon should cease from beaming,
Lest the winds should cease from blowing,
Lest the rain should cease from falling, 420
Lest the Frost should come and freeze us,
And the evil weather harm us.

"Build thou up a fence of iron,
And of stone a castle build us,
Round the spot where I am dwelling,
And round both sides of my people.
Build it up from earth to heaven,
Build it down to earth from heaven,
As my own, my lifelong dwelling,
As my refuge and protection, 430
That the proud may not devour us,
And they may not spoil our harvests,
In the course of all our lifetime,
When the golden moon is shining."

RUNO XLIV.--VÄINÄMÖINEN'S NEW KANTELE

_Argument_

Väinämöinen goes to seek for his kantele which was lost in the lake, but cannot find it (1-76). He makes himself a new kantele of birchwood, on which he plays, and delights every creature in the neighbourhood (77-334).

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
In his mind was thus reflecting:
"Now the time has come for music,
Time to give ourselves to pleasure,
In our dwelling newly chosen,
In our homestead now so charming,
But the kantele is sunken,
And my joy has gone for ever
To the dwelling-place of fishes,
To the rock-caves of the salmon, 10
Where it may enchant the lake-pike,
Likewise Vellamo's attendants;
But they never will return it,
Ahto will no more return it.

"O thou smith, O Ilmarinen,
Yestreen and before thou workedst,
Work to-day with equal vigour.
Forge me now a rake of iron,
Let the teeth be close together,
Close the teeth, and long the handle 20
That I rake among the billows,
And may rake the waves together,
And may rake among the lake-reeds,
With the rake rake all the margins,
And my instrument recover,
And the kantele recover,
From the devious paths of fishes,
From the rocky caves of salmon."

Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
He the great primeval craftsman, 30
Forged for him a rake of iron,
Furnished with a copper handle,
Teeth in length a hundred fathoms,
And the handle full five hundred.

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Took the mighty rake of iron,
And a little way he wandered,
Made a very little journey,
Till he reached the quay, steel-fitted,
And the landing-stage of copper. 40
There he found a boat, found two boats,
Both the boats were waiting ready
On the quay, with steel all fitted,
On the landing-stage of copper,
And the first boat was a new one,
And the second was an old one.

Said the aged Väinämöinen,
To the new boat firstly speaking:
"Go, thou boat, into the water,
To the waves, O vessel, rush thou, 50
Even though no arm should turn thee,
Even though no thumbs should touch thee."

Sped the boat into the water,
Rushed amid the waves the vessel.
Old and steadfast Väinämöinen,
In the stern made haste to seat him,
And he went to sweep the water,
And to sweep among the billows.
Scattered leaves of water-lilies,
Raked he up among the shore-drift, 60
All the rubbish raked together,
All the rubbish, bits of rushes,
Every scrap he raked together,
All the shoals with care raked over,
But he found not, nor discovered,
Where his pike-bone harp was hidden,
And this joy was gone for ever,
With the kantele was sunken.

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Then returned unto his dwelling, 70
Head bowed down, and sadly grieving,
And his cap awry adjusted,
And he said the words which follow:
"Unto me is lost for ever
Pleasure from the harp of pike-teeth,
From the harp I made of fish-bone."

As he wandered through the country,
On the borders of the woodlands,
There he heard a birch-tree weeping,
And a speckled tree lamenting, 80
And in that direction hastened,
Walking till he reached the birch-tree.

Thereupon he spoke and asked it,
"Wherefore weep'st thou, beauteous birch-tree,
Shedding tears, O green-leaved birch-tree,
By thy belt of white conspicuous?
To the war thou art not taken,
Longest not for battle-struggle."

Answer made the leaning birch-tree,
And the green-leaved tree responded: 90
"There is much that I could speak of,
Many things I might reflect on,
How I best might live in pleasure,
And I might rejoice for pleasure.
I am wretched in my sorrow,
And can but rejoice in trouble,
Living with my life o'erclouded,
And lamenting in my sorrow.

"And I weep my utter weakness,
And my worthlessness lament for, 100
I am poor, and all unaided,
Wholly wretched, void of succour,
Here in such an evil station,
On a plain among the willows.

"Perfect happiness and pleasure
Others always are expecting,
When arrives the beauteous summer,
In the warm days of the summer.
But my fate is different, wretched,
Nought but wretchedness awaits me; 110
And my bark is peeling from me,
Down are hewed my leafy branches.

"Often unto me defenceless
Oft to me, unhappy creature,
In the short spring come the children,
Quickly to the spot they hurry,
And with sharpened knives they score me,
Draw my sap from out my body,
And in summer wicked herdsmen,
Strip from me my white bark-girdle, 120
Cups and plates therefrom constructing,
Baskets too, for holding berries.

"Often unto me defenceless,
Oft to me, unhappy creature,
Come the girls beneath my branches,
Come beneath, and dance around me.
From my crown they cut the branches,
And they bind them into besoms.

"Often too, am I, defenceless,
Oft am I, unhappy creature, 130
Hewed away to make a clearing,
Cut to pieces into faggots.
Thrice already in this summer,
In the warm days of the summer,
Unto me have come the woodmen,
And have hewed me with their axes,
Hewed the crown from me unhappy,
And my weak life has departed.

"This has been my joy in summer,
In the warm days of the summer, 140
But no better was the winter,
Nor the time of snow more pleasant.

"And in former times already,
Has my face been changed by trouble,
And my head has drooped with sadness,
And my cheeks have paled with sorrow,
Thinking o'er the days of evil,
Pondering o'er the times of evil.

"And the wind brought ills upon me,
And the frost brought bitter sorrows. 150
Tore the wind my green cloak from me,
Frost my pretty dress from off me.
Thus am I of all the poorest,
And a most unhappy birch-tree,
Standing stripped of all my clothing,
As a naked trunk I stand here,
And in cold I shake and tremble,
And in frost I stand lamenting."

Said the aged Väinämöinen,
"Weep no more, O verdant birch-tree! 160
Leafy sapling, weep no longer,
Thou, equipped with whitest girdle,
For a pleasant future waits thee,
New and charming joys await thee.
Soon shalt thou with joy be weeping,
Shortly shalt thou sing for pleasure."

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Carved into a harp the birch-tree,
On a summer day he carved it,
To a kantele he shaped it, 170
At the end of cloudy headland,
And upon the shady island,
And the harp-frame he constructed,
From the trunk he formed new pleasure,
And the frame of toughest birchwood;
From the mottled trunk he formed it.

Said the aged Väinämöinen
In the very words which follow:
"Now the frame I have constructed,
From the trunk for lasting pleasure. 180
Whence shall now the screws be fashioned,
Whence shall come the pegs to suit me?"

In the yard there grew an oak-tree,
By the farmyard it was standing,
'Twas an oak with equal branches,
And on every branch an acorn,
In the acorns golden kernels,
On each kernel sat a cuckoo.

When the cuckoos all were calling,
In the call five tones were sounding, 190
Gold from out their mouths was flowing,
Silver too they scattered round them,
On a hill the gold was flowing,
On the ground there flowed the silver,
And from this he made the harp-screws,
And the pegs from that provided.

Said the aged Väinämöinen
In the very words which follow:
"Now the harp-screws are constructed,
And the harp-pegs are provided. 200
Something even now is wanting,
And five strings as yet are needed.
How shall I provide the harp-strings,
Which shall yield the notes in playing?"

Then he went to seek for harp-strings,
And along the heath he wandered.
On the heath there sat a maiden,
Sat a damsel in the valley,
And the maiden was not weeping,
Neither was she very joyful. 210
To herself she sang full softly,
Sang, that soon might come the evening,
Hoping for her lover's coming,
For the dear one she had chosen.

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Crept without his shoes towards her,
Sprang to her without his stockings,
And as soon as he approached her,
He besought her hair to give him,
And he spoke the words which follow: 220
"Give thy hair to me, O maiden,
Give me of thy hair, O fair one,
Give me hair to form my harp-strings,
For the tones of lasting pleasure."

Then her hair the maiden gave him,
From her soft locks hair she gave him,
And she gave him five and six hairs,
Seven the hairs she gave unto him,
That he thus might form his harp-strings,
For the tones of lasting pleasure. 230

Now the harp at last was finished,
And the aged Väinämöinen
On a rock his seat selected,
Near the steps, upon a stone bench.

In his hands the harp then taking,
Very near he felt his pleasure,
And the frame he turned to heaven,
On his knees the knob then propping,
All the strings he put in order,
Fit to make melodious music. 240
When he had the strings adjusted,
Then the instrument was ready;
Underneath his hands he placed it,
And across his knees he laid it,
With his ten nails did he play it,
And he let five active fingers
Draw the tunes from out the harp-strings,
Making most delightful music.

When the aged Väinämöinen
Thus upon his harp was playing, 250
Fine his hands, his fingers tender,
And his fingers curving outwards,
Then rang out the wood so speckled,
Sang the sapling green full loudly,
Loudly called the golden cuckoo,
And rejoiced the hair of maiden.

Thus played Väinämöinen's fingers,
And the harp-strings loud resounded,
Mountains shook and plains resounded,
All the rocky hills resounded, 260
In the waves the stones were rocking,
In the water moved the gravel,
And the pine-trees were rejoicing,
On the heath the stumps were skipping.

All of Kaleva's step-daughters,
All the fair ones flocked together,
And in streams they rushed together,
Like a river in its flowing.
Merry laughed the younger women,
And the mothers all were joyful, 270
As they heard the music playing,
And they wondered at their pleasure.

Likewise many men were present,
In their hands their caps all holding,
All the old dames in the party
To their sides their hands were holding,
And the maidens' eyes shed tear-drops,
On the ground the boys were kneeling,
To the kantele all listening,
And they wondered at their pleasure. 280
With one voice they all were singing,
With one tongue they all repeated:
"Never have we heard aforetime,
Heard before such charming music,
In the course of all our lifetime,
When the brilliant moon was shining."

Far was heard the charming music,
In six villages they heard it,
There was not a single creature
But it hurried forth to listen, 290
And to hear the charming music
From the kantele resounding.

All the wild beasts of the forest
Upright on their claws were resting
To the kantele to listen,
And they wondered at their pleasure.

All the birds in air then flying,
Perched upon the neighbouring branches,
All the fish that swam the waters,
To the margin hastened quickly, 300
And the worms in earth then creeping,
Up above the ground then hastened,
And they turned themselves and listened,
Listened to the charming music,
In the kantele rejoicing,
And in Väinämöinen's singing.

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Played in his most charming manner,
Most melodiously resounding;
And he played one day, a second, 310
Playing on, without cessation,
Every morning after breakfast,
Girded with the selfsame girdle,
And the same shirt always wearing.

When he in his house was playing,
In his house of fir constructed,
All the roofs resounded loudly,
And the boards resounded likewise,
Ceilings sang, the doors were creaking,
All the windows were rejoicing, 320
And the hearthstones all were moving,
Birchwood columns sang in answer.

When he walked among the pinewoods,
And he wandered through the firwoods,
All the pines bowed down before him,
To the very ground the fir-trees;
On the grass the cones rolled round him,
On the roots the needles scattered.

When he hurried through the greenwood,
Or across the heath was hastening, 330
All the leaves called gaily to him,
And the heath was all rejoicing,
And the flowers breathed fragrance round him,
And the young shoots bowed before him.

RUNO XLV.--THE PESTILENCE IN KALEVALA

_Argument_

The Mistress of Pohjola sends terrible diseases to Kalevala (1-190). Väinämöinen heals the people by powerful incantations and unguents (191-362).

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress,
In her ears received the tidings
That in Väinölä it prospered,
And that Kalevala had flourished,
Through the fragments of the Sampo,
Fragments of the pictured cover.

Thereupon she grew most envious,
And for evermore reflected
On the death that she might fashion,
How she best might bring destruction 10
On the people in Väinölä,
And on Kalevala's whole people.

Then she prayed aloud to Ukko,
And she thus implored the Thunderer:
"Ukko, thou of Gods the highest,
Slay thou Kaleva's whole people,
Slay them with thy hail of iron,
With thy steely needles slay them,
Or by sickness let them perish,
Let the evil nation perish, 20
Let the men die in the farmyard,
On the cowshed floor the women."

Lived in Tuonela a blind maid,
Loviatar, an aged woman,
She the worst of Tuoni's daughters,
And of Mana's maids most hideous,
She, the source of every evil,
Origin of woes a thousand,
With a face of perfect blackness,
And a skin of hue most hideous. 30

Then this daughter black of Tuoni,
Ulappala's blind-eyed damsel,
Made her bed upon the pathway,
On the straw in evil country,
And her back she turned to windward,
Sideways to the bitter weather,
Backwards to the blast so freezing,
And the chilling winds of morning.

Then a great wind rose in fury,
From the east a mighty tempest, 40
Blew this wretched creature pregnant,
And she quickened from the tempest,
On a barren waste all treeless,
On the bare and grassless meadows.

And she bore a heavy burden,
Bore a heavy painful burden,
Bore it two months, bore it three months,
And for four and five months bore it,
Bore it seven months, bore it eight months,
For the ninth month also bore it, 50
As old wives are wont to reckon,
And for half the tenth month likewise.

When the ninth month had passed over,
And the tenth month was beginning,
Then she writhed about in anguish,
And the greatest pain oppressed her,
But as yet she brought forth nothing,
And no brood as yet resulted.

From her lair at length she moved her,
In another place she laid her, 60
And the wench in childbed laid her,
Sport of winds, in hopes of children.
There betwixt two rocks she laid her,
In the clefts among five mountains,
But as yet she brought forth nothing,
And no brood as yet resulted.

And she sought a place for breeding,
Sought a place for bearing suited,
In the quaking swamps she sought it,
And among the waves she sought it, 70
But she found no place to suit her,
Where she could relieve her burden.

Then she fain would bring forth children,
And relieve her body's burden
In the foam of furious cataract,
'Neath where whirl the furious waters,
Where three waterfalls are falling,
Under nine of precipices,
But as yet she brought forth nothing,
Nor the foul one eased her burden. 80
Then began to weep, the foul one,
And to howl, the wicked monster.
Whither now to go she knew not,
And in what direction wander,
Where she might relieve her burden,
Where to go to cast her offspring.

From the clouds then bespoke her Jumala,
The Creator spoke from heaven:
"Stands in swamp a hut three-cornered,
Just upon a lakelet's margin, 90
In the gloomy land of Pohja,
Near where Sariola's bay stretches.
There thou may'st bring forth thy offspring,
There lay down thy heavy burden,
There it is that people need thee,
There do they expect thy offspring."

Therefore Tuoni's blackest daughter,
Manala's most hideous damsel,
Came unto the house of Pohja,
Came to Sariola's great bathroom, 100
That she there might bear her children,
And she might bring forth her offspring.

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress,
Old and gap-toothed dame of Pohja,
Secret led her to the bathroom,
Secretly into the bathroom,
But the village did not know it,
Nought was spoken in the village.

Secretly she warmed the bathroom,
Hastily she made it ready, 110
And with ale the doors smeared over,
And with beer the hinges wetted,
That the doors should make no jarring,
And the hinges make no creaking.

Then she spoke the words which follow,
And expressed herself in thiswise:
"Noble dame, Creation's daughter,
Noble one, as gold all lustrous,
Thou the oldest of all women,
Thou the first of all the mothers, 120
Knee-deep in the lake descend thou,
To thy waist among the billows,
From the perch the slime obtain thou,
And the slime from creeping creatures,
Do thou smear with this the gateway,
And upon the sides anoint it,
Free the damsel from her burden,
And the woman from her sufferings,
Free her from this grievous torment,
And release her from her sufferings. 130

"But if this is not sufficient,
Ukko, thou of Gods the highest,
Hither come where thou art needed,
Come thou at our supplication.
Here there is a girl in childbed,
And a woman suffering greatly,
Here amid the bathroom's vapour,
Brought into the village bathroom.

"Do thou take thy club all golden,
In thy right hand do thou take it, 140
Each impediment remove thou,
And the door-posts move asunder,
Bend thou the Creator's castles,
Break thou all the bars asunder,
Push the large ones and the small ones,
Even to the very smallest."

Then this foul and wicked creature,
She, the daughter blind of Tuoni,
Presently relieved her burden,
And she brought forth evil children, 150
'Neath a rug adorned with copper,
Underneath the softest blankets.

Thus became she nine sons' mother,
In a single night of summer,
With the bath prepared once only,
With the bath but once made ready,
With a single effort only,
From the fulness of her body.

To the boys their names assigned she,
And she nurtured well the children 160
Just as each one names the children
Whom themselves have brought to being.
One as Pleurisy she destined,
One did she send forth as Colic,
And as Gout she reared another,
One as Scrofula she fashioned,
Boil, another designated,
And as Itch proclaimed another,
Thrust another forth as Cancer,
And as Plague she formed another. 170

One remained, and he was nameless,
In the straw the lowest lying,
Therefore did she send him onward,
As a sorcerer on the waters,
Also to bewitch the lowlands,
Everywhere to practise malice.

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress,
Sent the others forth to journey
To the cloud-encompassed headland,
And the shady island's summit, 180
Sent in rage these evil monsters,
These diseases all unheard of,
Forth to Väinölä she sent them,
Kaleva's great race to slaughter.

Sickened Väinölä's own people,
Kaleva's descendants sickened,
With diseases all unheard of,
And whose names were known to no one,
And the floors beneath them rotted,
And the sheet above corrupted. 190

Then the aged Väinämöinen,
He the great primeval sorcerer,
Went to drive away the evil,
And his people's lives to succour,
Forth he went to war with Tuoni,
And against disease to struggle.

Thereupon he warmed the bathroom,
And the stones prepared to heat it,
And the finest wood provided,
Faggots, too, he laid in water; 200
Water brought in covered vessels,
Bath-whisks also, well-protected,
Warmed the bath-whisks to perfection,
And the hundred twigs he softened.

Then he raised a warmth like honey,
Raised a heat as sweet as honey,
From the heated stones he raised it,
From the glowing stones he raised it,
And he spoke the words which follow,
And in words like these expressed him: 210
"Now the bath approach, O Jumala,
To the warmth, O heavenly Father,
Healthfulness again to grant us,
And our peace again secure us.
Drive away these foul diseases,
From these dread diseases save us,
Calm thou down this heat excessive
Drive away this heat so evil,
That it may not burn thy children,
Neither may destroy thy offspring. 220

"Therefore will I sprinkle water,
On the glowing stones I cast it,
Let it now be changed to honey,
May it trickle down like honey,
Let it flow a stream like honey,
Flowing to a lake of honey,
As it flows along the hearthstones,
Flowing through the mossy bathroom.

"Do not let us guiltless perish,
Nor be overcome by sickness, 230
'Gainst the great Creator's mandate,
When sends Jumala our death not.
He who slaughters us, the sinless,
Let his mouth his own words swallow
On his head cast back the evils,
Evil thoughts recoil upon him.

"If myself I am not manly,
Nor is Ukko's son a hero,
Nor can drive away these evils,
Nor from off my head can lift them, 240
Ukko is a man and hero,
He it is the clouds who marshals,
And the rainless clouds he governs,
Ruling o'er the clouds so scattered.

"Ukko, thou of Gods the highest,
Thou above the clouds who dwellest,
Come thou here where thou art needed,
Listen to our supplications,
Do thou look upon our sufferings,
Do thou end our days of anguish, 250
Free us from this evil magic,
Free us now from every evil.

"Bring me now a sword of fire,
Bring me now a flashing sword-blade,
That I may oppose these evils
Quite subdue these frightful evils,
On the wind's path drive our sufferings,
Drive them far amid the deserts.

"Thence I'll drive these sorcerers' torments,
Thence these sufferings will I banish, 260
Far away to rocky caverns,
Rocky caves as hard as iron,
Torments to the stones to carry,
And upon the rocks heap suffering.
Never weeps the stone for anguish,
Nor the rock complains of suffering,
Though it should be greatly beaten,
And though blows be heaped upon it.

"Kiputyttö, Tuoni's maiden,
Sitting on the Stone of Sickness, 270
In the rush of three great rivers,
Where three waters are divided,
Turning round the torture-millstone,
And the Mount of Sickness turning!
Go and turn away these sufferings,
To the blue stone gorge direct them,
Or amid the waters send them,
To the deep lake, O condemn them,
Which by wind is never troubled,
Where the sun is never shining. 280

"If this is not yet sufficient,
Kivutar, O noble Mistress,
Vammatar, O noble matron,
Come ye all, and come together,
Once again to work us healing,
And restore our peace unto us!
Take the sufferings from the suffering,
And the ulcers from the ulcered,
That the sick may fall in slumber,
And the weak may rise from weakness, 290
And the sufferer hope recover,
And our mourning have an ending.

"Put the sufferings in a barrel,
And with copper hasps enclose them,
Carry thou away the sufferings,
And do thou cast down the tortures,
In the midst of Torture-Mountain,
On the peak of Mount of Suffering,
Do thou there boil up the tortures
In the very smallest kettle, 300
Larger not than round a finger,
And no wider than a thumb-breadth.

"There's a stone in midmost mountain,
'Mid the stone there is an opening,
Which has there been bored by auger,
Where the auger has transpierced it.
Do thou thrust therein the sufferings,
Overcome these painful ulcers,
Crush thou in these raging tortures,
Do thou end our days of suffering, 310
That by night they may be harmless,
And be harmless in the daytime."

Then the aged Väinämöinen,
He the great primeval sorcerer,
Salved o'er all the ulcered places,
And the open wounds anointed,
With nine various salves anointed,
With eight magic drugs he rubbed them,
And he spoke the words which follow,
And in words like these expressed him: 320
"Ukko, thou of Gods the highest,
O thou aged man in heaven!
Let a cloud appear to eastward,
Let another rise from north-west,
Send thou from the west another,
Grant us honey, grant us water,
That our sores may be anointed,
And our wounds be all salved over.

"Yet to me no power is given,
Save by my Creator granted. 330
Grant us now thy grace, Creator,
Grant us, Jumala, thy mercy.
With my eyes have I been seeing,
And my hands have been uplifting,
With my mouth have I been speaking,
With my breath have I been sighing.

"Where my hands avail to reach not,
Let the hands of God be resting;
Where I cannot reach my fingers,
There let God extend his fingers; 340
Far more skilful are his fingers,
The Creator's hands more active.

"O Creator, work thy magic,
Speak, O Jumala, unto us,
Deign to gaze on us, Almighty!
Let those who at night are healthy,
Likewise in the day be healthy,
Let no suffering fall upon them,
And no sickness come among them,
Nor their hearts be filled with anguish, 350
That they feel no slightest evil,
Feel no more the slightest suffering,
In the course of all their lifetime,
While the golden moon is shining."

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
He the great primeval sorcerer,
Thus at length dispelled the evils,
Raised their burdens from his people,
Drove away the plagues of magic,
Healed the magical diseases, 360
And from death he saved his people,
Thus saved Kaleva's descendants.

RUNO XLVI.--VÄINÄMÖINEN AND THE BEAR

_Argument_

The Mistress of Pohjola sends a bear to destroy the herds of Kalevala (1-20). Väinämöinen kills the bear, and a great feast is held in Kalevala in honour of the occasion (21-606). Väinämöinen sings, plays on the kantele, and hopes that a time of great happiness and prosperity is coming to Kalevala (607-644).

Unto Pohjola came tidings,
To the village cold the tidings
That in Väinöla 'twas healthy,
Freed was Kalevala completely
From the evil plagues of magic,
And the scourge of nameless sickness.

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress,
Old and gap-toothed dame of Pohja,
Thereupon again grew furious,
And she spoke the words which follow: 10
"Still I know another method,
And a cunning scheme have thought on.
On the heath the Bear I'll waken,
On the waste the curving-clawed one,
Väinöla's fine flocks to ravage,
Herds of Kalevala to slaughter."

On the heath the bear she wakened,
From his native land she drove him
To the heathlands of Väinölä,
And to Kalevala's green pastures. 20

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Uttered then the words which follow:
"Ilmarinen, smith and brother,
Make a new spear quickly for me,
Make it with three cutting edges,
With a copper shaft construct it.
With the bear I now must struggle,
Overthrow the shaggy monster,
That he slay no more my geldings,
Nor shall fall upon my brood-mares, 30
Neither shall destroy my cattle,
Or attempt my cows to injure."

Then the smith a spear constructed,
Not a long one, not a short one,
But of middle length he forged it.
On the blade a wolf was sitting,
On the edge a bear was standing,
At the joint an elk was trotting,
On the shaft a colt was running,
At the end a reindeer leaping. 40
Then fresh snow was gently falling,
And a little snow had drifted
As it drifts in early autumn,
White as is the hare in winter.

Said the aged Väinämöinen,
And he spoke the words which follow:
"Now my inclination leads me
Unto Metsola to travel;
To the forest's daughter's dwelling,
And to the Blue Maiden's homestead. 50
Leaving men, I seek the forest,
Heroes leave, for distant regions.
Take me as thy man, O forest,
Take me, Tapio, for thy hero.
May good fortune now be granted,
And to fell the forest-beauty.

"Mielikki, the forest's Mistress,
Tellervo, the wife of Tapio,
Do thou bind thy dogs securely,
Do thou keep thy whelps in order, 60
In the paths, 'mid honeysuckle,
And beneath the roof of oakwood.

"Otso, apple of the forest,
O thou lazy honey-pawed one!
If thou hearest me approaching,
Hearest me, the hero, coming,
In thy hair thy claws conceal thou,
In thy gums thy teeth conceal thou,
That thou never more may'st move them,
That they motionless remain there. 70

"O my Otso, O my darling,
Fair one with the paws of honey,
Do thou rest in hilly country,
And among the rocks so lovely,
Where the pines above are waving,
And the firs below are rustling.
Turn thyself around, O Otso,
Turn thee round, O honey-pawed one,
As upon her nest the woodgrouse,
Or as turns the goose when brooding." 80

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Heard his dog was barking loudly,
And the dog was fiercely baying
Just beside the Small-eye's dwelling,
In the pathway of the Broad-nose;
And he spoke the words which follow:
"First I thought it was a cuckoo,
Thought I heard a love-bird singing,
But no cuckoo there is calling,
And no love-bird there is singing, 90
But it is my dog that's baying,
Here my faithful hound awaits me,
At the door of Otso's dwelling,
At the handsome hero's homestead."

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Struck the bear where he was lying,
Overturned his bed of satin,
Overthrew his lair so golden,
And he spoke the words which follow,
And in words like these expressed him: 100
"Praise, O Jumala, unto thee,
Praise to thee alone, Creator,
Unto me the bear who gavest,
And the forest gold hast granted."

Gazed he on the golden booty,
And he spoke the words which follow:
"O my Otso, O my darling,
Fair one with the paws of honey,
Be not filled with causeless anger,
I myself have not o'erthrown thee, 110
Thou thyself hast left the forest,
Wandered from thy pine-tree covert,
Thou hast torn away thy clothing,
Ripped thy grey cloak in the thicket.
Slippery is this autumn weather,
Cloudy are the days and misty.

"Golden cuckoo of the forest,
Shaggy-haired and lovely creature,
Do thou quit thy chilly dwelling,
Do thou quit thy native desert, 120
And thy home of birchen branches,
Wattled wigwam where thou dwellest.
Go to wander in the open,
O thou beauty of the forest,
On thy light shoes wandering onward,
Marching in thy blue-hued stockings,
Leaving now this little dwelling.
Do thou leave this narrow dwelling,
Leave it for the mighty heroes,
To the race of men resign it. 130
There are none will treat thee badly,
And no wretched life awaits thee.
For thy food they'll give thee honey,
And for drink, of mead the freshest,
When thou goest to a distance,
Whither with the staff they guide thee.

"From this place depart thou quickly,
From thy little nest depart thou,
From beneath these famous rafters,
From beneath this roof so handsome; 140
Glide along upon thy snowshoes,
As on pond a water-lily,
Then glide on among the fir-trees,
Like a squirrel in the branches."

Then the aged Väinämöinen,
He the great primeval minstrel,
Walked across the plains, loud-playing,
O'er the heath he wandered singing,
And he brought the noble stranger.
With his shaggy friend he wandered. 150
In the house was heard his playing,
'Neath the roofs they heard his singing.

In the house there cried the people,
And exclaimed the handsome people,
"Listen to the noise resounding,
To the music from the forest,
Like the singing of the crossbill,
Or a maiden's flute in forest."

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Then the house was fast approaching. 160
From the house there called the people,
And the handsome people asked him,
"Have you brought the bright gold with you,
Have you brought the silver hither,
Brought our darling money with you,
Gathered money on your journey?
Gave the wood the honey-eater,
And a lynx to lord of forest,
That you come among us singing,
On your snowshoes come rejoicing?" 170

Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Answered in the words which follow:
"Singing would I bring the otter,
Give to Jumala my praises,
So I sing as I am coming,
On my snowshoes come rejoicing.

"What I bring is not an otter,
Not a lynx, and not an otter,
One more famous is approaching,
Comes the pride of all the forest. 180
Comes an old man wandering hither,
With his overcoat he cometh.
If it be a pleasure to you,
Let the doors be widely opened;
But if you dislike the stranger,
Close the doors against him firmly."

And the people gave him answer,
Shouted all the handsome people,
"Welcome, Otso, be thy coming,
Honey-pawed, who now approachest 190
To our dwelling, freshly scoured,
To our household, now so charming.

"This I wished for all my lifetime,
All my youth I waited for it,
Tapio's horn to hear resounding,
And to hear the wood-pipe whistling,
Wandering through the golden forest,
Coming through the silver woodland,
And our little house approaching,
And along the narrow pathway. 200

"I had hoped a year of fortune,
Waiting for the coming summer,
As for new-fallen snow the snowshoe,
Or a path for gliding suited,
As a maiden for her lover,
Or a consort for a red-cheek.

"In the eve I sat at window,
Morning, at the door of storehouse,
At the gate a week I waited,
And a month at pathway's opening. 210
In the lane I stayed a winter,
Stood in snow while ground was hardened,
Till the hardened land grew softer,
And the soft ground turned to gravel,
And to sand was changed the gravel,
And the sand at length grew verdant,
And I pondered every morning,
In my head reflected daily,
'Wherefore is the Bear delaying?
Why delays the forest's darling? 220
Has he travelled to Esthonia,
Wandered from the land of Suomi?'"

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Answered in the words that follow:
"Where's my guest to be conducted,
Whither shall I lead my gold one?
To the barn shall I conduct him
On a bed of straw to lay him?"

And the people gave him answer,
Shouted all the handsome people, 230
"Better lead our guest illustrious,
And conduct our golden beauty
Underneath these famous rafters,
Underneath this roof so handsome.
There is food arranged for eating,
There is drink poured out for drinking,
All the floors have there been dusted,
And the floors been swept most cleanly,
All the women finely dressed them,
In their very finest garments, 240
Donned their head-dresses the finest,
In their brightest robes arrayed them."

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Spoke aloud the words which follow:
"O my Otso, O my birdling,
O my charge, with paws of honey,
Still there's ground for thee to walk on,
And upon the heath to wander.

"Golden one, go forth to wander,
Dear one, range about the country, 250
Forth to march with sable stockings,
Wander in thy cloth-made trousers,
On the pathway of the titmouse,
And the path where sparrows wander,
Underneath five rafters straying,
Underneath six roof-trees walking.

"Now be careful, luckless woman,
That the herd may not be frightened,
Terrified the little cattle,
Nor the mistress' calves be frightened, 260
If the bear approach the homestead,
And his shaggy jaws should seize them.

"Now, ye boys, the porch abandon,
Girls, depart ye from the door-posts,
To the house there comes the hero,
And the pride of men approaches.

"Otso, apple of the forest,
Fair and bulky forest dweller,
Be not frightened at the maidens,
Fear not the unbraided maidens, 270
Be not fearful of the women,
They the wearers of the stockings.
All the women of the household,
Quickly round the stove will gather,
When they see the hero enter,
And behold the youth advancing."

Said the aged Väinämöinen,
"Jumala be gracious to us,
Underneath these famous rafters,
Underneath this roof so handsome. 280
Whither shall I take my darling,
And shall bring the shaggy creature?"

And the people spoke in answer,
"Hail, all hail to thee who comest!
Thither shalt thou bring thy birdling,
Thither take thy golden beauty
To the end of pole of pinewood,
To the end of bench of iron,
That his shaggy coat we gaze on,
And his hair may well examine. 290

"Be not grieved for this, O Otso,
Neither let it make thee angry,
That we take thy hide an hour,
And thy hair to gaze on always.
For thy hide will not be injured,
And thy hair will not be draggled,
Like the rags of evil people,
Or the clothing of the beggars."

Then the aged Väinämöinen
From the bear stripped off the bearskin, 300
On the storehouse floor he laid it,
Put the flesh into the kettles,
Put it in the gilded kettles,
In the copper caldrons placed it.

On the fire the pots arranged he,
In the blaze their sides of copper,
Filled them up, and overfilled them,
With the meat he overfilled them,
Salt unto the stew he added,
Brought from very distant regions, 310
From the Saxon land they brought it,
And from distant waters brought it,
Through the Sound of Salt they rowed it,
And they from the ships conveyed it.

When the meat enough was sodden,
From the fire they took the kettles,
And the booty then was carried,
And the crossbill then they carried
Quickly to the long deal table,
In the golden dishes laid it, 320
Where they sat the mead enjoying,
And the beer they were imbibing.

And of firwood was the table,
And the dishes were of copper,
And the spears were all of silver,
And the knives of gold constructed.
All the plates were overloaded,
Brimming o'er were all the dishes,
With the darling of the forest,
Booty of the golden woodland. 330

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Spoke aloud the words that follow:
"Comrade old, with golden bosom,
Master thou of Tapio's household;
Thou of Metsola sweet matron,
Gracious Mistress of the Forest;
Handsome man, the son of Tapio,
Handsome red-capped son of Tapio;
Tellervo, the maid of Tapio;
All the rest of Tapio's people. 340

"Come ye to the feast of cattle,
Where the shaggy beast is eaten;
Here is plenty to be eaten,
Here is food and drink abundant,
Here there is enough for storage,
Plenty too, to give the village."

And the people then responded,
Answered thus the handsome people:
"Where was Otso born and nurtured,
Whence was formed his hide so shaggy, 350
Was he born perchance in straw-bed,
Was he born near stove in bathroom?"

Then the aged Väinämöinen
Answered in the words which follow:
"Otso was not born in straw-bed.
Nor was born on chaff in malt-house;
There was Otso brought to being,
There was born the honey-pawed one,
Near the moon, in gleams of sunshine,
And upon the Great Bear's shoulders, 360
There beside the Air's fair maiden,
Near the daughter of Creation.

"On Air's borders walked a maiden,
Through mid heaven there walked a damsel,
Through the rifted clouds she wandered,
On the borders of the heavens,
Clad in stockings, blue in colour,
And with shoes most gaily coloured,
In her hand a wool-filled satchel,
'Neath her arm a hair-filled basket. 370
Wool she cast upon the waters,
Hair she threw among the billows,
And the wind arose and tossed it,
And the air unceasing rocked it,
And the breeze on water rocked it,
To the shore the waves impelled it,
To the edge of honeyed forest,
To the end of honeyed headland.

"Mielikki, the forest's Mistress,
Tapiola's accomplished matron, 380
Took the wool from out the water,
Took the soft wool from the billows.
Then she wrapped it all together,
With a handsome band she wrapped it,
Put it in her maple basket,
In a beauteous cradle laid it,
Then she lifted up the bundle,
And the golden chains she carried
Where the branches were the thickest
And the leaves were most abundant. 390

"Then she rocked the charming object,
And she rocked the lovely creature
Underneath a spreading fir-tree,
Underneath a blooming pine-tree.
Thus it was the bear was nurtured,
And the furry beast was fostered,
There beside a bush of honey,
In a forest dripping honey.

"Now the bear grew up most handsome,
And attained his perfect stature. 400
Short his legs, his knees were crooked,
Broad his nose, both thick and stumpy,
Broad his head and short his muzzle,
And his handsome hair was shaggy,
But as yet the bear was tailless,
And with claws was unprovided.

"Mielikki, the forest's Mistress,
Uttered then the words which follow:
'Now let claws be granted to him,
And let teeth be also sought for, 410
If he does no mischief with them,
Nor to evil purpose turns them.'

"Then the bear by oath engaged him,
Kneeling by the forest's Mistress,
And in Jumala's high presence,
'Fore the face of Him Almighty,
Never would he work a mischief,
And would work no evil with them.

"Mielikki, the forest's Mistress,
Tapiola's accomplished matron, 420
Went to seek the teeth he needed,
And to seek the claws he wanted,
From the wood of mountain ash-tree,
And from juniper the hardest,
From the hardest roots of any,
From the hardest resinous tree-stumps,
But she found no claws among them,
Neither found she teeth among them.

"On the heath there grew a pine-tree,
On the hill there rose a fir-tree, 430
And the pine had silver branches,
And the fir-tree golden branches.
With her hands she plucked the branches,
And from these the claws constructed,
Others fixed in Otso's jawbones,
In his gums securely fixed them.

"Forth she sent the shaggy creature,
Sent her darling forth to wander,
Let him wander through the marshes,
Let him wander through the forest, 440
Walk along the woodland's borders,
Step along across the heathland,
And she bade him walk discreetly,
And to march along demurely,
And to live a life of pleasure,
And upon fine days to wander,
Through the plains and o'er the marshes,
Past the heaths where men are dancing,
Wandering shoeless in the summer,
Wandering sockless in the autumn, 450
Resting in the worst of weather,
Idling in the cold of winter,
In a hollow stump of cherry,
In the castle of the pine-trees,
At the foot of beauteous fir-trees,
'Mid the junipers close-growing,
Underneath five woollen mantles,
'Neath eight mantles was he hidden,
And from thence I fetched my booty,
There I found it on my journey." 460