Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume I Part 13

Perhaps thy father or thy mother, Or the eldest of thy brothers, Or the youngest of thy sisters, Or some other near relation?

"Not thy father, not thy mother, Nor the eldest of thy brothers, 330 Nor the youngest of thy sisters Nor some other near relation.

Thou thyself hast wrought the evil, And hast done a deadly outrage.

Come thyself to see the mischief, And to remedy the evil.

Come, before I tell thy mother, And complain unto thy parents, More will be thy mother's trouble, Great the anguish of thy parents, 340 That their son had wrought this evil, And their son had wrought this folly.

"Hear me, Blood, and cease thy flowing, O thou Bloodstream, rush no longer, Nor upon my head spirt further, Nor upon my breast down-trickle.

Like a wall, O Blood, arrest thee, Like a fence, O Bloodstream, stand thou, As a flag in lakelet standing, Like a reed in moss-grown country, 350 Like the bank that bounds the cornfield, Like a rock in raging torrent.

"But thy own sense ought to teach thee How that thou should'st run more smoothly.

In the flesh should'st thou be moving, With thy current smoothly flowing.

In the body is it better, Underneath the skin more lovely Through the veins to trace thy pathway, With thy current smoothly flowing, 360 Than upon the earth rash downward, And among the dust to trickle.

"Flow not, milk, upon the flooring, Soil thou not, O Blood, the meadows, Nor the gra.s.s, O crown of manhood, Nor the hillocks, gold of heroes.

In the heart should be thy dwelling, And among the lungs' dark cellars.

Thither then withdraw thou quickly, There withdraw upon the instant. 370 Do not issue like a river, Nor as pond extend thy billows, Trickling forth from out the marshes, Nor to leak like boats when damaged.

"Therefore, dear one, cease thy flowing, Crimson Blood, drip down no longer, Not impeded, but contented.

Dry were once the Falls of Tyrja, Likewise Tuonela's dread river, Dry the lake and dry the heaven, 380 In the mighty droughts of summer, In the evil times of bush-fires.

"If thou wilt not yet obey me, Still I know another method, And resort to fresh enchantments: And I call for Hiisi's caldron, And will boil the blood within it All the blood that forth has issued, So that not a drop escapes me, That the red blood flows no longer, 390 Nor the blood to earth drops downward, And the blood no more may issue.

"But if manly strength has failed me, Nor is Ukko's son a hero, Who can stop this inundation, Stem the swift arterial torrent, Thou our Father in the heavens, Jumala, the clouds who rulest, Thou hast manly strength sufficient, Thou thyself the mighty hero, 400 Who shall close the blood's wide gateway, And shall stem the blood escaping.

"Ukko, O thou great Creator, Jumala, aloft in heaven, Hither come where thou art needed, Hither come where we implore thee, Press thy mighty hands upon it, Press thy mighty thumbs upon it, And the painful wound close firmly, And the door whence comes the evil, 410 Spread the tender leaves upon it, Leaves of golden water-lily, Thus to close the path of bleeding, And to stem the rushing torrent, That upon my beard it spirts not, Nor upon my rags may trickle."

Thus he closed the bleeding opening, Stemming thus the b.l.o.o.d.y torrent, Sent his son into the smithy, To prepare a healing ointment 420 From the blades of magic gra.s.ses, From the thousand-headed yarrow, And from dripping mountain-honey, Falling down in drops of sweetness.

Then the boy went to the smithy, To prepare the healing ointment, On the way he pa.s.sed an oak-tree, And he stopped and asked the oak-tree, "Have you honey on your branches?

And beneath your bark sweet honey?" 430

And the oak-tree gave him answer, "Yesterday, throughout the evening, Dripped the honey on my branches, On my summit splashed the honey, From the clouds dropped down the honey, From the scattered clouds distilling."

Then he took the slender oak-twigs, From the tree the broken fragments, Took the best among the gra.s.ses, Gathered many kinds of herbage, 440 Herbs one sees not in this country; Such were mostly what he gathered.

Then he placed them o'er the furnace, And the mixture brought to boiling; Both the bark from off the oak-tree, And the finest of the gra.s.ses.

Thus the pot was boiling fiercely, Three long nights he kept it boiling, And for three days of the springtime, While he watched the ointment closely, 450 If the salve was fit for using, And the magic ointment ready.

But the salve was still unfinished, Nor the magic ointment ready; Gra.s.ses to the ma.s.s he added, Added herbs of many species, Which were brought from other places, Gathered on a hundred pathways, These were culled by nine magicians, And by eight wise seers discovered. 460

Then for three nights more he boiled it, And for nine nights in succession; Took the pot from off the furnace, And the salve with care examined, If the salve was fit for using, And the magic ointment ready

Here there grew a branching aspen, On the borders of the cornfield, And in twain he broke the aspen, And the tree completely severed, 470 With the magic salve he smeared it, Carefully the ointment tested, And he spoke the words which follow: "As I with this magic ointment Smear the injured crown all over, Let no harm be left upon it, Let the aspen stand uninjured, Even as it stood aforetime."

Then at once was healed the aspen, Even as it stood aforetime, 480 And its crown was far more lovely, And the trunk below was healthy.

Then again he took the ointment, And the salve again he tested, And on broken stones he tried it, And on shattered rocks he rubbed it, And the stone with stone knit firmly, And the cracks were fixed together.

From the forge the boy came homeward, When the salve was fit for using, 490 With the ointment quite perfected, In the old man's hands he placed it.

"Here I bring a perfect ointment, And the magic salve is ready.

It could fuse the hills together, In a single rock unite them."

With his tongue the old man tried it, With his mouth the liquid tasted, And the ointment tasted perfect, And the salve was most efficient. 500

This he smeared on Vainamoinen, And with this he healed the sufferer; Stroked him downward, stroked him upward, Rubbed him also on the middle, And he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in this wise: "'Tis not I who use my muscles, But 'tis the Creator moves them; With my own strength do not labour, But with strength from the Almighty. 510 With my mouth I speak not to you; Jumala's own mouth speaks with you, If my speech is sweet unto you, Jumala's own speech is sweeter.

Even if my hands are lovely, The Creator's hands are fairer."

When the salve was rubbed upon him, And the healing ointment touched him, Almost fainting with the anguish, Vainamoinen writhed and struggled. 520 Turning this way, turning that way, Seeking ease, but never finding.

Then the old man banned the suffering, Far away he drove the anguish, To the central Hill of Tortures, To the topmost Mount of Suffering, There to fill the stones with anguish, And the slabs of rock to torture.

Then he took a silken fabric, And in strips he quickly cut it; 530 From the edge he tore the fragments, And at once he formed a bandage; Then he took the silken bandage, And with utmost care he wound it, Round the knees he wound it deftly, Round the toes of Vainamoinen.

Then he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in this wise: "Thus I use G.o.d's silken bandage, The Creator's mantle wind I 540 Round the great knees of the patient, Round the toes of one most n.o.ble.

Watch thou, Jumala most gracious, Give thy aid, O great Creator, That we fall not in misfortune, That no evil may o'ertake us."

Then the aged Vainamoinen Felt he had regained his vigour, And that he was healed completely, And his flesh again was solid, 550 And beneath it all was healthy.

In his body he was painless, And his sides were quite uninjured, From above the wounds had vanished, Stronger felt he than aforetime, Better than in former seasons.

On his feet he now was walking And could bend his knees in stamping; Not the least of pain he suffered, Not a trace remained of aching. 560

Then the aged Vainamoinen, Lifted up his eyes to heaven, Gazing up to G.o.d most gracious, Lifting up his head to heaven, And he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in this wise: "Thence all mercy flows for ever, Thence comes aid the most effective, From the heaven that arches o'er us, From the omnipotent Creator. 570

"Praise to Jumala most gracious, Praise to thee, O great Creator, That thy aid thou hast vouchsafed me, Granted me thy strong protection, When my suffering was the greatest, From the edge of sharpest Iron."

Then the aged Vainamoinen Further spoke these words of warning: "People, henceforth in the future On your present welfare build not, 580 Make no boat in mood of boasting, Nor confide too much in boat-ribs.

G.o.d foresees the course of by-ways, The Creator orders all things; Not the foresight of the heroes, Nor the might of all the great ones."

RUNO X.--THE FORGING OF THE SAMPO

_Argument_

Vainamoinen reaches home and urges Ilmarinen to depart to woo the Maiden of Pohja, because he would be able to forge a Sampo (1-100). Ilmarinen refuses to go to Pohjola, but Vainamoinen conveys him thither without his consent by a stratagem (101-200). Ilmarinen arrives in Pohjola, where he is very well received, and promises to forge a Sampo (201-280).

He forges the Sampo, and the Mistress of Pohjola conceals it in the Rocky Mountain of Pohjola (281-432). Ilmarinen asks for the maiden as his reward, but she makes excuses, saying that she is not yet ready to leave home (433-462). Ilmarinen receives a boat, returns home, and informs Vainamoinen that he has forged the Sampo in Pohjola (463-510).

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Took his horse of chestnut colour, And between the shafts he yoked him, Yoked before the sledge the chestnut, On the sledge himself he mounted, And upon the seat he sat him.

Quickly then his whip he flourished, Cracked his whip, all bead-embroidered, Quick he sped upon his journey, Lurched the sledge, the way was shortened, 10 Loudly rang the birchwood runners, And the rowan c.u.mber rattled.

On he rushed with speed tremendous, Through the swamps and open country, O'er the heaths, so wide extending.

Thus he drove a day, a second, And at length, upon the third day, Reached the long bridge-end before him Kalevala's extended heathlands, Bordering on the field of Osmo. 20

Then he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in this wise: "Wolf, do thou devour the dreamer, Seize the Laplander, O sickness, He who said that I should never In my lifetime reach my homestead, Nor again throughout my lifetime, Nor as long as shines the moonlight, Neither tread Vainola's meadows; Kalevala's extended heathlands." 30

Then the aged Vainamoinen, Spoke aloud his songs of magic, And a flower-crowned birch grew upward, Crowned with flowers, and leaves all golden, And its summit reached to heaven, To the very clouds uprising.

In the air the boughs extended, And they spread themselves to heaven.