Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume I Part 38

Hazel-grouse were twittering blithely On the collar formed of saplings, And the cuckoos all were calling, On the sledge's sides while sitting, And the squirrels leaped and frolicked On the shafts of maple fashioned.

Lokka then the kindest hostess, Kaleva's most beauteous matron, Uttered then the words which follow, And in words like these expressed her: 40

"For the new moon waits the village, And the young await the sunrise, Children search where grow the berries, And the water waits the tarred boat; For no half-moon have I waited, Nor the sun have I awaited, But I waited for my brother, For my brother and step-daughter, Gazed at morning, gazed at evening, Knew not what had happened to them, 50 If a child he had been rearing, Or a lean one he had fattened, That he came not any sooner, Though he faithfully had promised Soon to turn his footsteps homeward, Ere defaced had been his footprints.

"Ever gazed I forth at morning, And throughout the day I pondered, If my brother was not coming, Nor his sledge was speeding onward 60 Swiftly to this little homestead, To this very narrow dwelling.

Though the horse were but a straw one, And the sledge were but two runners, Yet a sledge I still would call it, And a sledge would still esteem it, If it homeward brought my brother, And another fair one with him.

"Thus throughout my life I wished it, This throughout the day I looked for, 70 Till my head bowed down with gazing, And my hair bulged up in ridges, And my bright eyes were contracted, Hoping for my brother's coming Swiftly to this little household, To this very narrow dwelling, And at length my son is coming, And in truth is coming swiftly, With a lovely form beside him, And a rose-cheeked girl beside him. 80

"Bridegroom, O my dearest brother, Now the white-front horse unharness, Do thou lead the n.o.ble courser To his own familiar pasture, To the oats but lately garnered; Then bestow thy greetings on us, Greet us here, and greet the others, All the people of the village.

"When thou hast bestowed thy greetings, Thou must tell us all thy story. 90 Did thy journey lack adventures, Hadst thou health upon thy journey, To thy mother-in-law when faring, To thy father-in-law's dear homestead, There to woo and win the maiden, Beating down the gates of battle, And the maiden's castle storming, Breaking down the walls uplifted, Stepping on her mother's threshold, Sitting at her father's table? 100

"But I see without my asking, And perceive without inquiry, He has prospered on his journey, With his journey well contented.

He has wooed and won the gosling, Beaten down the gates of battle, Broken down the boarded castle, And the walls of linden shattered, When her mother's house he entered, And her father's home he entered. 110 In his care is now the duckling, In his arms behold the dovekin, At his side the modest damsel, Shining in her radiant beauty.

"Who has brought the lie unto us, And the ill report invented, That the bridegroom came back lonely, And his horse had sped for nothing?

For the bridegroom comes not lonely, Nor his horse has sped for nothing; 120 Perhaps the horse has brought back something, For his white mane he is shaking, For the n.o.ble horse is sweating, And the foal with foam is whitened, From his journey with the dovekin, When he drew the blushing damsel.

"In the sledge stand up, O fair one, On its floor, O gift most n.o.ble, Do thou raise thyself unaided, And do thou arise unlifted, 130 If the young man tries to lift thee, And the proud one seeks to raise thee.

"From the sledge do thou upraise thee, From the sledge do thou release thee, Walk upon this flowery pathway, On the path of liver-colour, Which the swine have trod quite even, And the hogs have trampled level, Over which have pa.s.sed the lambkins, And the horses' manes swept over. 140

"Step thou with the step of gosling, Strut thou with the feet of duckling, In the yard that's washed so cleanly, On the smooth and level gra.s.splot, Where the father rules the household, And the mother holds dominion, To the workplace of the brother, And the sister's blue-flowered meadow.

"Set thy foot upon the threshold, Then upon the porch's flooring, 150 On the honeyed floor advance thou, Next the inner rooms to enter, Underneath these famous rafters, Underneath this roof so lovely.

"It was in this very winter, In the summer just pa.s.sed over, Sang the floor composed of duckbones, That thyself should stand upon it, And the golden roof resounded That thou soon should'st walk beneath it, 160 And the windows were rejoicing, For thy sitting at the windows.

"It was in this very winter, In the summer just pa.s.sed over, Often rattled the door-handles, For the ringed hands that should close them, And the stairs were likewise creaking For the fair one robed so grandly, And the doors stood always open, And their opener thus awaited. 170

"It was in this very winter, In the summer just pa.s.sed over, That the room around has turned it, Unto those the room who dusted, And the hall has made it ready For the sweepers, when they swept it, And the very barns were chirping To the sweepers as they swept them.

"It was in this very winter, In the summer just pa.s.sed over, 180 That the yard in secret turned it To the gatherer of the splinters, And the storehouses bowed downward, For the wanderer who should enter, Rafters bowed, and beams bent downward To receive the young wife's wardrobe.

"It was in this very winter, In the summer just pa.s.sed over, That the pathways had been sighing For the sweeper of the pathways, 190 And the cowsheds nearer drawing To the cleanser of the cowsheds; Songs and dances were abandoned, Till should sing and dance our duckling.

"On this very day already, And upon the day before it, Early has the cow been lowing, And her morning hay expecting, And the foal has loud been neighing That his truss of hay be cast him, 200 And the lamb of spring has bleated, That its food its mistress bring it.

"On this very day already, And upon the day before it, Sat the old folks at the windows, On the beach there ran the children, By the wall there stood the women, In the porch-door youths were waiting, Waiting for the youthful mistress, And the bride they all awaited. 210

"Hail to all within the household, Likewise hail to all the heroes, Hail, O barn, and all within thee, Barn, and all the guests within thee, Hail, O hall, and all within thee, Birchbark roof, and all thy people, Hail, O room, and all within thee, Hundred-boards, with all thy children!

Hail, O moon, to thee, O monarch, And the bridal train so youthful! 220 Never was there here aforetime, Never yesterday nor ever, Was a bridal train so splendid: Never were such handsome people.

"Bridegroom, O my dearest brother, Let the red cloths now be loosened, Laid aside the veils all silken; Let us see thy cherished marten, Whom for five long years thou wooed'st, And for eight years thou hast longed for. 230

"Hast thou brought whom thou hast wished for, Hast thou brought with thee the cuckoo, From the land a fair one chosen, Or a rosy water-maiden?

"But I see without my asking, Comprehend without inquiry, Thou has really brought the cuckoo, Hast the blue duck in thy keeping; Greenest of the topmost branches, Thou hast brought from out the greenwood, 240 Freshest of the cherry-branches, From the freshest cherry-thickets."

On the floor there sat an infant, From the floor spoke out the infant:

"O my brother, what thou bringest, Is a tar-stump void of beauty, Half as long as a tar-barrel, And as tall as is a bobbin.

"Shame, O shame, unhappy bridegroom, All thy life thou hast desired, 250 Vowed to choose from hundred maidens, And among a thousand maidens, Bring the n.o.blest of the hundred, From a thousand unattractive; From the swamp you bring a lapwing, From the hedge you bring a magpie, From the field you bring a scarecrow, From the fallow field a blackbird.

"What has she as yet accomplished, In the summer just pa.s.sed over, 260 If the gloves she was not weaving, Nor begun to make the stockings?

Empty to the house she cometh, To our household brings no presents, Mice are squeaking in the baskets, Long-eared mice are in the coppers."

Lokka, most accomplished hostess, Kaleva's most handsome matron, Heard these wondrous observations, And replied in words which follow: 270

"Wretched child, what art thou saying?

To thy own disgrace thou speakest!

Thou may'st wonders hear of others, Others may'st perchance disparage, But thou may'st not shame this damsel, Nor the people of this household.

"Bad the words that thou hast uttered, Bad the words that thou hast spoken, With the mouth of calf of night-time, With the head of day-old puppy. 280 Handsome is this n.o.ble damsel, n.o.blest she of all the country, Even like a ripening cranberry, Or a strawberry on the mountain, Like the cuckoo in the tree-top, Little bird in mountain-ashtree, In the birch a feathered songster, White-breast bird upon the maple.

"Ne'er from Saxony came ever, Nor in Viro could they fashion 290 Such a girl of perfect beauty, Such a duck without an equal, With a countenance so lovely, And so n.o.ble in her stature, And with arms of such a whiteness, And with slender neck so graceful.

"Neither comes the damsel dowerless, Furs enough she brought us. .h.i.ther, Blankets, too, as gifts she brought us, Cloths as well she carried with her. 300

"Much already has this damsel Wrought by working with her spindle, On her own reel has she wound it, With her fingers much has finished.

Cloths of very brilliant l.u.s.tre Has she folded up in winter, In the spring days has she bleached them, In the summer months has dried them; Splendid sheets the beds to spread on, Cushions soft for heads to rest on, 310 Silken neckcloths of the finest, Woollen mantles of the brightest.

"n.o.ble damsel, fairest damsel, With thy beautiful complexion, In the house wilt thou be honoured, As in father's house the daughter, All thy life shalt thou be honoured, As in husband's house the mistress.

"Never will we cause thee trouble, Never trouble bring upon thee. 320 To the swamp thou wast not carried, Nor from the ditch-side they brought thee, From the cornfields rich they brought thee, But to better fields they led thee, And they took thee from the ale-house, To a home where ale is better.

"n.o.ble girl, and fairest damsel, One thing only will I ask thee, Didst thou notice on thy journey Shocks of corn that stood uplifted, 330 Ears of rye in shocks uplifted, All belonging to this homestead, From the ploughing of thy husband?

He has ploughed and he has sown it.

"Dearest girl, and youthful damsel, This is what I now will tell thee, Thou hast willed our house to enter: Be contented with the household.

Here 'tis good to be the mistress, Good to be a fair-faced daughter, 340 Sitting here among the milk-pans, b.u.t.ter-dishes at thy service.

"This is pleasant for a damsel, Pleasant for a fair-faced dovekin.

Broad the planking of the bathroom, Broad within the rooms the benches, Here the master's like thy father, And the mistress like thy mother, And the sons are like thy brothers, And the daughters like thy sisters. 350

"If the longing e'er should seize thee, And the wish should overtake thee, For the fish thy father captured, Or for grouse to ask thy brother, From thy brother-in-law ask nothing, From thy father-in-law ask nothing; Best it is to ask thy husband, Ask him to obtain them for thee.

There are not within the forest Any four-legged beasts that wander, 360 Neither birds in air that flutter Two-winged birds with rushing pinions, Neither in the shining waters Swarm the best of all the fishes, Which thy husband cannot capture; He can catch and bring them to thee.

"Here 'tis good to be a damsel, Here to be a fair-faced dovekin; Need is none to work the stone-mill; Need is none to work the mortar; 370 Here the wheat is ground by water, And the rye by foaming torrents, And the stream cleans all utensils, And the lake-foam cleanses all things.

"O thou lovely little village, Fairest spot in all the country!

Gra.s.s below, and cornfields over, In the midst between the village.

Fair the sh.o.r.e below the village, By the sh.o.r.e is gleaming water, 380 Where the ducks delight in swimming, And the water-fowl are sporting."

Drink they gave the bridal party, Food and drink they gave in plenty, Meat provided in abundance, Loaves provided of the finest, And they gave them ale of barley, Spicy drink, from wheat concocted.

Roast they gave them in abundance, Food and drink in all abundance, 390 In the dishes red they brought it, In the handsomest of dishes.