Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume I Part 39

Cakes were there, in pieces broken, Likewise there were lumps of b.u.t.ter, Powans too, to be divided, Salmon too, to cut to pieces, With the knives composed of silver, And with smaller knives all golden.

Ale unpurchased there was flowing, Mead for which you could not bargain; 400 Ale flowed from the ends of rafters, Honey from the taps was oozing, Ale around the lips was foaming, Mead the mood of all enlivened.

Who among them should be cuckoo, Who should sing a strain most fitting?

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, He the great primeval minstrel, He himself commenced his singings, Set about composing verses, 410 And he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in thiswise: "O my own beloved brethren, O most eloquent companions, O my comrades, ready talkers, Listen now to what I tell you, Rarely kiss the geese each other, Rarely sisters gaze on sisters, Rarely side by side stand brothers, Side by side stand mother's children, 420 In these desert lands so barren, In the wretched northern regions.

"Shall we give ourselves to singing, Set about composing verses?

None can sing except the singer, None can call save vernal cuckoo, None can paint, except Sinetar, None can weave save Kankahatar.

"Lapland's children, they are singing, And the hay-shod ones are chanting, 430 As the elk's rare flesh they feast on, Or the meat of smaller reindeer, Wherefore then should I not carol, Wherefore should our children sing not, While upon the ryebread feasting, Or when eating is concluded?

"Lapland's children, they are singing, And the hay-shod ones are chanting, As they drink from water-pitchers, While they chew the bark of fir-tree. 440 Wherefore then should I not carol, Wherefore should our children sing not, While the juice of corn we're drinking, And the best-brewed ale of barley?

"Lapland's children they are singing, And the hay-shod ones are chanting, Even by the sooty fire, As they lay the coals upon it.

Wherefore then should I not carol, Wherefore should our children sing not, 450 Underneath these famous rafters, Underneath a roof so splendid?

"Good it is for men to dwell here, Good for women to reside here, All among the barrels ale-filled, Standing close beside the mead-tubs, Near the sound where swarm the powans, Near the place for netting salmon, Where the food is never failing, And the drink is never stinted. 460

"Good it is for men to dwell here, Good for women to reside here, Here to eat by care untroubled, Here to live without affliction, Here to eat unvexed by trouble, And to live without a sorrow, Long as lives our host among us, All the lifetime of our hostess.

"Which shall I first praise in singing, Shall it be the host or hostess? 470 Always first they praise the heroes, Therefore first I praise the Master, He who first prepared the marshland, And along the sh.o.r.e who wandered, And he brought great stumps of fir-trees, And he trimmed the crowns of fir-trees, Took them to a good position, Firmly built them all together, For his race a great house builded, And he built a splendid homestead, 480 Walls constructed from the forest, Rafters from the fearful mountains, Laths from out the woods provided, Boards from berry-bearing heathlands, Bark from cherry-bearing uplands, Moss from off the quaking marshes.

"And the house is well-constructed, And the roof securely fastened.

Here a hundred men were gathered, On the house-roof stood a thousand, 490 When this house was first constructed, And the flooring duly fitted.

"Be a.s.sured our host so worthy, In the building of this homestead, Oft his hair exposed to tempest, And his hair was much disordered.

Often has our host so n.o.ble, On the rocks his gloves left lying, Lost his hat among the fir-trees, In the marsh has sunk his stockings. 500

"Often has our host so n.o.ble In the early morning hours, When no others had arisen, And unheard by all the village, Left the cheerful fire behind him, Watched for birds in wattled wigwam, And the thorns his head were combing, Dew his handsome eyes was washing.

"Thus receives our host so n.o.ble, In his home his friends around him; 510 Filled the benches are with singers, And with joyous guests the windows, And the floor with talking people, Porches, too, with people shouting, Near the walls with people standing, Near the fence with people walking, Through the yard are folks parading, Children on the ground are creeping.

"Now I first have praised the master, I will praise our gracious hostess, 520 She who has prepared the banquet, And has filled the table for us.

"Large the loaves that she has baked us, And she stirred us up thick porridge, With her hands that move so quickly, With her soft and tenfold fingers, And she let the bread rise slowly, And the guests with speed she feasted; Pork she gave them in abundance, Gave them cakes piled up in dishes, 530 And the knives were duly sharpened, And the pointed blades pressed downward, As the salmon were divided, And the pike were split asunder.

"Often has our n.o.ble mistress, She the most accomplished housewife, Risen up before the c.o.c.kcrow, And before the hen's son hastened, That she might prepare the needful, That the work might all be finished, 540 That the beer might be concocted, And the ale be ready for us.

"Well indeed our n.o.ble hostess, And this most accomplished housewife, Best of ale for us concocted, And the finest drink set flowing.

'Tis composed of malted barley, And of malt the very sweetest, And with wood she has not turned it, With a stake she has not moved it, 550 Only with her hands has raised it, Only with her arms has turned it, In the bathroom filled with vapour, On the boarding, scoured so cleanly.

"Nor did she, our n.o.ble hostess, And this most accomplished mistress, Let the germs mature them fully, While on ground the malt was lying.

Oft she went into the bathroom, Went alone, at dead of midnight, 560 Fearing not the wolf should harm her, Nor the wild beasts of the forest.

"Now that we have praised the hostess, Let us also praise the inviter; Who was chosen as inviter, And upon the road to guide us?

Best inviter of the village, Best of guides in all the village.

"There we look on our inviter, Clad in coat from foreign countries; 570 Round his arms 'tis tightly fitted, Neatly round his waist 'tis fitted.

"There we look on our inviter, In a narrow cloak attired; On the sand the skirts are sweeping, On the ground the train is sweeping.

Of his shirt we see a little, Only see a very little, As if Kuutar's self had wove it, And the tin-adorned one wrought it. 580

"Here we look on our inviter, Belted with a belt of woollen, Woven by the Sun's fair daughter, By her beauteous fingers broidered, In the times ere fire existed, And when all unknown was fire.

"Here we look on our inviter, With his feet in silken stockings, And with silk are bound his stockings, And his garters are of satin, 590 And with gold are all embroidered.

And are all adorned with silver.

"Here we look on our inviter, Best of Saxon shoes he's wearing, Like the swans upon the river, Or the ducks that swim beside them, Or the geese among the thickets, Birds of pa.s.sage in the forests.

"Here we look on our inviter, With his golden locks all curling, 600 And his golden beard is plaited, On his head a lofty helmet: Up among the clouds it rises, Through the forest's glancing summit; Such a one you could not purchase For a hundred marks or thousand.

"Now that I have praised the inviter, I will also praise the bridesmaid.

Whence has come to us the bridesmaid, Whence was she, the happiest, chosen? 610

"Thence has come to us the bridesmaid, Thence was she, the happiest, chosen, Where is Tanikka's strong fortress, From without the new-built castle.

"No, she came from other regions, Not at all from such a region; Thence has come to us the bridesmaid, Thence was she, the happiest, chosen, Brought to us across the water, And across the open ocean. 620

"No, she came from other regions, Not at all from such a region, Grew like strawberry in the country, On the heaths where cranberries flourish, On the field of beauteous herbage, On the heath of golden flowerets, Thence has come to us the bridesmaid, Thence was she, the happiest, chosen.

"And the bridesmaid's mouth is pretty, As the spindle used in Suomi, 630 And the bridesmaid's eyes are sparkling, As the stars that shine in heaven, Gleaming are the damsel's temples, As upon the lake the moonlight.

"Here we look upon our bridesmaid; Round her neck a chain all golden, On her head a golden head-dress, On her hands are golden bracelets, Golden rings upon her fingers, In her ears are golden earrings, 640 Loops of gold upon her temples, And her brows are bead-adorned.

"And I thought the moon was shining, When her golden clasp was gleaming, And I thought the sun was shining, When I saw her collar gleaming, And I thought a ship was sailing, When I saw her head-dress moving.

"Now that I have praised the bridesmaid, I will glance at all the people; 650 Very handsome are the people, Stately are the aged people, And the younger people pretty, And the householders are handsome.

"I have gazed at all the people, And I knew them all already; But before it never happened, Nor in future times will happen, That we meet so fine a household, Or we meet such handsome people, 660 Where the old folks are so stately, And the younger people pretty.

Clothed in white are all the people, Like the forest in the h.o.a.rfrost, Under like the golden dawning: Over like the morning twilight.

"Easy to obtain was silver, Gold among the guests was scattered, In the gra.s.s were littered purses, In the lanes were bags of money, 670 For the guests who were invited, For the guests most greatly honoured."

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Of the song the mighty pillar, After this his sledge ascended, Homeward drove upon his journey, And he sang his songs for ever, Sang, and chanted spells of magic, Sang a song, and sang a second, But, as he the third was singing, 680 Clashed against a rock the runners, Crashed the shafts against a tree-stump, And the sledge broke off his chanting, And the runners stopped his singing, And the shafts in fragments shattered, And the boards broke all asunder.

Spoke the aged Vainamoinen, In the very words which follow, "Are there none among the youthful, Of the rising generation, 690 Or perchance among the aged, Of the sinking generation, Who to Tuonela can wander, And can go to Mana's country, Thence to fetch me Tuoni's auger, Bring me Mana's mighty auger, That a new sledge I may fashion, Or repair my sledge that's broken?"

But said all the younger people, And the aged people answered: 700 "There are none among the youthful, None at all among the aged, None of race so highly n.o.ble, None is such a mighty hero, As to Tuonela to travel, Journey to the land of Mana, Thence to bring you Tuoni's auger, And from Mana's home to bring it, That a new sledge you may fashion, Or repair the sledge that's broken." 710

Then the aged Vainamoinen, He the great primeval minstrel, Went again to Tuoni's country, Journeyed to the home of Mana, Fetched from Tuonela the auger, Brought from Mana's home the auger.

Then the aged Vainamoinen Sang a blue wood up before him, In the forest rose an oak-tree, And a splendid mountain-ashtree, 720 And from these a sledge he fashioned, And he shaped his runners from them, And for shafts prepared them likewise, And the frame he thus constructed, Made a sledge to suit his purpose, And a new sledge he constructed.

In the shafts the horse he harnessed, Yoked before the sledge the chestnut, In the sledge himself he seated, And upon the seat he sat him, 730 And without the whip the courser, Sped, by beaded whip unhara.s.sed, To his long-accustomed fodder, To the food that waited for him, And he brought old Vainamoinen, He the great primeval minstrel, To his own door, widely open, To the threshold brought him safely.

NOTES TO RUNOS I-XXV