Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume Ii Part 5

Said the girls upon the island, And the island-maidens answered: "There is room upon this island, On the surface of the island, s.p.a.ce where you may sing your ballads, And intone your splendid verses, While you sport amid the greenwood, While you dance among the meadows." 150

Then the lively Lemminkainen Hastened to commence his singing.

In the court sang mountain-ashtrees, In the farmyard oaks grew upward.

On the oaks were equal branches, And on every branch an acorn, Golden globes within the acorns, And upon the globes were cuckoos.

When the cuckoos all were calling, From their mouths was gold distilling, 160 From their beaks was copper flowing, Likewise silver pouring onward To the hills all golden-shining, And among the silver mountains.

Once again sang Lemminkainen, Once again he sang and chanted, Gravel sang to pearls of beauty, All the stones to gleaming l.u.s.tre, All the stones to glowing redness, And the flowers to golden glory. 170

Then again sang Lemminkainen; In the yard a well created, O'er the well a golden cover, And on this a golden bucket, That the lads might drink the water, And their sisters wash their faces.

Ponds he sang upon the meadows, In the ponds blue ducks were floating, Temples golden, heads of silver, And their claws were all of copper. 180

Then the island-maidens wondered, And the girls were all astounded At the songs of Lemminkainen, And the craft of that great hero.

Said the lively Lemminkainen, Spoke the handsome Kaukomieli, "I have sung a song most splendid, But perchance might sing a better, If beneath a roof I sang it, At the end of the deal table. 190 If a house you cannot give me, There to rest upon the planking, I will hum my tunes in forest, Toss my songs among the bushes."

Said the maidens of the island, Answered after full reflection: "There are houses you may enter, Handsome halls that you may dwell in, Safe from cold to sing your verses, In the open speak your magic." 200

Then the lively Lemminkainen, Entered in a house directly, Where he sang a row of pint-pots, At the end of the long table.

All the pots with ale were br.i.m.m.i.n.g, And the cans with mead the finest, Filled as full as one could fill them, Dishes filled to overflowing.

In the pots was beer in plenty, And the mead in covered tankards, 210 b.u.t.ter too, in great abundance, Pork was likewise there in plenty, For the feast of Lemminkainen, And for Kaukomieli's pleasure.

Kauko was of finest manners, Nor to eat was he accustomed, Only with a knife of silver, Fitted with a golden handle.

So he sang a knife of silver, And a golden-hafted knife-blade, 220 And he ate till he was sated, Drank the ale in full contentment.

Then the lively Lemminkainen, Roamed about through every village, For the island-maidens' pleasure, To delight the braidless damsels, And where'er his head was turning, There he found a mouth for kissing, Wheresoe'er his hand was outstretched, There he found a hand to clasp it. 230

And at night he went to rest him, Hiding in the darkest corner; There was not a single village Where he did not find ten homesteads, There was not a single homestead Where he did not find ten daughters, There was none among the daughters, None among the mother's children, By whose side he did not stretch him, On whose arm he did not rest him. 240

Thus a thousand brides he found there, Rested by a hundred widows; Two in half-a-score remained not, Three in a completed hundred, Whom he left untouched as maidens, Or as widows unmolested.

Thus the lively Lemminkainen Lived a life of great enjoyment, For the course of three whole summers In the island's pleasant hamlets, 250 To the island-maidens' rapture, The content of all the widows; One alone he did not trouble, 'Twas a poor and aged maiden, At the furthest promontory, In the tenth among the hamlets.

As he pondered on his journey, And resolved to wend him homeward, Came the poor and aged maiden, And she spoke the words which follow: 260 "Handsome hero, wretched Kauko, If you will not think upon me, Then I wish that as you travel, May your boat on rocks be stranded."

Rose he not before the c.o.c.kcrow, Nor before the hen's child rose he, From his sporting with the maiden, Laughing with the wretched woman.

Then upon a day it happened, And upon a certain evening, 270 He resolved to rise and wander, Waiting not for morn or c.o.c.kcrow.

Long before the time he rose up, Sooner than the time intended, And he went around to wander, And to wander through the village, For his sporting with the damsels, To amuse the wretched women.

As alone by night he wandered, Through the villages he sauntered 280 To the isle's extremest headland, To the tenth among the hamlets, He beheld not any homestead Where three rooms he did not notice, There was not a room among them Where he did not see three heroes, And he saw not any hero, With a sword-blade left unwhetted, Sharpened thus to bring destruction On the head of Lemminkainen. 290

Then the lively Lemminkainen Spoke aloud the words which follow: "Woe to me, the day is dawning, And the pleasant sun is rising O'er a youth, of all most wretched, O'er the neck of me unhappy!

Lempo may perchance a hero With his shirt protect and cover, Perhaps will cover with his mantle, Cast it round him for protection 300 Though a hundred men attacked him, And a thousand pressed upon him."

Unembraced he left the maidens, And he left them unmolested, And he turned him to his vessel, Luckless to his boat he hurried, But he found it burned to ashes, Utterly consumed to ashes.

Mischief now he saw approaching, O'er his head ill days were brooding, 310 So began to build a vessel, And a new boat to construct him.

Wood was failing to the craftsman, Boards with which a boat to fashion, But he found of wood a little, Begged some wretched bits of boarding, Five small splinters of a spindle, And six fragments of a bobbin.

So from these a boat he fashioned, And a new boat he constructed, 320 By his magic art he made it, With his secret knowledge made it, Hammered once, one side he fashioned, Hammered twice, called up the other, Hammered then a third time only, And the boat was quite completed.

Then he pushed the boat in water, On the waves he launched the vessel, And he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in thiswise: 330 "Float like bladder on the water, On the waves like water-lily.

Eagle, give me now three feathers, Eagle, three, and two from raven, For the wretched boat's protection, For the wretched vessel's bulwarks."

Then he stepped upon the planking, At the stern he took his station, Head bowed down, in deep depression, And his cap awry adjusted, 340 Since by night he dare not tarry, Nor by day could linger longer, For the island-maidens' pleasure, Sporting with unbraided damsels.

Spoke the lively Lemminkainen, Said the handsome Kaukomieli: "Now the youth must take departure, And must travel from these dwellings, Joyless leave behind these damsels, Dance no longer with the fair ones. 350 Surely when I have departed, And have left this land behind me, Never will rejoice these damsels, Nor unbraided girls be jesting, In their homes so full of sadness, In the courtyards now so dreary."

Wept the island girls already, Damsels at the cape lamented: "Wherefore goest thou, Lemminkainen, And departest, hero-bridegroom? 360 Dost thou go for maidens' coyness, Or for scarcity of women?"

Spoke the lively Lemminkainen, Said the handsome Kaukomieli, "'Tis not for the maidens' coyness, Nor the scarcity of women.

I have had a hundred women, And embraced a thousand maidens; Thus departeth Lemminkainen, Quits you thus your hero-bridegroom, 370 Since the great desire has seized me, Longing for my native country, Longing for my own land's strawberries, For the slopes where grow the raspberries, For the maidens on the headland, And the poultry of my farmyard."

Then the lively Lemminkainen Pushed into the waves the vessel, Blew the wind, and then it bl.u.s.tered, Rising waves drove on the vessel 380 O'er the blue lake's shining surface, And across the open water.

On the beach there stood the sad ones, On the shingles the unhappy, And the island girls were weeping, And the golden maids lamenting.

Wept for long the island-maidens, Damsels on the cape lamented, Long as they could see the masthead, And the ironwork was gleaming, 390 But they wept not for the masthead, Nor bewailed the iron fittings, By the mast they wept the steersman, He who wrought the iron fittings.

Lemminkainen too was weeping, Long he wept, and long was saddened, Long as he could see the island, Or the outline of its mountains; But he wept not for the island, Nor lamented for the mountains, 400 But he wept the island-damsels, For the mountain geese lamented.

Then the lively Lemminkainen O'er the blue lake took his journey, And he voyaged one day, a second, And at length upon the third day Rose a furious wind against him, And the whole horizon thundered.

Rose a great wind from the north-west, And a strong wind from the north-east, 410 Struck one side and then the other, Thus the vessel overturning.

Then the lively Lemminkainen Plunged his hands into the water, Rowing forward with his fingers, While his feet he used for steering.

Thus he swam by night and daytime And with greatest skill he steered him, And a little cloud perceived he, In the west a cloud projecting, 420 Which to solid land was changing, And became a promontory.

On the cape he found a homestead, Where he found the mistress baking, And her daughters dough were kneading.

"O thou very gracious mistress, If you but perceived my hunger, Thought upon my sad condition, You would hurry to the storehouse, To the alehouse like a snowstorm, 430 And a can of ale would fetch me, And a strip of pork would fetch me, In the pan would broil it for me, And would pour some b.u.t.ter on it, That the weary man might eat it, And the fainting hero drink it.

Nights and days have I been swimming Out upon the broad lake's billows, With the wind as my protector, At the mercy of the lake-waves." 440

Thereupon the gracious mistress Hastened to the mountain storehouse, Sliced some b.u.t.ter in the storehouse, And a slice of pork provided, In the pan thereafter broiled it, That the hungry man might eat it.

Then she fetched of ale a canful, For the fainting hero's drinking, And she gave him a new vessel, And a boat completely finished, 450 Which to other lands should take him, And convey him to his birthplace.

Then the lively Lemminkainen Started on his homeward journey, Saw the lands and saw the beaches, Here the islands, there the channels, Saw the ancient landing-stages, Saw the former dwelling-places, And he saw the pine-clad mountains, All the hills with fir-trees covered, 460 But he found no more his homestead, And the walls he found not standing; Where the house before was standing, Rustled now a cherry-thicket, On the mound were pine-trees growing, Juniper beside the well-spring.

Spoke the lively Lemminkainen, Said the handsome Kaukomieli, "I have roamed among these forests, O'er the stones, and plunged in river, 470 And have played about the meadows, And have wandered through the cornfields.

Who has spoiled my well-known homestead, And destroyed my charming dwelling?

They have burned the house to ashes, And the wind's dispersed the ashes."

Thereupon he fell to weeping, And he wept one day, a second, But he wept not for the homestead, Nor lamented for the storehouse, 480 But he wept the house's treasure, Dearer to him than the storehouse.

Then he saw a bird was flying, And a golden eagle hovering, And he then began to ask it: "O my dearest golden eagle, Can you not perchance inform me, What has happened to my mother, To the fair one who has borne me, To my dear and much-loved mother?" 490

Nothing knew the eagle of her, Nor the stupid bird could tell him, Only knew that she had perished; Said a raven she had fallen, And had died beneath the sword-blades, 'Neath the battle-axes fallen.

Answered lively Lemminkainen, Said the handsome Kaukomieli: "O my fair one who hast borne me, O my dear and much-loved mother! 500 Hast thou perished, who hast borne me, Hast thou gone, O tender mother?