Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume Ii Part 17

Thereupon smith Ilmarinen, He the great primeval craftsman, 80 Stooped to look into the furnace, At the edges of the bellows, And he saw a sword was forming, With a hilt of gold constructed.

From the fire he took the weapon, Took the work so finely fashioned, From the furnace to the anvil, To the hammer and the mallet, Forged the sword as he would wish it, And a blade the best of any, 90 And with finest gold inlaid it, And with silver he adorned it.

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Entered then to view the weapon, And he found a keen-edged sword-blade.

Straightway in his hand he raised it, And he turned it and surveyed it, And he spoke the words which follow: "Does this sword befit a hero, Is the sword to bearer suited?" 100 And the sword the hero suited.

Well did it befit the bearer.

On its point the moon was shining, On its side the sun was shining, On the haft the stars were gleaming, At the tip a horse was neighing, On the k.n.o.b a cat was mewing, On the sheath a dog was barking.

After this the sword he brandished, And he cleft an iron mountain, 110 And he spoke the words which follow: "Thus, with such a blade as this is, Can I cleave the mountains open, Cleave the rocky hills asunder."

After this did Ilmarinen Speak aloud the words which follow: "How shall I myself, unhappy, How shall I, the weak, defend me, And shall armour me, and belt me, 'Gainst the risks of land and water? 120 Shall I clothe myself in armour, In a coat of mail the strongest, Gird a belt of steel around me?

Stronger is a man in armour, In a coat of mail is better, With a belt of steel more mighty."

Then arrived the time for starting, And preparing for departure; First the aged Vainamoinen, Secondly smith Ilmarinen, 130 And they went to seek the courser, And to find the yellow-maned one, And the one-year old to bridle, And to see the foal was rough-shod.

Then they went to seek the courser, Went to seek him in the forest, And they gazed around them keenly, And they sought around the blue wood, Found the horse among the bushes, Found the yellow-maned in firwood. 140

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Secondly smith Ilmarinen, On his head the bit adjusted, And the one-year old they bridled, And they drove upon their journey.

On the sh.o.r.e drove both the heroes, On the sh.o.r.e they heard lamenting, From the haven heard complaining.

Then the aged Vainamoinen Spoke aloud the words which follow: 150 "Perhaps it is a girl complaining, Or perchance a dove lamenting.

Shall we go to look about us, Shall we nearer go to listen?"

Therefore to the spot they sauntered, Nearer went to gaze around them, But no maiden there was weeping, And no dove was there lamenting, But they found a vessel weeping, And a boat was there lamenting. 160

Said the aged Vainamoinen As he went towards the vessel, "Wherefore weep, O wooden vessel, Boat with rowlocks, why lamentest?

Dost thou weep that thou art clumsy, And art dreaming at thy moorings?"

Then the wooden boat made answer, Thus replied the boat with rowlocks: "Know, a vessel longs for water, And its tarry sides desire it, 170 As a maiden may be longing For the fine home of a husband.

Therefore weeps the boat unhappy, And the hapless boat lamenteth, And I weep to speed through water, And to float upon the billows.

"It was said when I was fashioned, When my boards were sung together, That I should become a warship, And should be employed for warboat, 180 And should bear the plunder homeward, In my hold should carry treasure, But I have not been in battle, Neither have been stored with plunder.

"Other boats, and even bad ones, Always wander forth to battle, And are led to battle-struggle Three times in the course of summer, And return with money loaded, In their hold they carry treasure, 190 But for me, though well constructed, Of a hundred boards constructed, Here upon my rests I'm rotting, Lying idly at my moorings, And the worst worms of the country Underneath my ribs are lurking, While the birds, of all most horrid, In my masts their nests are building, All the toads from out the forest Over all my deck are leaping. 200 Twice it had been better for me, Two or three times were it better Had I been a mountain pine-tree, Or upon the heath a fir-tree, With a squirrel in my branches, Underneath my boughs a puppy."

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Answered in the words which follow: "Do not weep, O wooden vessel, Fret thyself, O boat with rowlocks! 210 Soon shalt thou go forth to battle, There to mix in furious conflict.

Boat, who wast by builder fashioned, 'Twas this gift the builder gave thee, That thy prow should reach the water, And thy sides the billows traverse, Even though no hand should touch thee, Neither arm be thrust against thee, Though no shoulder should direct thee, And although no arm should guide thee." 220

Then replied the wooden vessel, Answered thus the boat with rowlocks: "None of all my race so mighty, Neither will the boats, my brothers, Move unpushed into the water, Nor unrowed upon the billows, If no hand is laid upon us, And no arm should urge us forward."

Said the aged Vainamoinen, "If I push you in the water, 230 Will you make, unrowed, your journey, Una.s.sisted by the oars, By the rudder undirected, When the sails no breeze is filling?"

Answer made the wooden vessel, Thus replied the boat with rowlocks: "None of all my race so n.o.ble, Nor the host of other vessels, Speed along unrowed by fingers, Una.s.sisted by the oars, 240 By the rudder undirected, When the sails no breeze is filling."

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Answered in the words which follow: "Can you speed if some one rows you, If a.s.sisted by the oars, By the rudder if directed, When the sails the breeze is filling?"

Answered then the wooden vessel, Thus replied the boat with rowlocks: 250 "Yes, my race would hasten onward, All the other boats my brothers, Speed along if rowed by fingers, If a.s.sisted by the oars, By the rudder if directed, When the sails the breeze is filling."

Then the aged Vainamoinen Left his horse upon the sandhills, On a tree he fixed the halter, Tied the reins upon the branches, 260 Pushed the boat into the water, Sang the vessel in the billows, And he asked the wooden vessel, And he spoke the words which follow: "O thou boat, of shape so curving, O thou wooden boat with rowlocks, Art thou just as fit to bear us, As thyself art fair to gaze on?"

Answered thus the wooden vessel, Thus replied the boat with rowlocks: 270 "I am fitted well to bear you, And my floor is very s.p.a.cious, And a hundred men might row me, And a thousand others stand there."

So the aged Vainamoinen Softly then began to carol, Sang on one side of the vessel Handsome youths, with hair brushed smoothly, Hair smoothed down and hands all hardened, And their feet were finely booted; 280 Sang on other side of vessel Girls with tin upon their head-dress, Head-dress tin, and belts of copper, Golden rings upon their fingers; And again sang Vainamoinen, Till the seats were full of people, Some were very aged people, Men whose lives were nearly over, But for these the s.p.a.ce was scanty, For the young folks came before them. 290

In the stern himself he seated, Sat behind the birchwood vessel, And he steered the vessel onward, And he spoke the words which follow: "Speed thou on through treeless regions, O'er the wide expanse of water, O'er the lake do thou float lightly, As on waves a water-lily."

Then he set the youths to rowing, But he left the maidens resting; 300 Rowed the youths, and bent the oars, Yet the vessel moved not onward.

Then he set the girls to rowing, But he left the youths reposing; Rowed the girls, and bent their fingers, Yet the vessel moved not onward.

Then the old folks set to rowing, While the young folks gazed upon them; Rowed they till their heads were shaking, Still the vessel moved not onward. 310

Thereupon smith Ilmarinen Sat him down, and set to rowing; Now moved on the wooden vessel, Sped the boat and made good progress, Far was heard the splash of oars, Far the splashing of the rudder.

On he rowed, while splashed the water, Cracked the seats, and shook the planking, Clashed the mountain-ashwood oars, Creaked like hazel-grouse the rudders, 320 And their tips like cry of blackc.o.c.k.

Like a swan the prow clove onward, Croaked the stern as croaks a raven, Hissed the rowlocks just as geese hiss.

And the aged Vainamoinen Steered the vessel quickly onward, From the stern of the red vessel, With the aid of the strong rudder, Till they saw a cliff before them, And perceived a wretched village. 330

On the cape was Ahti dwelling, In its bend was Kauko living, Weeping that the fish had failed him, Weeping that the bread had failed him; For the smallness of his storehouse, Wept the scamp his wretched fortune.

At a boat's planks he was working, At a new boat's keel was working, On this hungry promontory, And beside the wretched village. 340

Very keen was Ahti's hearing, But his sight was even keener; As he gazed afar to north-west, And to south his head was turning, Suddenly he saw a rainbow, And a single cloud beyond it; What he saw was not a rainbow, Nor a little cloud beyond it; But a boat that speeded swiftly, And a vessel rushing onward 350 O'er the broad lake's shining surface, Out upon the open water, In the stern a n.o.ble hero, And a handsome man was rowing.

Said the lively Lemminkainen, "What this boat may be I know not, Whose may be this handsome vessel, Which is. .h.i.ther rowed from Suomi, From the east, with strokes of oars, And its rudder to the north-west." 360

Then with all his might he shouted, Shouted, and continued shouting, From the cape the hero shouted, Shouted loudly o'er the water, "Whose the boat that cleaves the water, Whose the vessel on the billows?"

From the boat the men made answer, And the women answered likewise, "Who art thou, O forest-dweller, Hero, breaking through the thicket, 370 That thou dost not know this vessel, Whose from Vainola this vessel, Dost not even know the steersman, Nor the hero at the oars?"

Said the lively Lemminkainen, "Now do I perceive the steersman, And I recognize the oarsman.

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, In the vessel's stern is sitting, Ilmarinen at the oars. 380 Whither then away, O heroes, Whither do you journey, heroes?"

Said the aged Vainamoinen, "To the northward do we journey, Journey through the foaming billows, And above the foam-flecked billows.

Forth we go to seize the Sampo, Gaze upon its pictured cover, There in Pohjola's stone mountain, And within the hill of copper." 390

Said the lively Lemminkainen, "O thou aged Vainamoinen, Take me with you as your comrade, As the third among the heroes, When you go to seize the Sampo, Bear away the pictured cover.

Perhaps my manly sword may aid you, In the combat may be useful, As my hands may bear you witness, And my shoulders witness to you." 400

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Took the man upon his journey, In the boat he took the rascal, And the lively Lemminkainen Hurried on to climb upon it, And he hastened quick to board it, And his planks he carried with him To the boat of Vainamoinen.

Said the aged Vainamoinen, "In my boat is wood in plenty, 410 Planks sufficient for the vessel, And besides 'tis heavy laden.

Wherefore do you bring more planking, Bringing timber to the vessel?"

Said the lively Lemminkainen, "Foresight will not sink the vessel, Nor o'erturns a prop the haystack.

Often on the lake of Pohja, Does the wind destroy the planking, When the sides are dashed together." 420