Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume Ii Part 24

RUNO XLV.--THE PESTILENCE IN KALEVALA

_Argument_

The Mistress of Pohjola sends terrible diseases to Kalevala (1-190).

Vainamoinen heals the people by powerful incantations and unguents (191-362).

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress, In her ears received the tidings That in Vainola it prospered, And that Kalevala had flourished, Through the fragments of the Sampo, Fragments of the pictured cover.

Thereupon she grew most envious, And for evermore reflected On the death that she might fashion, How she best might bring destruction 10 On the people in Vainola, And on Kalevala's whole people.

Then she prayed aloud to Ukko, And she thus implored the Thunderer: "Ukko, thou of G.o.ds the highest, Slay thou Kaleva's whole people, Slay them with thy hail of iron, With thy steely needles slay them, Or by sickness let them perish, Let the evil nation perish, 20 Let the men die in the farmyard, On the cowshed floor the women."

Lived in Tuonela a blind maid, Loviatar, an aged woman, She the worst of Tuoni's daughters, And of Mana's maids most hideous, She, the source of every evil, Origin of woes a thousand, With a face of perfect blackness, And a skin of hue most hideous. 30

Then this daughter black of Tuoni, Ulappala's blind-eyed damsel, Made her bed upon the pathway, On the straw in evil country, And her back she turned to windward, Sideways to the bitter weather, Backwards to the blast so freezing, And the chilling winds of morning.

Then a great wind rose in fury, From the east a mighty tempest, 40 Blew this wretched creature pregnant, And she quickened from the tempest, On a barren waste all treeless, On the bare and gra.s.sless meadows.

And she bore a heavy burden, Bore a heavy painful burden, Bore it two months, bore it three months, And for four and five months bore it, Bore it seven months, bore it eight months, For the ninth month also bore it, 50 As old wives are wont to reckon, And for half the tenth month likewise.

When the ninth month had pa.s.sed over, And the tenth month was beginning, Then she writhed about in anguish, And the greatest pain oppressed her, But as yet she brought forth nothing, And no brood as yet resulted.

From her lair at length she moved her, In another place she laid her, 60 And the wench in childbed laid her, Sport of winds, in hopes of children.

There betwixt two rocks she laid her, In the clefts among five mountains, But as yet she brought forth nothing, And no brood as yet resulted.

And she sought a place for breeding, Sought a place for bearing suited, In the quaking swamps she sought it, And among the waves she sought it, 70 But she found no place to suit her, Where she could relieve her burden.

Then she fain would bring forth children, And relieve her body's burden In the foam of furious cataract, 'Neath where whirl the furious waters, Where three waterfalls are falling, Under nine of precipices, But as yet she brought forth nothing, Nor the foul one eased her burden. 80 Then began to weep, the foul one, And to howl, the wicked monster.

Whither now to go she knew not, And in what direction wander, Where she might relieve her burden, Where to go to cast her offspring.

From the clouds then bespoke her Jumala, The Creator spoke from heaven: "Stands in swamp a hut three-cornered, Just upon a lakelet's margin, 90 In the gloomy land of Pohja, Near where Sariola's bay stretches.

There thou may'st bring forth thy offspring, There lay down thy heavy burden, There it is that people need thee, There do they expect thy offspring."

Therefore Tuoni's blackest daughter, Ma.n.a.la's most hideous damsel, Came unto the house of Pohja, Came to Sariola's great bathroom, 100 That she there might bear her children, And she might bring forth her offspring.

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress, Old and gap-toothed dame of Pohja, Secret led her to the bathroom, Secretly into the bathroom, But the village did not know it, Nought was spoken in the village.

Secretly she warmed the bathroom, Hastily she made it ready, 110 And with ale the doors smeared over, And with beer the hinges wetted, That the doors should make no jarring, And the hinges make no creaking.

Then she spoke the words which follow, And expressed herself in thiswise: "n.o.ble dame, Creation's daughter, n.o.ble one, as gold all l.u.s.trous, Thou the oldest of all women, Thou the first of all the mothers, 120 Knee-deep in the lake descend thou, To thy waist among the billows, From the perch the slime obtain thou, And the slime from creeping creatures, Do thou smear with this the gateway, And upon the sides anoint it, Free the damsel from her burden, And the woman from her sufferings, Free her from this grievous torment, And release her from her sufferings. 130

"But if this is not sufficient, Ukko, thou of G.o.ds the highest, Hither come where thou art needed, Come thou at our supplication.

Here there is a girl in childbed, And a woman suffering greatly, Here amid the bathroom's vapour, Brought into the village bathroom.

"Do thou take thy club all golden, In thy right hand do thou take it, 140 Each impediment remove thou, And the door-posts move asunder, Bend thou the Creator's castles, Break thou all the bars asunder, Push the large ones and the small ones, Even to the very smallest."

Then this foul and wicked creature, She, the daughter blind of Tuoni, Presently relieved her burden, And she brought forth evil children, 150 'Neath a rug adorned with copper, Underneath the softest blankets.

Thus became she nine sons' mother, In a single night of summer, With the bath prepared once only, With the bath but once made ready, With a single effort only, From the fulness of her body.

To the boys their names a.s.signed she, And she nurtured well the children 160 Just as each one names the children Whom themselves have brought to being.

One as Pleurisy she destined, One did she send forth as Colic, And as Gout she reared another, One as Scrofula she fashioned, Boil, another designated, And as Itch proclaimed another, Thrust another forth as Cancer, And as Plague she formed another. 170

One remained, and he was nameless, In the straw the lowest lying, Therefore did she send him onward, As a sorcerer on the waters, Also to bewitch the lowlands, Everywhere to practise malice.

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress, Sent the others forth to journey To the cloud-encompa.s.sed headland, And the shady island's summit, 180 Sent in rage these evil monsters, These diseases all unheard of, Forth to Vainola she sent them, Kaleva's great race to slaughter.

Sickened Vainola's own people, Kaleva's descendants sickened, With diseases all unheard of, And whose names were known to no one, And the floors beneath them rotted, And the sheet above corrupted. 190

Then the aged Vainamoinen, He the great primeval sorcerer, Went to drive away the evil, And his people's lives to succour, Forth he went to war with Tuoni, And against disease to struggle.

Thereupon he warmed the bathroom, And the stones prepared to heat it, And the finest wood provided, f.a.ggots, too, he laid in water; 200 Water brought in covered vessels, Bath-whisks also, well-protected, Warmed the bath-whisks to perfection, And the hundred twigs he softened.

Then he raised a warmth like honey, Raised a heat as sweet as honey, From the heated stones he raised it, From the glowing stones he raised it, And he spoke the words which follow, And in words like these expressed him: 210 "Now the bath approach, O Jumala, To the warmth, O heavenly Father, Healthfulness again to grant us, And our peace again secure us.

Drive away these foul diseases, From these dread diseases save us, Calm thou down this heat excessive Drive away this heat so evil, That it may not burn thy children, Neither may destroy thy offspring. 220

"Therefore will I sprinkle water, On the glowing stones I cast it, Let it now be changed to honey, May it trickle down like honey, Let it flow a stream like honey, Flowing to a lake of honey, As it flows along the hearthstones, Flowing through the mossy bathroom.

"Do not let us guiltless perish, Nor be overcome by sickness, 230 'Gainst the great Creator's mandate, When sends Jumala our death not.

He who slaughters us, the sinless, Let his mouth his own words swallow On his head cast back the evils, Evil thoughts recoil upon him.

"If myself I am not manly, Nor is Ukko's son a hero, Nor can drive away these evils, Nor from off my head can lift them, 240 Ukko is a man and hero, He it is the clouds who marshals, And the rainless clouds he governs, Ruling o'er the clouds so scattered.

"Ukko, thou of G.o.ds the highest, Thou above the clouds who dwellest, Come thou here where thou art needed, Listen to our supplications, Do thou look upon our sufferings, Do thou end our days of anguish, 250 Free us from this evil magic, Free us now from every evil.

"Bring me now a sword of fire, Bring me now a flashing sword-blade, That I may oppose these evils Quite subdue these frightful evils, On the wind's path drive our sufferings, Drive them far amid the deserts.

"Thence I'll drive these sorcerers' torments, Thence these sufferings will I banish, 260 Far away to rocky caverns, Rocky caves as hard as iron, Torments to the stones to carry, And upon the rocks heap suffering.

Never weeps the stone for anguish, Nor the rock complains of suffering, Though it should be greatly beaten, And though blows be heaped upon it.

"Kiputytto, Tuoni's maiden, Sitting on the Stone of Sickness, 270 In the rush of three great rivers, Where three waters are divided, Turning round the torture-millstone, And the Mount of Sickness turning!

Go and turn away these sufferings, To the blue stone gorge direct them, Or amid the waters send them, To the deep lake, O condemn them, Which by wind is never troubled, Where the sun is never shining. 280

"If this is not yet sufficient, Kivutar, O n.o.ble Mistress, Vammatar, O n.o.ble matron, Come ye all, and come together, Once again to work us healing, And restore our peace unto us!

Take the sufferings from the suffering, And the ulcers from the ulcered, That the sick may fall in slumber, And the weak may rise from weakness, 290 And the sufferer hope recover, And our mourning have an ending.

"Put the sufferings in a barrel, And with copper hasps enclose them, Carry thou away the sufferings, And do thou cast down the tortures, In the midst of Torture-Mountain, On the peak of Mount of Suffering, Do thou there boil up the tortures In the very smallest kettle, 300 Larger not than round a finger, And no wider than a thumb-breadth.

"There's a stone in midmost mountain, 'Mid the stone there is an opening, Which has there been bored by auger, Where the auger has transpierced it.

Do thou thrust therein the sufferings, Overcome these painful ulcers, Crush thou in these raging tortures, Do thou end our days of suffering, 310 That by night they may be harmless, And be harmless in the daytime."

Then the aged Vainamoinen, He the great primeval sorcerer, Salved o'er all the ulcered places, And the open wounds anointed, With nine various salves anointed, With eight magic drugs he rubbed them, And he spoke the words which follow, And in words like these expressed him: 320 "Ukko, thou of G.o.ds the highest, O thou aged man in heaven!

Let a cloud appear to eastward, Let another rise from north-west, Send thou from the west another, Grant us honey, grant us water, That our sores may be anointed, And our wounds be all salved over.

"Yet to me no power is given, Save by my Creator granted. 330 Grant us now thy grace, Creator, Grant us, Jumala, thy mercy.

With my eyes have I been seeing, And my hands have been uplifting, With my mouth have I been speaking, With my breath have I been sighing.

"Where my hands avail to reach not, Let the hands of G.o.d be resting; Where I cannot reach my fingers, There let G.o.d extend his fingers; 340 Far more skilful are his fingers, The Creator's hands more active.