Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume Ii Part 28

"But a grey pike hurried forward, And the salmon-trout he swallowed.

When a little time pa.s.sed over, Fire-pain seized on the devourer, Anguish came upon the swallower, Grievous suffering on the eater.

"Up and down the fish swam turning, Swam for one day and a second, 300 Past the cliffs where flock the seagulls, And the rocks where sport the seamews, To the points of capes a thousand, Bays among a hundred islands.

Every cape made declaration, Every island spoke in thiswise:

"'Nowhere in these sluggish waters, In the narrow Lake of Alue, Can the wretched fish be swallowed, Or the hapless one may perish 310 In the pain of burning fire, In the anguish of its glowing.'"

Then the aged Vainamoinen, Secondly, smith Ilmarinen, Wove a net of bast constructed, Which from juniper they gathered, Steeped it in the juice of willow, And of sallow-bark they made it.

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast Sent the women to the drag-net; 320 To the net there went the women, Sisters came to draw the drag-net; And he steered, and glided onward Past the capes and round the islands, To the clefts where flock the salmon, And along the powan's island, Where the red-brown reeds are waving, And among the beauteous rushes.

Eager now to make a capture, Then he cast the net and sunk it, 330 But he cast the net out twisted, And in wrong direction drew it, And the fish they could not capture, Though with eagerness they laboured.

In the water went the brothers, To the net the men proceeded, And they swung it and they pushed it, And they pulled it and they dragged it, Through the deeps, and rocky places, Drew it o'er Kalevala's shingle; 340 But the fish they could not capture; Not the fish so greatly needed.

Came the grey pike never near them, Neither on the placid water, Nor upon its ample surface; Fish are small, and nets not many.

Now the fish were all complaining; Said one pike unto another, And the powan asked the ide-fish, And one salmon asked another: 350 "Can the famous men have perished, Perished Kaleva's great children, They who drag the net of linen, And of yarn have made the fish-net, With long poles who beat the water, With long sticks who move the waters?"

Old and famous Vainamoinen Answered in the words which follow: "No, the heroes have not perished, Kaleva's great race has died not, 360 When one dies, is born another, And the best of staves they carry, Longer sticks to sound the water, And their nets are twice as fearful."

RUNO XLVIII.--THE CAPTURE OF THE FIRE

_Argument_

The heroes prepare a linen net, and at length capture the fish which has swallowed the fire (1-192). The fire is found in the fish's belly, but flashes up suddenly, and burns Ilmarinen's cheeks and hands severely (193-248). The fire rushes into the forest, burns over many countries, and spreads further and further, till at length it is captured and carried to the dark dwellings of Kalevala (249-290). Ilmarinen recovers from his burns (291-372).

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, He the great primeval minstrel, Thereupon began to ponder, And reflected on the method How to make a net of linen, How to make the hundred meshes.

Then he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in thiswise: "Is there one who flax can sow me, Who can sow the flax and card it, 10 And of this a net can make me, Weave for me its hundred meshes, Thus this wretched fish to slaughter, And destroy the fish unhappy?"

So a little spot they found him, Found a place not yet burned over, In the wide extent of marshes, There between two stumps they found it.

Thereupon they dug the roots out, And 'twas there they found the flaxseed, 20 Guarded by the worm of Tuoni, There protected by the earthworm.

There they found a heap of ashes; Dry the ashes that they found there, Of a wooden burned-up vessel, Of a boat that once had burned there.

There it was they sowed the flaxseed, In the loose ash did they sow it, On the sh.o.r.e of Lake of Alue, There they sowed it in the clayfield. 30

Presently the shoot rose upward, And the flax grew thick and strongly, Grew beyond their expectations, In a single night of summer.

Then they steeped it in the night-time, And they carded it by moonlight, And they cleansed it and they stripped it, And they beat it and they rubbed it, With their tools of steel they sc.r.a.ped it, And with all their strength they stripped it. 40 Then they took the flax to steeping, And it soon began to soften, And they hastened then to pound it, Afterwards in haste they dried it.

Then into the house they brought it, And they hastened then to strip it, And they hastened next to beat it, And they hastened then to break it.

Then with diligence they cleansed it, In the twilight did they comb it, 50 And upon the loom arranged it, Quicker brought it to the spindle, In a single night of summer; Thus between two days they worked it.

After this the sisters spun it, And their brothers' wives were netting, And the brothers worked the meshes, And the fathers also aided.

Quickly did they turn the netter, And the mesh with speed they twisted, 60 Till the net was quite completed, And the cords were fixed upon it, In a single night of summer, Half another in addition.

Thus the net was quite completed, And the cords were fixed upon it.

And its length was hundred fathoms, And its breadth was hundreds seven; Stones for weights were fastened to it, Likewise proper floats provided. 70

With the net the youths were walking, And at home the old men pondered, Whether they would make a capture, And secure the fish they wished for.

Then they drew the net and dragged it, Much they toiled, and threshed the water, Drew it lengthwise through the water, Dragged it crosswise through the water, Captured many little fishes, Many luckless perch they captured, 80 Many bony perch they captured, And a large-galled Redeye likewise, But the fish they could not capture That for which the net was fashioned.

Said the aged Vainamoinen, "O thou smith, O Ilmarinen, Let us now go forth together Where the net is in the water."

Thereupon went both the heroes, And they drew it through the water, 90 And upon one side they spread it Round the islands in the water, And the other side directed, Round about the promontories, And the balance-pole was guided Just as aged Vaino pushed it.

Thus they cast the net and pushed it, And they drew the net and dragged it, Captured fishes in abundance, And they captured perch in plenty, 100 Salmon-trout in great abundance, Bream and salmon too they captured, All the fishes of the water, Only not the fish they sought for, That for which the net was woven, And the ropes were fastened to it.

Then the aged Vainamoinen Worked to make the net yet longer, Wider yet the sides expanded, Perhaps five hundred fathoms broader, 110 Netted full seven hundred fathoms, And he spoke the words which follow: "To the depths the nets we'll carry, And will now extend them further, Once again will drag the water, Thus another cast attempting."

To the depths the nets they carried, Further did they then convey them, And again they dragged the water, Thus another cast attempting. 120

Then the aged Vainamoinen Spoke aloud the words which follow: "Vellamo, O Water-Mother, Old one with the lavish bosom, Do thou change the shift upon thee, Do thou change thy dress completely, For thou hast a shift of rushes, On thy head a cap of lake-foam, Fashioned by the Wind's fair daughter, Which the billows' daughter gave thee. 130 Now a.s.sume a shift of linen, Of the finest flax that's woven, Which by Kuutar has been woven, Paivatar has wrought when spinning.

"Ahto, master of the billows, Ruler thou of caves a hundred, Take thy pole in length five fathoms, Take thy stake, in length full seven, Thresh with this the open water, And do thou stir up the lake-bed, 140 Stir thou all the heaps of refuse, Drive thou on the shoals of fishes, Where the net is spread to catch them, And its hundred floats are swimming, From the bays by fish frequented, From the caves where hide the salmon, From the wide lake's seething whirlpool, And from the profound abysses, Where the sun was never shining, Undisturbed the sand for ever." 150

From the lake a dwarf ascended, From the waves arose a hero, Stood upon the lake's broad surface, And he spoke the words which follow: "Is there need to thresh the water, With a long pole to disturb it?"

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Answered in the words that follow: "There is need to thresh the water, With a long pole to disturb it." 160 Then the dwarf, the little hero, Lifted from the bank a pine-tree, Took a tall tree from the pinewood, And prepared to thresh the water, And he asked, and spoke as follows: "Shall I thresh with strength sufficient, Putting forth my utmost efforts, Or as hard as may be needful?"

Old and prudent Vainamoinen Answered in the words which follow: 170 "If you thresh as hard as needful, You will have to do much threshing."

Then the man, the little hero, Set to work to thresh the water, And he threshed as much as needful, And he drove the shoals of fishes, And into the net he drove them, In the net with floats a hundred.

Rested now the smith his oars; Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, 180 Now the net himself drew upward, At the rope as he was pulling.

Said the aged Vainamoinen, "We have caught a shoal of fishes, In the net that I am lifting, With a hundred floats provided."

Then the net was soon drawn upward, And they drew it up and shook it In the boat of Vainamoinen, Finding mid the shoal of fishes, 190 That for which the net was fashioned, And the hundred floats provided.

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, To the land then urged the vessel, To the blue bridge-side he brought it, To the red bridge-end he brought it, There the shoal of fishes sorted, Turned the heap of bony fishes, And the grey pike found among them, Which he long had sought to capture. 200

Then the aged Vainamoinen Thus unto himself reflected: "Is it wise with hands to seize it, Save with gauntlets made of iron, Save with gloves of stone constructed, Save with mittens made of copper?"

And the Sun's son heard him speaking, And replied in words that follow: "I myself would rip the pike up, Venture in my hand to take him, 210 If I had my large knife only, Which my n.o.ble father gave me."

Then from heaven the knife descended, From the clouds the knife fell downward, Golden-hafted, silver-bladed, To the Sun's son's belt dropped downward.

Thereupon the Sun's son seized it, Firmly in his hand he grasped it, And with this the pike ripped open, Cleft the body of the Broad-snout, 220 And within the grey pike's belly There the grey trout he discovered, And within the grey trout's belly There he found the smooth-skinned powan.

Then he split the smooth-skinned powan, And a blue clew he discovered, In the powan's entrails hidden, In the third fold of the entrails.