“ 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?" ”

“ As from Pohjola thou comest?
How at Pohjola exist they?" 300
Said the smith, said Ilmarinen,
"How at Pohjola exist they?
There the Sampo grinds for ever,
And revolves the pictured cover,
And one day it grinds provisions,
Grinds for sale upon the second,
On the third what needs the household.
"Thus I speak, and tell you truly,
And again repeat it to you,
How at Pohjola exist they, 310
When at Pohjola's the Sampo!
There is ploughing, there is sowing,
There is every kind of increase,
And their welfare is eternal." ”

“ Kullervo still wandered onwards,
Aimlessly he hurried forward,
For a day through thickest forest,
Through the timber-grounds of Hiisi, 40
And at evening, when it darkened,
Down upon the ground he threw him.
There the orphan boy was sitting,
And the friendless one reflected:
"Wherefore have I been created,
Who has made me, and has doomed me,
Thus 'neath moon and sun to wander
'Neath the open sky for ever?
"Others to their homes may journey,
And may travel to their dwellings, 50
But my home is in the forest,
And upon the heath my homestead. ”

“ Then the lively Lemminkainen
In his hands the harp uplifted
And he drew it nearer to him,
Held it underneath his fingers,
And he tried to play upon it,
And the kantele he twisted, 280
But could play no tune upon it,
Draw no cheerful music from it.
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
"There are none among the youthful,
Nor among the growing people,
Nor among the aged people,
Who can play upon these harpstrings,
Drawing cheerful music from them.
Perhaps in Pohjola 'twere better,
Tunes might perhaps be played upon it, 290
Cheerful music played upon it,
If to Pohjola I took it." ”

“ Bear to Pohjola the Sampo.
In the waves if you will send me,
And my wretched life concede me,
Not another time ascending,
In the sight of men I'll venture."
Then the aged Väinämöinen
Cast the wretch into the billows,
And he said the words which follow:
"Iku-Turso, son of Äijö, 450
Nevermore from lake arising,
Or ascending from the lake-waves,
Venture forth where men can see thee,
From this very day henceforward." ”

“ Said the aged Väinämöinen,
"You may look on us as sailors.
I am aged Väinämöinen,
Ilmarinen, smith, is with me, 150
But inform us of your kindred;
By what name do people call you?"
Then the matron made them answer,
"I am oldest of all women,
Of the air the oldest damsel,
And the first of all the mothers.
Five times now have I been married,
Six times as a bride attired.
Whither do you take your journey,
Whither, heroes, are you going?" ”

“ 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-encompassed headland,
And the shady island's summit, 180
Sent in rage these evil monsters,
These diseases all unheard of,
Forth to Väinölä she sent them,
Kaleva's great race to slaughter. ”

“ When Väinämöinen sees the moon and sun reappear in the sky, he salutes them, hoping that they will always go brightly on their course, and bring happiness to the country (363-422) .
Still the sun was never shining,
Neither gleamed the golden moonlight,
Not in Väinölä's dark dwellings,
Not on Kalevala's broad heathlands.
Frost upon the crops descended,
And the cattle suffered greatly,
And the birds of air felt strangely,
All mankind felt ever mournful,
For the sunlight shone no longer,
Neither did there shine the moonlight. ”

“ For I go to clear the forest,
And to fell the slender birch-trees."
So the smith forged what he needed,
And an axe he forged him quickly;
Such an axe as fits a hero,
Iron tool for skilful workman.
Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring,
Set to work the axe to sharpen,
And he ground it in the daytime,
And at evening made a handle. 260
Then he went into the forest,
High upon the wooded mountains,
There to seek the best of planking,
And to seek the best of timber. ”

“ Thither forth to bear, O strumpet,
Bear thy children, wench of fire."
Marjatta the petted damsel,
Then returned submissive answer:
"Not at all am I a strumpet,
Neither am a wench for burning;
I shall bear a mighty hero,
And shall bear a noble offspring,
He shall be a mighty conqueror,
Strong as even Väinämöinen." ”

“ Unto Pohjola's dread gateway,
Where the pathway is the narrowest,
Then a wolf will rush upon you,
[Pg 6] And a bear for his companion,
There in Pohjola's dread gateway,
Where the pathway is the narrowest. 190
Hundreds have been there devoured,
Heroes have by thousands perished;
Wherefore should they not devour thee,
Kill thee likewise, unprotected?"
Answered lively Lemminkainen,
Said the handsome Kaukomieli,
"Perhaps a young ewe might be eaten,
Or a lamb be torn to pieces,
Not a man, how weak soever,
Not the sleepiest of the heroes! ”

“ Then the aged Väinämöinen
Once again commenced his shouting. 150
"Bring a boat, O son of Pohja,
Bring a boat for Väinämöinen."
Answer made the son of Pohja,
And in words like these responded:
"Here the boats are never ready;
You to row must use your fingers,
And must use your hands for rudder,
Crossing Pohjola's deep river."
Then the aged Väinämöinen
Pondered deeply and reflected, 160
"Not as man should he be reckoned
Who retreats upon his pathway." ”

“ Girls, depart ye from the door-posts,
To the house there comes the hero,
And the pride of men approaches.
"Otso, apple of the forest,
Fair and bulky forest dweller,
[Pg 219] Be not frightened at the maidens,
Fear not the unbraided maidens, 270
Be not fearful of the women,
They the wearers of the stockings.
All the women of the household,
Quickly round the stove will gather,
When they see the hero enter,
And behold the youth advancing."
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
"Jumala be gracious to us,
Underneath these famous rafters,
Underneath this roof so handsome. ”

“ Deep in Pohjola's stone mountain,
In the rocks as hard as iron,
Then she stole away the brightness,
And from Väinölä the fires,
And she left the houses fireless,
And the rooms no flame illumined. 40
Therefore was the night unending,
And for long was utter darkness,
Night in Kalevala for ever,
And in Väinölä's fair dwellings,
Likewise in the heavens was darkness,
Darkness round the seat of Ukko.
Life without the fire was weary,
And without the light a burden,
[Pg 230] Unto all mankind 'twas dismal,
And to Ukko's self 'twas dismal. ”

“ O'er the blue lake's shining water,
And he steered one day, a second,
And at length upon the third day.
Then the lively Lemminkainen
For a second time inquired,
"Wherefore sing not, Väinämöinen?
O thou great one, sing unto us!
We have won the splendid Sampo;
Straight the course that now we follow." 260
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Gave him a decided answer:
[Pg 175] "'Tis too early yet for singing,
'Tis too early for rejoicing.
Soon a time will come for singing,
Fitting time for our rejoicing,
When we see our doors before us,
And we hear our own doors creaking." ”

“ There the Sampo has been carried,
And removed the pictured cover
Unto Pohjola's stone mountain,
And within the hill of copper.
There by nine locks is it fastened,
And three roots have sprouted from it,
Firmly fixed, nine fathoms deeply.
In the earth the first is rooted, 20
By the water's edge the second,
And the third within the home-hill. ”

“ Then the aged Väinämöinen
Answered in the words that follow:
"O thou smith, O Ilmarinen,
What you make is wholly useless.
Gold will never shine like moonlight,
Silver will not shine like sunlight." ”

“ And to Väinämöinen playing,
Listened to the wondrous music,
And to the delightful playing,
And she fell in deepest slumber,
Sank upon the ground in slumber,
On the mottled rocky surface,
Underneath a great rock's shelter.
Then the aged Väinämöinen,
Played one day, and played a second. 170
There was none among the heroes,
None among the men so mighty,
None among the men or women,
None of those whose hair is plaited,
Whom he did not move to weeping,
And whose hearts remained unmelted. ”

“ O'er the broad lake's shining surface,
Out upon the open water,
On the head of Väinämöinen,
Falling on Uvantolainen.
"But if this is not sufficient,
Iku-Turso, son of Äijö,
Lift thy head from out the water,
Raise thy head above the billows, 350
Crush thou Kaleva's vile children,
Sink thou down Uvantolainen,
Sink thou down the wicked heroes
In the depths beneath the billows,
Bring to Pohjola the Sampo,
Let it fall not from the vessel. ”

“ Thus 'gainst Pohjola to combat!
There perchance might death o'ercome thee,
And destruction fall upon thee." 40
Little troubled Lemminkainen,
But he thought on his departure,
And he started on his journey,
And he spoke the words which follow:
[Pg 57] "Can I find another hero,
Find a man, and find a swordsman,
Who will join in Ahti's battle,
And with all his strength will aid me?
"Well is Tiera known unto me,
Well with Kuura I'm acquainted, 50
He will be a second hero,
He's a hero and a swordsman,
He will join in Ahti's battle,
And with all his strength will aid me." ”

“ Untamo again reflected:
"Time it is to look around us, 180
Whether Kullervo has fallen,
Or is dead upon the gallows."
Then he sent a servant forward,
Back he came, and thus reported:
"Kullervo not yet has perished,
Nor has died upon the gallows.
Pictures on the tree he's carving,
In his hands he holds a graver.
All the tree is filled with pictures,
All the oak-tree filled with carvings; 190
Here are men, and here are sword-blades,
And the spears are leaning by them."
Where should Untamo seek aidance,
'Gainst this boy, the most unhappy? ”

“ Come, thou child, from midst of Lapland,
From Pimentola, O tall one,
Tall as is a forest fir-tree,
Tall as pine-tree in the marshes,
On thy hands the gloves of hoarfrost,
On thy feet the boots of hoarfrost, 330
On thy head the cap of hoarfrost,
Round thy waist the belt of hoarfrost.
"Bring from Pohjola the hoarfrost,
Ice from out the frozen village.
Hoarfrost's plentiful in Pohja,
Ice enough in frozen village.
Lakes of ice, and frozen rivers,
All the air with ice is laden. ”

“ Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring,
Uttered then the words which follow:
"Ukko, thou, of Gods the highest,
Shoot me not as she has prayed thee, 280
Shoot the wife of Ilmarinen,
Do thou kill this wicked woman,
Ere from off this spot she riseth,
Or can move herself from off it."
Then did Ilmarinen's housewife,
Wife of that most skilful craftsman,
On the spot at once fall dying,
Fell, as falls the soot from kettle,
In the yard before her homestead,
In the narrow yard she perished. ”

“ And to burn my hips so badly,
And my sides so much to injure?
[Pg 246]
"How shall I the fire extinguish,
How shall I reduce its glowing,
Make the fire for evil powerless,
And its lustre render harmless, 310
That no longer it may pain me,
And may cause me pain no longer?
"Come, thou girl, from land of Turja,
Come, thou maiden, forth from Lapland,
Frosty-stockinged, icy-booted,
And thy skirts all frosted over,
In thy hand the icy kettle,
And the ice-spoon in the kettle. ”

“ Old and famous Väinämöinen
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 XLI.—Väinämöinen's Music Argument
Väinämöinen plays on the kantele, and all living things, whether belonging to the air, earth, or water, hasten to the spot to listen (1-168) . The hearts of all listeners are so affected by the music that tears fall from their eyes, and Väinämöinen's own eyes shed large drops which fall to the ground and trickle into the water, where they are changed into beautiful blue pearls (169-266) . ”

“ 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 Väinämöinen,
"If I push you in the water, 230
[Pg 147] Will you make, unrowed, your journey,
Unassisted by the oars,
By the rudder undirected,
When the sails no breeze is filling?" ”

“ He the great primeval sorcerer,
Sought with hands the doors to open,
And the bolts by spells to loosen,
But to hands the doors would yield not,
By his spells the bolts were moved not.
Then the aged Väinämöinen
Spoke his thoughts in words that follow: 280
"Man unarmed is weak as woman;
Weak as frog, without a hatchet."
And at once he wended homeward,
Head bowed down, in great vexation,
For the moon was not recovered,
Neither had the sun been captured.
Said the lively Lemminkainen,
"O thou aged Väinämöinen,
Wherefore didst forget to take me,
As your very trusty comrade? ”