Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume I Part 15

Therefore did smith Ilmarinen Take no slightest pleasure in it, And he smashed the boat to splinters, Cast it back into the furnace; Made his servants work the bellows, To the half of all their power.

Then upon the third day likewise, He himself, smith Ilmarinen, Stooped him down, intently gazing To the bottom of the furnace, 360 And a heifer then rose upward, With her horns all golden-s.h.i.+ning, With the Bear-stars on her forehead; On her head appeared the Sun-disc.

And the cow was fair to gaze on, But of evil disposition; Always sleeping in the forest, On the ground her milk she wasted.

Therefore did smith Ilmarinen Take no slightest pleasure in her, 370 And he cut the cow to fragments, Cast her back into the furnace, Made his servants work the bellows, To the half of all their power.

So again upon the fourth day, He himself, smith Ilmarinen Stooped him down, and gazed intently To the bottom of the furnace, And a plough rose from the furnace, With the ploughshare golden-s.h.i.+ning, 380 Golden share, and frame of copper, And the handles tipped with silver.

And the plough was fair to gaze on, But of evil disposition, Ploughing up the village corn fields, Ploughing up the open meadows.

Therefore did smith Ilmarinen Take no slightest pleasure in it.

And he broke the plough to pieces, Cast it back into the furnace, 390 Call the winds to work the bellows To the utmost of their power.

Then the winds arose in fury, Blew the east wind, blew the west wind, And the south wind yet more strongly, And the north wind howled and bl.u.s.tered.

Thus they blew one day, a second, And upon the third day likewise.

Fire was flas.h.i.+ng from the windows, From the door the sparks were flying 400 And the dust arose to heaven; With the clouds the smoke was mingled.

Then again smith Ilmarinen, On the evening of the third day, Stooped him down, and gazed intently To the bottom of the furnace, And he saw the Sampo forming, With its many-coloured cover.

Thereupon smith Ilmarinen, He the great primeval craftsman, 410 Welded it and hammered at it, Heaped his rapid blows upon it, Forged with cunning art the Sampo, And on one side was a corn-mill, On another side a salt-mill, And upon the third a coin-mill.

Now was grinding the new Sampo, And revolved the pictured cover, Chestfuls did it grind till evening, First for food it ground a chestful, 420 And another ground for barter, And a third it ground for storage.

Now rejoiced the Crone of Pohja, And conveyed the bulky Sampo, To the rocky hills of Pohja, And within the Mount of Copper, And behind nine locks secured it.

There it struck its roots around it, Fathoms nine in depth that measured, One in Mother Earth deep-rooted, 430 In the strand the next was planted, In the nearest mount the third one.

Afterwards smith Ilmarinen, Asked the maiden as his guerdon, And he spoke the words which follow: "Will you give me now the maiden, For the Sampo is completed, With its beauteous pictured cover?"

Then the lovely maid of Pohja Answered in the words which follow: 440 "Who in years that this shall follow, For three summers in succession, Who shall hear the cuckoo calling, And the birds all sweetly singing, If I seek a foreign country, As in foreign lands a berry?

"If the dove had thus departed, And the maiden thus should wander, Strayed away the mother's darling, Likewise would the cranberries vanish, 450 All the cuckoos vanish with them, And the nightingales would migrate, From the summit of this mountain, From the summits of these uplands.

"Not as yet can I abandon My delightful life as maiden, And my innocent employments In the glowing heat of summer.

All unplucked the mountain-berries, And the lakesh.o.r.e will be songless, 460 And unvisited the meadows, And in woods I sport no longer."

Thereupon smith Ilmarinen, He the great primeval craftsman, Sad, and with his head down-hanging, And his cap in grief thrust sideways, Presently began to ponder, In his head long time debating How he now should journey homeward, To his own familiar country, 470 From the gloomy land of Pohja, Sariola for ever misty.

Then said Pohjola's old Mistress, "O thou smith, O Ilmarinen Wherefore is thy mind so saddened, And thy cap in grief pushed sideways?

Are you thinking how to journey, Homeward to your native country?"

Said the smith, e'en Ilmarinen, "Yes, my thoughts are there directed 480 To my home that I may die there, And may rest in scenes familiar."

Then did Pohjola's old Mistress Set both meat and drink before him, At the boat-stern then she placed him, There to work the copper paddle.

And she bade the wind blow strongly, And the north wind fiercely bl.u.s.ter.

Thus it was smith Ilmarinen He the great primeval craftsman, 490 Travelled homeward to his country, O'er the blue sea's watery surface.

Thus he voyaged one day, a second, And at length upon the third day, Reached the smith his home in safety, In the land where he was nurtured.

Asked the aged Vainamoinen, When he saw smith Ilmarinen, "Ilmarinen, smith and brother, Thou the great primeval craftsman, 500 Hast thou forged a new-made Sampo, With its many-coloured cover?"

Then replied smith Ilmarinen, Ready with a fitting answer, "Grinds forth meal, the new-made Sampo, And revolves the pictured cover, Chestfuls does it grind till evening, First for food it grinds a chestful, And another grinds for barter, And a third it grinds for storage." 510

RUNO XI.--LEMMINKAINEN AND KYLLIKKI

_Argument_

Lemminkainen goes to seek a wife among the n.o.ble maidens of Saari (1-110). At first they laugh at him, but afterwards become very friendly (111-156). But Kyllikki, on whose account he has come, will not listen to him, and at length, he carries her off by force, drags her into his sledge, and drives away with her (157-222). Kyllikki weeps, and especially reproaches Lemminkainen with his fondness for war, and Lemminkainen promises not to go to war if Kyllikki promises never to go to the village dances, and both swear to observe these conditions (223-314). Lemminkainen drives home, and mother rejoices in her young daughter-in-law (315-402).

Now 'tis time to speak of Ahti, Of that lively youth to gossip.

Ahti, dweller in the island, He the scapegrace son of Lempi, In a n.o.ble house was nurtured, By his dear and much-loved mother Where the bay spread out most widely.

Where the cape extended furthest,

Kauko fed himself on fishes, Ahti was reared up on perches, 10 And he grew a man most handsome, Very bold and very ruddy, And his head was very handsome, And his form was very shapely, Yet he was not wholly faultless, But was careless in his morals, Pa.s.sing all his time with women, Wandering all around at night-time, When the maidens took their pleasure In the dance, with locks unbraided. 20

Kylli, beauteous maid of Saari, Saari's maiden, Saari's flower, In a n.o.ble house was nurtured.

And her stature grew most graceful, Sitting in her father's dwelling, Resting there in seat of honour.

Long she grew, and wide was famous: Suitors came from distant regions, To the far-famed maiden's homestead, To the dwelling of the fair one. 30

For his son, the Sun had wooed her.

But she would not go to Sunland, Where the Sun is ever s.h.i.+ning In the burning heats of summer.

For his son, the Moon had wooed her, But she would not go to Moonland, Where the Moon is ever s.h.i.+ning, In the realms of air to wander.

For his son, a Star had wooed her, But she would not go to Starland, 40 Through the livelong night to glimmer, In the open skies of winter.

Many suitors came from Viro, And from Ingerland came others; None among them pleased the maiden, And she answered all as follows: "'Tis for nought your gold you squander, And your silver waste for nothing.

Never will I go to Viro, Neither go, nor in the future 50 Row a boat through Viro's waters, Nor will move a punt from Saari, Nor will eat the fish of Viro, Nor the fish-soup eat of Viro.

"Nor to Ingerland I'll travel, Nor its slopes and sh.o.r.es will visit.

There is hunger, nought but hunger, Want of trees, and want of timber, Want of water, want of wheatfields, There is even want of ryebread." 60

Then the lively Lemminkainen, He the handsome Kaukomieli, Now resolved to make a journey And to woo the Flower of Saari, Seek at home the peerless fair one, With her beauteous locks unbraided.

But his mother would dissuade him, And the aged woman warned him: "Do not seek, my son, my darling, Thus to wed above your station. 70 There are none would think you n.o.ble Of the mighty race of Saari."

Said the lively Lemminkainen, Said the handsome Kaukomieli, "If my house is not as n.o.ble, Nor my race esteemed so mighty, For my handsome shape they'll choose me, For my n.o.ble form will take me."

But his mother still opposed her Unto Lemminkainen's journey, 80 To the mighty race of Saari, To the clan of vast possessions.

"There the maidens all will scorn you, And the women ridicule you."

Little heeded Lemminkainen, And in words like these he answered: "I will check the women's laughter, And the giggling of their daughters.

Sons I'll give unto their bosoms, Children in their arms to carry; 90 Then they will no longer scorn me, Thus I'll stop their foolish jesting."

Then his mother made him answer; "Woe to me, my life is wretched.

If you mock the Saari women, Bring to shame the modest maidens, You will bring yourself in conflict, And a dreadful fight will follow.