Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume Ii Part 12

Then his mother interrupted, And exclaimed the aged woman, 190 "O my son, my son unhappy, O my golden brooch so wretched, Hast thou then, with eyes yet living, Wandered through these countries. .h.i.ther, When as dead I long had mourned thee, Long had wept for thy destruction?

"I had two sons in the past days, And two daughters of the fairest, And among them two have vanished, Two are lost among the elder, 200 First my son in furious battle, Then my daughter, how I know not.

Though my son has reached the homestead, Never has returned my daughter."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, In his turn began to question.

"How then has your daughter vanished, What has happened to my sister?"

Then his mother made him answer, And she spoke the words which follow: 210 "Thus has disappeared my daughter, Thus it happened to your sister.

To the wood she went for berries, Sought for raspberries 'neath the mountain, There it is the dove has vanished, There it is the bird has perished, Thus she died without our knowledge, How she died we cannot tell you.

"Who is longing for the maiden?

Save her mother, no one missed her. 220 First her mother went to seek her, And her mother sought, who missed her, Forth I went, unhappy mother, Forth I went to seek my daughter, Through the wood like bear I hurried, Speeding through the wastes like otter, Thus I sought one day, a second, Sought her also on the third day.

When the third day had pa.s.sed over, For a long time yet I wandered, 230 Till I reached a mighty mountain, And a peak of all the highest, Calling ever on my daughter, Ever grieving for the lost one.

"'Where is now my dearest daughter?

O my daughter, come thou homeward!'

"Thus I shouted to my daughter, Grieving ever for the lost one, And the mountains made me answer, And the heaths again re-echoed, 240 'Call no more upon thy daughter, Call no more, and shout no longer, Never will she come back living, Nor return unto her household, Never to her mother's dwelling, To her aged father's boathouse.'"

RUNO x.x.xV.--KULLERVO AND HIS SISTER

_Argument_

Kullervo attempts to do different kinds of work for his parents, but only succeeds in spoiling everything, so his father sends him to pay the land-dues (1-68). On his way home he meets his sister who was lost gathering berries, whom he drags into his sledge (69-188). Afterwards, when his sister learns who he is, she throws herself into a torrent, but Kullervo hurries home, relates his sister's terrible fate to his mother, and proposes to put an end to his own life (189-344). His mother dissuades him from suicide, and advises him to retire to some retreat where he may be able to recover from his remorse. But Kullervo resolves before all things to avenge himself on Untamo (345-372).

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, With the very bluest stockings, After this continued living, In the shelter of his parents, But he comprehended nothing, Nor attained to manly wisdom, For his rearing had been crooked, And the child was rocked all wrongly, By perversest foster-father, And a foolish foster-mother. 10

Then to work the boy attempted, Many things he tried his hand at, And he went the fish to capture, And to lay the largest drag-net, And he spoke the words which follow, Pondered as he grasped the oar: "Shall I pull with all my efforts, Row, exerting all my vigour; Shall I row with common efforts, Row no stronger than is needful?" 20

And the steersman made him answer, And he spoke the words which follow: "Pull away with all your efforts, Row, exerting all your vigour, Row the boat in twain you cannot, Neither break it into fragments."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Pulled thereat with all his efforts, Rowed, exerting all his vigour, Rowed in twain the wooden rowlocks, 30 Ribs of juniper he shattered, And he smashed the boat of aspen.

Kalervo came forth to see it, And he spoke the words which follow: "No, you understand not rowing, You have split the wooden rowlocks, Ribs of juniper have shattered, Shattered quite the boat of aspen.

Thresh the fish into the drag-net, Perhaps you'll thresh the water better." 40

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Then went forth to thresh the water, And as he the pole was lifting, Uttered he the words which follow: "Shall I thresh with all my efforts, Putting forth my manly efforts; Shall I thresh with common efforts, As the thres.h.i.+ng-pole is able?"

Answered thereupon the net-man, "Would you call it proper thres.h.i.+ng, 50 If with all your strength you threshed not, Putting forth your manly efforts?"

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Threshed away with all his efforts, Putting forth his manly efforts.

Into soup he churned the water, Into tow he threshed the drag-net, Into slime he crushed the fishes.

Kalervo came forth to see it, And he spoke the words which follow: 60 "No, you understand not thres.h.i.+ng, Into tow is threshed the drag-net, And the floats to chaff are beaten, And the meshes torn to fragments, Therefore go and pay the taxes, Therefore go and pay the land-dues.

Best it is for you to travel, Learning wisdom on the journey."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, With the very bluest stockings, 70 And with yellow hair the finest, And with shoes of finest leather, Went his way to pay the taxes, And he went to pay the land-dues.

When he now had paid the taxes, And had also paid the land-dues, In his sledge he quickly bounded, And upon the sledge he mounted, And began to journey homeward, And to travel to his country. 80

And he drove, and rattled onward, And he travelled on his journey, Traversing the heath of Vaino, And his clearing made aforetime.

And by chance a maiden met him, With her yellow hair all flowing, There upon the heath of Vaino, On his clearing made aforetime.

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Checked the sledge upon the instant, 90 And began a conversation, And began to talk and wheedle: "Come into my sledge, O maiden, Rest upon the furs within it."

From her snowshoes said the maiden, And she answered, as she skated, "In thy sledge may Death now enter, On thy furs be Sickness seated."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, With the very bluest stockings, 100 With his whip then struck his courser, With his beaded whip he lashed him.

Sprang the horse upon the journey, Rocked the sledge, the road was traversed, And he drove and rattled onward, And he travelled on his journey, On the lake's extended surface, And across the open water, And by chance a maiden met him, Walking on, with shoes of leather, 110 O'er the lake's extended surface, And across the open water.

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Checked his horse upon the instant, And his mouth at once he opened, And began to speak as follows: "Come into my sledge, O fair one, Pride of earth, and journey with me."

But the maiden gave him answer, And the well-shod maiden answered: 120 "In thy sledge may Tuoni seek thee, Ma.n.a.lainen journey with thee."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, With the very bluest stockings, With the whip then struck his courser, With his beaded whip he lashed him.

Sprang the horse upon his journey, Rocked the sledge, the way was shortened, And he rattled on his journey, And he sped upon his pathway, 130 Straight across the heaths of Pohja, And the borders wide of Lapland.

And by chance a maiden met him, Wearing a tin brooch, and singing, Out upon the heaths of Pohja, And the borders wide of Lapland.

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Checked his horse upon the instant, And his mouth at once he opened, And began to speak as follows: 140 "Come into my sledge, O maiden, Underneath my rug, my dearest, And you there shall eat my apples, And shall crack my nuts in comfort."

But the maiden made him answer, And the tin-adorned one shouted: "At your sledge I spit, O villain, Even at your sledge, O scoundrel!

Underneath your rug is coldness, And within your sledge is darkness." 150

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, With the very bluest stockings, Dragged into his sledge the maiden, And into the sledge he pulled her, And upon the furs he laid her, Underneath the rug he pushed her.

And the maiden spoke unto him, Thus outspoke the tin-adorned one: "From the sledge at once release me, Leave the child in perfect freedom, 160 That I hear of nothing evil, Neither foul nor filthy language, Or upon the ground I'll throw me, And will break the sledge to splinters, And will smash your sledge to atoms, Break the wretched sledge to pieces."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, With the very bluest stockings, Opened then his hide-bound coffer, Clanging raised the pictured cover, 170 And he showed her all his silver, Out he spread the choicest fabrics, Stockings too, all gold-embroidered, Girdles all adorned with silver.

Soon the fabrics turned her dizzy, To a bride the money changed her, And the silver it destroyed her, And the s.h.i.+ning gold deluded.

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, With the very bluest stockings, 180 Thereupon the maiden flattered, And he wheedled and caressed her, With one hand the horse controlling, On the maiden's breast the other.

Then he sported with the maiden, Wearied out the tin-adorned one, 'Neath the rug all copper-tinselled, And upon the furs all spotted.

Then when Jumala brought morning, On the second day thereafter, 190 Then the damsel spoke unto him, And she asked, and spoke as follows: "Tell me now of your relations, What the brave race that you spring from, From a mighty race it seems me, Offspring of a mighty father."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Answered in the words which follow: "No, my race is not a great one, Not a great one, not a small one, 200 I am just of middle station, Kalervo's unhappy offspring, Stupid boy, and very foolish, Worthless child, and good for nothing.

Tell me now about your people, And the brave race that you spring from, Perhaps from mighty race descended, Offspring of a mighty father."

And the girl made answer quickly, And she spoke the words which follow: 210 "No, my race is not a great one, Not a great one, not a small one, I am just of middle station, Kalervo's unhappy daughter, Stupid girl, and very foolish, Worthless child, and good for nothing.

"When I was a little infant, Living with my tender mother, To the wood I went for berries, 'Neath the mountain sought for raspberries. 220 On the plains I gathered strawberries, Underneath the mountain, raspberries, Plucked by day, at night I rested, Plucked for one day and a second, And upon the third day likewise, But the pathway home I found not, In the woods the pathways led me, And the footpath to the forest.