Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume Ii Part 29

Then the blue clew he unwinded; From the inside of the blue clew 230 Fell a red clew from within it, And when he unwound the red clew, In the middle of the red clew, There he found a spark of fire Which had once from heaven descended, Through the clouds had fallen downward, From above eight heavens descending, From the ninth aerial region.

Vainamoinen then considered How the spark might best be carried, 240 To the cold and fireless dwellings, To the rooms so dark and gloomy.

But the fire flashed up most fiercely, From the Sun's son's hands who held it, Singed the beard of Vainamoinen, Burned the smith much more severely, For upon his cheeks it burned him, And upon his hands it scorched him.

And it hastened quickly onward O'er the waves of Lake of Alue, 250 Through the junipers fled onward, Burnt its way through all the thicket, Then rushed upward through the fir-trees, Burning up the stately fir-trees, Rus.h.i.+ng ever further onward, Burned up half the land of Pohja, And the furthest bounds of Savo, Over both halves of Carelia.

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Followed hard upon its traces, 260 And he hastened through the forest, Close behind the furious fire, And at length he overtook it, 'Neath the roots of two great tree-stumps, In the stumps of alders hidden, In the rotten stumps he found it.

Then the aged Vainamoinen Spoke aloud the words which follow: "Fire, whom Jumala created, Creature of the bright Creator, 270 Idly to the depths thou goest, Aimlessly to distant regions.

It were better far to hide thee In the hearth of stone constructed, There thy sparks to bind together, And within the coals enclose them, That by day thou may'st be flickering In the kitchen birchen f.a.ggots, And at night thou may'st be hidden Close within the golden fire-box." 280

Then he thrust the spark of fire In a little piece of tinder, In the fungus hard of birch-tree, And among the copper kettles.

Fire he carried to the kettles, Took it in the bark of birch-tree, To the end of misty headland, And the shady island's summit.

Now was fire within the dwellings, In the rooms again 'twas s.h.i.+ning. 290

But the smith named Ilmarinen Quickly hastened to the lakesh.o.r.e, Where the rocks the water washes, And upon the rocks he sat him, In the pain of burning fire, In the anguish of its glowing.

There it was he quenched the fire, There it was he dimmed its l.u.s.tre, And he spoke the words which follow, And in words like these expressed him: 300 "Fire whom Jumala created And O thou, the Sun's son, Panu!

Who has made ye thus so angry, As to scorch my cheeks in thiswise, And to burn my hips so badly, And my sides so much to injure?

"How shall I the fire extinguish, How shall I reduce its glowing, Make the fire for evil powerless, And its l.u.s.tre 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.

Sprinkle me with freezing water, Sprinkle me with icy water, 320 On the places scorched so badly, And the burns the fire has caused me.

"But if this is not sufficient, Come, thou youth, come forth from Pohja, 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 h.o.a.rfrost, On thy feet the boots of h.o.a.rfrost, 330 On thy head the cap of h.o.a.rfrost, Round thy waist the belt of h.o.a.rfrost.

"Bring from Pohjola the h.o.a.rfrost, Ice from out the frozen village.

h.o.a.rfrost's plentiful in Pohja, Ice enough in frozen village.

Lakes of ice, and frozen rivers, All the air with ice is laden.

O'er the h.o.a.rfrost hares are skipping, On the ice the bears are sporting, 340 In the middle of the snow-heaps, On the edge of the snow mountains, On the rims the swans are walking, On the ice the ducks are waddling, In the midst of snow-filled rivers, Cornices of icy cataracts.

"On thy sledge bring thou the h.o.a.rfrost, On thy sledge the ice convey thou, From the slopes of rugged mountains, From the lofty mountains' borders. 350 Make them h.o.a.ry with the h.o.a.rfrost, With the ice, O make them icy, All the hurts by fire occasioned, All the burns the fire has caused me.

"But if this is not sufficient, Ukko, thou of G.o.ds the highest, Ukko, thou the clouds who leadest, Thou the scattered clouds who herdest, Send a cloud from out the eastward, And a thick cloud from the westward, 360 Link the edges close together, Close thou up the gaps between them, Send thou ice, and send thou h.o.a.rfrost, Send thou, too, the best of ointment, For the places scorched so badly, And the hurts by fire occasioned."

Thus it was smith Ilmarinen Found a means to quench the fire, And to dim the brilliant fire.

Thus the smith was healed completely, 370 And regained his former vigour, Healed from wounds the fire occasioned.

RUNO XLIX.--FALSE AND TRUE MOONS AND SUNS

_Argument_

Ilmarinen forges a new moon and sun but cannot make them s.h.i.+ne (1-74).

Vainamoinen discovers by divination that the moon and sun are hidden in the mountain of Pohjola, goes to Pohjola and conquers the whole nation (75-230). He sees the moon and sun in the mountain, but cannot enter (231-278). He returns home to procure tools with which to break open the mountain. While Ilmarinen is forging them, the Mistress of Pohjola, fearing that it may go ill with her, releases the moon and sun (279-362). When Vainamoinen 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 s.h.i.+ning, Neither gleamed the golden moonlight, Not in Vainola'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 s.h.i.+ne the moonlight. 10

Though the pike knew well the pike-deeps, And the bird-paths knew the eagle, And the wind the vessel's journey, Yet mankind were all unknowing If the time was really morning, Or if perhaps it still was night-time, Out upon the cloudy headland, And upon the shady island.

And the young men then took counsel, And the older men considered 20 How to live without the moonlight, And exist without the sunlight, In that miserable country, In the wretched land of Pohja.

And the girls took likewise counsel, And their cousins too considered; And they hastened to the smithy, And they spoke the words which follow: "Smith, from 'neath the wall arise thou, From the hearthstone rise, O craftsman, 30 That a new moon thou may'st forge us, And a new sun thou may'st make us.

Ill it is without the moonlight, Strange it is without the sunlight."

From the hearth arose the craftsman, From beneath the wall the craftsman, That a new moon he might forge them, And a new sun he might make them, And a moon of gold constructed, And a sun he made of silver. 40

Came the aged Vainamoinen, And beside the door he sat him, And he spoke the words which follow: "O thou smith, my dearest brother, What art thou in smithy forging, Hammering thus without cessation?"

Thereupon smith Ilmarinen Answered in the words that follow: "Out of gold a moon I'm shaping, And a sun of silver making, 50 In the sky I then will place them, Over six of starry heavens."

Then the aged Vainamoinen Answered in the words that follow: "O thou smith, O Ilmarinen, What you make is wholly useless.

Gold will never s.h.i.+ne like moonlight, Silver will not s.h.i.+ne like sunlight."

Thus the smith a moon constructed, And a sun completely finished, 60 Eagerly he raised them upward, Raised them to the best position, Raised the moon to fir-tree's summit, Set the sun upon a pine-tree.

From his head the sweat was streaming, From his forehead sweat was falling, With the greatness of his efforts, And the weight that he was lifting.

Thus the moon was now uplifted, In his place the sun was stationed, 70 Moon amid the crown of fir-tree, Sun upon a pine-tree's summit, But the moon shed forth no l.u.s.tre, And the sun was likewise rayless.

Then the aged Vainamoinen Spoke aloud the words which follow: "Time it is the lots to shuffle, And the signs with care to question Where the sun is hidden from us, And the moon has vanished from us." 80

Then the aged Vainamoinen, He the great primeval sorcerer, Hastened alder-sticks to cut him, And arranged the sticks in order, And began the lots to shuffle, With his fingers to arrange them, And he spoke the words which follow, And in words like these expressed him: "Leave I ask of the Creator, Seek an answer that misleads not. 90 Tell me, signs of the Creator, Lots of Jumala, instruct me, Where the sun is hidden from us, And the moon has vanished from us, Since no more as time elapses, In the sky do we behold them?

"Speak, O lot, and tell me truly With man's reason speak unto me, Speak thou faithful words unto us, Make thou faithful compacts with us! 100 If the lot should lie unto me, Then its worth I hold as nothing, And upon the fire will cast it, And will burn the signs upon it."

And the lot spoke words most faithful, And the signs made answer truly, For they said the sun was hidden, And the moon was also sunken, Deep in Pohjola's stone mountain, And within the hill of copper. 110

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Uttered then the words which follow: "I to Pohjola must journey, On the path of Pohja's children, And will bring the moon to s.h.i.+ning, And the golden sun to s.h.i.+ning."

Forth he journeyed, and he hastened Unto Pohjola's dark regions, And he walked one day, a second, And at length upon the third day 120 Came in view the gate of Pohja, And appeared the rocky mountains.

Then with all his strength he shouted, As he came to Pohja's river, "Bring me here a boat directly Which shall take me o'er the river."

As his shouting was not heeded, And no boat for him provided, Wood into a heap he gathered, And the dead twigs of a fir-tree. 130 On the sh.o.r.e he made a fire, And thick clouds of smoke rose upward; To the sky the flame rose upward, In the air the smoke ascended.

Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress Came herself unto the window, And, at the sound's opening gazing, Then she spoke the words which follow: "What's the flame that's burning yonder, Where the Sound of Saari opens? 140 For a camp too small I think it, But 'tis larger than a fisher's."

Then the son of Pohja's country Hurried out into the open, And he looked about and listened, Seeking thus for information.

"On the river's other margin, Is a stately hero marching."

Then the aged Vainamoinen Once again commenced his shouting. 150 "Bring a boat, O son of Pohja, Bring a boat for Vainamoinen."

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."