Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume I Part 18

Little troubled Lemminkainen, O'er the horse his whip he brandished, With the beaded whip he smote him, Drove the rattling sledge straight onward, On the midmost of the pathways To the midmost of the houses, And he asked upon the threshold, And beneath the eaves he shouted: "Is there no one in this household Who will hold the horse-reins for me, 340 And the chest-bands will unloosen, That the foaming steed may rest him?"

From the stove a crone responded From the stove-bench cried a gossip: "There are plenty in this household Who can hold the horse-reins for you, And the chest-bands can unloosen, And can sink the shaft-poles for you.

Perhaps ten men may be sufficient.

Or a hundred If you need them, 350 Who would raise their sticks against you, Give you, too, a beast of burden, And would drive you homeward, rascal, To your country, wretched creature, To the household of your father, To the dwelling of your mother, To the gateway of your brother, To the threshold of your sister, Ere this very day is ended, Ere the sun has reached its setting." 360

Little heeded Lemminkainen, And he spoke the words which follow: "May they shoot the crone, and club her, On her pointed chin, and kill her."

Then again he hurried onward, Thundering on upon his journey, On the highest of the pathways, To the highest of the houses.

Then the lively Lemminkainen Reached the house to which he journeyed, 370 And he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in thiswise: "Stop the barker's mouth, O Hiisi, And the dog's jaws close, O Lempo, And his mouth securely muzzle, That his gagged teeth may be harmless, That he may not bark a warning When a man is pa.s.sing by him."

As he came into the courtyard, On the ground he slashed his whiplash, 380 From the spot a cloud rose upward, In the cloud a dwarf was standing, And he quickly loosed the chest-bands, And the shafts he then let downward.

Then the lively Lemminkainen Listened with his ears attentive But no person there observed him, So that no one present knew it.

Out of doors he heard a singing, Through the moss he heard them speaking, 390 Through the walls heard music playing, Through the shutters heard a singing.

In the house he cast his glances, Gazed into the room in secret, And the house was full of wizards, And the benches full of singers, By the walls there sat musicians.

Seers were sitting in the doorway, On the upper benches sorcerers, By the hearth were soothsayers seated, 400 There a Lapland bard was singing, Hoa.r.s.ely singing songs of Hiisi.

Then the lively Lemminkainen Thought it wise to change his figure, To another shape transformed him, Left his hiding place, and entered, Thrust himself into the chamber, And he spoke the words which follow; "Fine a song may be when ended, Grandest are the shortest verses, 410 Wisdom better when unspoken, Than in midmost interrupted."

Then came Pohjola's old Mistress, On the floor advancing swiftly, Till she reached the chamber's middle, And she spoke these words in answer: "Once there was a dog among us, And a s.h.a.ggy iron-haired puppy, Eating flesh, of bones a biter, One who licked the blood when freshest. 420 Who among mankind may you be, Who among the list of heroes, Boldly thus the house to enter, Pus.h.i.+ng right into the chamber, Yet the dogs have never heard you, Nor have warned us with their barking?"

Said the lively Lemminkainen, "Surely I have not come hither, Void of art and void of knowledge, Void of strength and void of cunning, 430 Taught not magic by my father.

And without my parents' counsel That the dogs should now devour me, And the barkers should attack me.

"But it was my mother washed me, When a boy both small and slender, Three times in the nights of summer.

Nine times in the nights of autumn, And she taught me all the pathways, And the knowledge of all countries, 440 And at home sang songs of magic, Likewise too in foreign countries."

Then the lively Lemminkainen, He the handsome Kaukomieli, Soon began his songs of magics All at once began his singing, Fire flashed from his fur-cloak's borders, And his eyes with flame were s.h.i.+ning, With the songs of Lemminkainen, As he sang his spells of magic. 450

Sang the very best of singers To the worst of all the singers, And he fed their mouths with pebbles.

And he piled up rocks above them.

On the best of all the singers, And most skilful of magicians.

Then he sang the men thereafter Both to one side and the other, To the plains, all bare and treeless.

To the lands, unploughed for ever, 460 To the ponds, devoid of fishes, Where no perch has ever wandered, To the dreadful falls of Rutja, And amid the roaring whirlpools, Underneath the foaming river, To the rocks beneath the cataract, There to burn as if 'mid fire, And to scatter sparks around them.

Then the lively Lemminkainen Sang his songs against the swordsmen. 470 Sang the heroes with their weapons, Sang the young men, sang the old men, And the men of age between them, And his songs spared one man only, And he was a wicked cowherd.

Old, with eyes both closed and sightless.

Markahattu then, the cowherd, Spoke the very words which follow: "O thou lively son of Lempi, Thou hast banned the young and old men, 480 Banned the men of age between them, Wherefore hast not banned me likewise?"

Said the lively Lemminkainen, "Therefore 'tis that I have spared thee, That thou dost appear so wretched, Pitiful without my magic.

In the days when thou wast younger, Thou wast worst of all the cowherds, Hast destroyed thy mother's children, And disgraced thy very sister, 490 All the horses hast thou crippled, All the foals hast thou outwearied, In the swamps or stony places, Plas.h.i.+ng through the muddy waters."

Markahattu then, the cowherd, Greatly vexed, and greatly angry, Through the open door went quickly, Through the yard to open country, Ran to Tuonela's deep river, To the dreadful river's whirlpool, 500 Waited there for Kaukomieli, Waited there for Lemminkainen, Till on his return from Pohja, He should make his journey homeward.

RUNO XIII.--HIISI'S ELK

_Argument_

Lemminkainen asks the old woman of Pohja for her daughter, but she demands that he should first capture the Elk of Hiisi on snowshoes (1-30). Lemminkainen starts off in high spirits to hunt the elk, but it escapes, and he breaks his snowshoes and spear (31-270).

Then the lively Lemminkainen Said to Pohjola's old Mistress, "Give me, old one, now your maiden, Bring me here your lovely daughter, She the best of all among them, She the tallest of the maidens."

Then did Pohjola's old Mistress Answer in the words which follow: "Nay, I will not give my maiden, And you shall not have my daughter, 10 Not the best or worst among them, Not the tallest, not the shortest, For you have a wife already, Long the mistress of your household."

Said the lively Lemminkainen, "Kylli in the town lies fettered, At the steps before the village, By the gate where strangers enter, So a better wife I wish for, Therefore give me now your daughter, 20 She the fairest of your daughters, Lovely with unbraided tresses."

Then said Pohjola's old Mistress, "Never will I give my daughter To a vain and worthless fellow, To a hero good for nothing.

Therefore you may woo my daughter, Win the far-famed flower-crowned maiden, If you hunt the elk on snowshoes, In the distant field of Hiisi." 30

Then the lively Lemminkainen Fixed the point upon his javelin.

And his bowstring made of sinew, And with bone he tipped his arrows, And he said the words which follow: "Now my javelin I have pointed, All my shafts with bone have pointed, And have strung my bow with sinew, Not the snowshoe left put forward, Nor the right one stamped behind it." 40

Then the lively Lemminkainen Pondered deeply and reflected How he should procure his snowshoes, How they best should be constructed.

Then to Kauppi's house he hastened, And to Lyylikki's forge hurried.

"O thou wisest Vuojalainen, Thou the handsome Lapland Kauppi, Make me snowshoes that will suit me, Fitted with the finest leather; 50 I must chase the elk of Hiisi, In the distant field of Hiisi."

Lyylikki then spoke as follows, Kauppi gave him ready answer: "Vainly goest thou, Lemminkainen, Forth to hunt the elk of Hiisi; For a piece of rotten timber, Only will reward your labour."

Little troubled Lemminkainen, And he spoke the words which follow: 60 "Make a snowshoe left to run with, And a right one to put forward!

I must chase the elk on snowshoes, In the distant field of Hiisi."

Lyylikki, the smith of snowshoes, Kauppi, maker of the snowshoes, In the autumn shaped the left one, In the winter carved the right one, And he fixed the frames on one day, Fixed the rings upon another. 70

Now the left was fit to run with, And the right for wearing ready, And the frames were now completed, And the rings were also fitted.

Frames he lined with skins of otter, And the rings with ruddy foxskin.

Then he smeared with grease the snowshoes, Smeared them with the fat of reindeer, And himself reflected deeply, And he spoke the words which follow: 80 "Can you, in this youthful frolic, You, a young and untried hero, Forward glide upon the left shoe, And push forward with the right one?"

Said the lively Lemminkainen, Answered him the ruddy rascal: "Yes, upon this youthful frolic Of a young and untried hero, I can glide upon the left shoe, And push forward with the right one." 90

On his back he bound his quiver.

And his new bow on his shoulder, In his hands his pole grasped firmly, On the left shoe glided forward, And pushed onward with the right one, And he spoke the words which follow: "In G.o.d's world may there be nothing, Underneath the arch of heaven, In the forest to be hunted, Not a single four-foot runner, 100 Which may not be overtaken, And can easily be captured Thus by Kaleva's son with snowshoes, And with Lemminkainen's snowshoes."

But the boast was heard by Hiisi, And by Juutas comprehended; And an elk was formed by Hiisi, And a reindeer formed by Juutas, With a head of rotten timber, Horns composed of willow-branches, 110 Feet of ropes the swamps which border, s.h.i.+ns of sticks from out the marshes; And his back was formed of fence-stakes, Sinews formed of dryest gra.s.s-stalks, Eyes of water-lily flowers, Ears of leaves of water-lily, And his hide was formed of pine-bark, And his flesh of rotten timber.

Hiisi now the elk instructed, Thus he spoke unto the reindeer: 120 "Now rush forth thou elk of Hiisi, On thy legs, O n.o.ble creature, To the breeding-place of reindeer, Gra.s.sy plains of Lapland's children, Till the snowshoe-men are sweating; Most of all, this Lemminkainen!"

Then rushed forth the elk of Hiisi, Sped away the fleeing reindeer, Rus.h.i.+ng past the barns of Pohja, To the plains of Lapland's children, 130 In the house the tubs kicked over, On the fire upset the kettles, Threw the meat among the ashes, Spilt the soup among the cinders.

Then arose a great commotion, On the plains of Lapland's children, For the Lapland dogs were barking, And the Lapland children crying, And the Lapland women laughing, And the other people grumbling. 140

He, the lively Lemminkainen, Chased the elk upon his snowshoes, Glided o'er the land and marshes, O'er the open wastes he glided.

Fire was crackling from his snowshoes, From his staff's end smoke ascending, But as yet the elk he saw not; Could not see it; could not hear it.