Now the isles were formed already, In the sea the rocks were planted; Pillars of the sky established, Lands and continents created; Rocks engraved as though with figures, And the hills were cleft with fissures.
Still unborn was Vainamoinen; Still unborn, the bard immortal.
Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Rested in his mother"s body 290 For the s.p.a.ce of thirty summers, And the sum of thirty winters, Ever on the placid waters, And upon the foaming billows.
So he pondered and reflected How he could continue living In a resting-place so gloomy, In a dwelling far too narrow, Where he could not see the moonlight, Neither could behold the sunlight. 300
Then he spake the words which follow, And expressed his thoughts in this wise:
"Aid me Moon, and Sun release me, And the Great Bear lend his counsel, Through the portal that I know not, Through the unaccustomed pa.s.sage.
From the little nest that holds me, From a dwelling-place so narrow, To the land conduct the roamer, To the open air conduct me, 310 To behold the moon in heaven, And the splendour of the sunlight; See the Great Bear"s stars above me, And the shining stars in heaven."
When the moon no freedom gave him, Neither did the sun release him, Then he wearied of existence, And his life became a burden.
Thereupon he moved the portal, With his finger, fourth in number, 320 Opened quick the bony gateway, With the toes upon his left foot, With his nails beyond the threshold, With his knees beyond the gateway.
Headlong in the water falling, With his hands the waves repelling, Thus the man remained in ocean, And the hero on the billows.
In the sea five years he sojourned, Waited five years, waited six years, 330 Seven years also, even eight years, On the surface of the ocean, By a nameless promontory, Near a barren, treeless country.
On the land his knees he planted, And upon his arms he rested, Rose that he might view the moonbeams, And enjoy the pleasant sunlight, See the Great Bear"s stars above him, And the shining stars in heaven. 340
Thus was ancient Vainamoinen, He, the ever famous minstrel, Born of the divine Creatrix, Born of Ilmatar, his mother.
RUNO II.--VaINaMoINEN"S SOWING
_Argument_
Vainamoinen lands on a treeless country and directs Sampsa Pellervoinen to sow trees (1-42). At first the oak will not grow, but after repeated sowings it springs up, overshadows the whole country, and hides the sun and moon (43-110). A little man rises from the sea, who fells the oak, and permits the sun and moon to shine again (111-224). Birds sing in the trees; herbs, flowers and berries grow on the ground; only the barley will not spring up (225-256). Vainamoinen finds some barleycorns in the sand on the sh.o.r.e, and fells the forest, leaving only a birch-tree as a resting-place for the birds (257-264). The eagle, grateful for this, strikes fire, and the felled trees are consumed (265-284). Vainamoinen sows the barley, prays to Ukko for its increase, and it grows and flourishes (285-378).
Then did Vainamoinen, rising, Set his feet upon the surface Of a sea-encircled island, In a region bare of forest.
There he dwelt, while years pa.s.sed over, And his dwelling he established On the silent, voiceless island, In a barren, treeless country.
Then he pondered and reflected, In his mind he turned it over, 10 "Who shall sow this barren country, Thickly scattering seeds around him?"
Pellervoinen, earth-begotten, Sampsa, youth of smallest stature, Came to sow the barren country, Thickly scattering seeds around him.
Down he stooped the seeds to scatter, On the land and in the marshes, Both in flat and sandy regions, And in hard and rocky places. 20 On the hills he sowed the pine-trees, On the knolls he sowed the fir-trees, And in sandy places heather; Leafy saplings in the valleys.
In the dales he sowed the birch-trees, In the loose earth sowed the alders, Where the ground was damp the cherries, Likewise in the marshes, sallows.
Rowan-trees in holy places, Willows in the fenny regions, 30 Juniper in stony districts, Oaks upon the banks of rivers.
Now the trees sprang up and flourished, And the saplings sprouted bravely.
With their bloom the firs were loaded, And the pines their boughs extended.
In the dales the birch was sprouting, In the loose earth rose the alders, Where the ground was damp the cherries, Juniper in stony districts, 40 Loaded with its lovely berries; And the cherries likewise fruited.
Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Came to view the work in progress, Where the land was sown by Sampsa, And where Pellervoinen laboured.
While he saw the trees had flourished, And the saplings sprouted bravely, Yet had Jumala"s tree, the oak-tree, Not struck down its root and sprouted. 50
Therefore to its fate he left it, Left it to enjoy its freedom, And he waited three nights longer, And as many days he waited.
Then he went and gazed around him, When the week was quite completed.
Yet had Jumala"s tree, the oak-tree, Not struck down its root and sprouted.
Then he saw four lovely maidens; Five, like brides, from water rising; 60 And they mowed the gra.s.sy meadow, Down they cut the dewy herbage, On the cloud-encompa.s.sed headland, On the peaceful island"s summit, What they mowed, they raked together, And in heaps the hay collected.
From the ocean rose up Tursas, From the waves arose the hero, And the heaps of hay he kindled, And the flames arose in fury. 70 All was soon consumed to ashes, Till the sparks were quite extinguished.
Then among the heaps of ashes, In the dryness of the ashes, There a tender germ he planted, Tender germ, of oak an acorn Whence the beauteous plant sprang upward, And the sapling grew and flourished, As from earth a strawberry rises, And it forked in both directions. 80 Then the branches wide extended, And the leaves were thickly scattered, And the summit rose to heaven, And its leaves in air expanded.
In their course the clouds it hindered, And the driving clouds impeded, And it hid the shining sunlight, And the gleaming of the moonlight.
Then the aged Vainamoinen, Pondered deeply and reflected, 90 "Is there none to fell the oak-tree, And o"erthrow the tree majestic?
Sad is now the life of mortals, And for fish to swim is dismal, Since the air is void of sunlight, And the gleaming of the moonlight."
But they could not find a hero, Nowhere find a man so mighty, Who could fell the giant oak-tree, With its hundred spreading branches. 100
Then the aged Vainamoinen, Spoke the very words which follow; "n.o.ble mother, who hast borne me, Luonnotar, who me hast nurtured; Send me powers from out the ocean: (Numerous are the powers of ocean) So that they may fell the oak-tree, And destroy the tree so baneful, That the sun may shine upon us.
And the pleasant moonlight glimmer." 110
Then a man arose from ocean, From the waves a hero started, Not the hugest of the hugest, Nor the smallest of the smallest.
As a man"s thumb was his stature; Lofty as the span of woman.
Decked his head a helm of copper, On his feet were boots of copper, On his hands were copper gauntlets.
Gloves adorned with copper tracings; 120 Round his waist his belt was copper; In his belt his axe was copper; And the haft thereof was thumb-long, And the blade thereof was nail-long.
Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Deeply pondered and reflected: "While he seems a man in semblance, And a hero in appearance, Yet his height is but a thumb-length, Scarce as lofty as an ox-hoof." 130
Then he spoke the words which follow, And expressed himself in this wise: "Who are you, my little fellow, Most contemptible of heroes, Than a dead man scarcely stronger; And your beauty all has vanished."
Then the puny man from ocean, Hero of the floods, made answer: "I"m a man as you behold me, Small, but mighty water-hero, 140 I have come to fell the oak-tree, And to splinter it to fragments."
Vainamoinen, old and steadfast, Answered in the words which follow: "You have hardly been created, Neither made, nor so proportioned, As to fell this mighty oak-tree, Overthrow the tree stupendous."
Scarcely had the words been spoken, While his gaze was fixed upon him, 150 When the man transformed before him, And became a mighty hero.
While his feet the earth were stamping, To the clouds his head he lifted, To his knees his beard was flowing, To his spurs his locks descended.
Fathom-wide his eyes were parted, Fathom-wide his trousers measured; Round his knee the girth was greater, And around his hip "twas doubled. 160 Then he sharpened keen the axe-blade, Brought the polished blade to sharpness; Six the stones on which he ground it, Seven the stones on which he whet it.
Then the man stepped forward lightly, Hastened on to do his mission; Wide his trousers, and they fluttered Round his legs as onward strode he, And the first step taken, brought him To the sh.o.r.e so soft and sandy; 170 With the second stride he landed On the dun ground further inland, And the third step brought him quickly, Where the oak itself was rooted.
With his axe he smote the oak-tree, With his sharpened blade he hewed it; Once he smote it, twice he smote it, And the third stroke wholly cleft it.
From the axe the flame was flashing, Flame was bursting from the oak-tree, 180 As he strove to fell the oak-tree, Overthrow the tree stupendous.
Thus the third blow was delivered, And the oak-tree fell before him, For the mighty tree was shattered, And the hundred boughs had fallen, And the trunk extended eastward, And the summit to the north-west, And the leaves were scattered southwards, And the branches to the northward. 190
He who took a branch from off it, Took prosperity unceasing, What was broken from the summit, Gave unending skill in magic; He who broke a leafy branchlet, Gathered with it love unending.
What remained of fragments scattered, Chips of wood, and broken splinters, On the bright expanse of ocean, On the far-extending billows, 200 In the breeze were gently rocking, On the waves were lightly drifted.