Masterpiece Everywhere - The Kalevala - An Epic Poem after Oral

O'er the plains of Kalevala.

Youkahainen, young and fiery,

Urging still his foaming courser,

Dashes down upon the singer,

Does not turn aside in meeting,

Meeting thus in full collision;

Shafts are driven tight together,

Hames and collars wedged and tangled,

Tangled are the reins and traces.

Thus perforce they make a stand-still,

Thus remain and well consider;

Water drips from hame and collar,

Vapors rise from both their horses.

Speaks the minstrel, Wainamoinen:

"Who art thou, and whence? Thou comest

Driving like a stupid stripling,

Wainamoinen and Youkahainen.

Careless, dashing down upon me.

Thou hast ruined shafts and traces;

And the collar of my racer

Thou hast shattered into ruin,

And my golden sleigh is broken,

Box and runners dashed to pieces."

Youkahainen then make answer,

Spake at last the words that follow:

"I am youthful Youkahainen,

But make answer first, who thou art,

Whence thou comest, where thou goest,

From what lowly tribe descended?"

Wainamolinen, wise and ancient,

Answered thus the youthful minstrel:

"If thou art but Youkahainen,

Thou shouldst give me all the highway;

I am many years thy senior."

Then the boastful Youkahainen

Spake again to Wainamoinen:

"Young or ancient, little matter,

Little consequence the age is;

He that higher stands in wisdom,

He whose knowledge is the greater,

He that is the sweeter singer,

He alone shall keep the highway,

And the other take the roadside.

Art thou ancient Wainamoinen,

Famous sorcerer and minstrel?

Let us then begin our singing,

Let us sing our ancient legends,

Let us chant our garnered wisdom,

That the one may hear the other,

That the one may judge the other,

In a war of wizard sayings."

Wainamoinen, wise and ancient,

Thus replied in modest accents:

"What I know is very little,

Hardly is it worth the singing,

Neither is my singing wondrous:

All my days I have resided

In the cold and dreary Northland,

In a desert land enchanted,

In my cottage home for ayes;

All the songs that I have gathered,

Are the cuckoo's simple measures,

Some of these I may remember;

But since thou perforce demandest,

I accept thy boastful challenge.

Tell me now, my golden youngster,

What thou knowest more than others,

Open now thy store of wisdom."

Thus made answer Youkahainen,

Lapland's young and fiery minstrel:

"Know I many bits of learning

This I know in perfect clearness:

Every roof must have a chimney,

Every fire-place have a hearth-stone;

Lives of seal are free and merry,

Merry is the life of walrus,

Feeding on incautious salmon,

Daily eating perch and whiting;

Whitings live in quiet shallows,

Salmon love the level bottoms;

Spawns the pike in coldest weather,

And defies the storms of winter.

Slowly perches swim in Autumn,

Wry-backed, hunting deeper water,

Spawn in shallows in the summer,

Bounding on the shore of ocean.

Should this wisdom seem too little,

I can tell thee other matters,

Sing thee other wizard sayings:

All the Northmen plow with reindeer,

Mother-horses plow the Southland,

Inner Lapland plows with oxen;

All the trees on Pisa-mountain,

Know I well in all their grandeur;

On the Horna-rock are fir-trees,

Fir-trees growing tall and slender;

Slender grow the trees on mountains.

Three, the water-falls in number,

Three in number, inland oceans,

Three in number, lofty mountains,

Shooting to the vault of heaven.

Hallapyora's near to Yaemen,

Katrakoski in Karyala;

Imatra, the falling water,

Tumbles, roaring, into Wuoksi."

Then the ancient Wainimoinen:

"Women's tales and children's wisdom

Do not please a bearded hero,

Hero, old enough for wedlock;

Tell the story of creation,

Tell me of the world's beginning,

Tell me of the creatures in it,

And philosophize a little."

Then the youthful Youkahainen

Thus replied to Wainamoinen:

"Know I well the titmouse-fountains,

Pretty birdling is the titmouse;

And the viper, green, a serpent;

Whitings live in brackish waters;

Perches swim in every river;

Iron rusts, and rusting weakens;

Bitter is the taste of umber;

Boiling water is malicious;

Fire is ever full of danger;

First physician, the Creator;

Remedy the oldest, water;

Magic is the child of sea-foam;

God the first and best adviser;

Waters gush from every mountain;

Fire descended first from heaven;

Iron from the rust was fashioned;

Copper from the rocks created;

Marshes are of lands the oldest;

First of all the trees, the willow;

Fir-trees were the first of houses;

Hollowed stones the first of kettles."

Now the ancient Wainamoinen

Thus addresses Youkahainen:

"Canst thou give me now some wisdom,

Is this nonsense all thou knowest?"

Youkahainen thus made answer:

"I can tell thee still a trifle,

Tell thee of the times primeval,

When I plowed the salt-sea's bosom,

When I raked the sea-girt islands,

When I dug the salmon-grottoes,

Hollowed out the deepest caverns,

When I all the lakes created,

When I heaped the mountains round them,

When I piled the rocks about them.

I was present as a hero,

Sixth of wise and ancient heroes,

Seventh of all primeval heroes,

When the heavens were created,

When were formed the ether-spaces,

When the sky was crystal-pillared,

When was arched the beauteous rainbow,

When the Moon was placed in orbit,

When the silver Sun was planted,

When the Bear was firmly stationed,

And with stars the heavens were sprinkled."

Spake the ancient Wainamoinen:

"Thou art surely prince of liars,

Lord of all the host of liars;

Never wert thou in existence,

Surely wert thou never present,

When was plowed the salt-sea's bosom,

When were raked the sea-girt islands,

When were dug the salmon-grottoes,

When were hollowed out the caverns,

When the lakes were all created,

When were heaped the mountains round them,

When the rocks were piled about them.

Thou wert never seen or heard of

When the earth was first created,

When were made the ether-spaces,

When the air was crystal-pillared,

When the Moon was placed in orbit,

When the silver Sun was planted,

When the Bear was firmly stationed,

When the skies with stars were sprinkled."

Then in anger Youkahainen

Answered ancient Wainamoinen:

"Then, sir, since I fail in wisdom,

With the sword I offer battle;

Come thou, famous bard and minstrel,

Thou the ancient wonder-singer,

Let us try our strength with broadswords,

let our blades be fully tested."

Spake the ancient Wainamoinen:

"Not thy sword and not thy wisdom,

Not thy prudence, nor thy cunning,

Do I fear a single moment.

Let who may accept thy challenge,

Not with thee, a puny braggart,

Not with one so vain and paltry,

Will I ever measure broadswords."

Then the youthful Youkahainen,

Mouth awry and visage sneering,

Shook his golden locks and answered:

"Whoso fears his blade to measure,

Fears to test his strength at broadswords,

Into wild-boar of the forest,

Swine at heart and swine in visage,

Singing I will thus transform him;

I will hurl such hero-cowards,