Kalevala (Kirby 1907)/Runo 25
Runo XXV.—The Home-coming of the Bride and Bridegroom
Argument
The bride, the bridegroom and their company are received at the home of Ilmarinen (1-382). The company are hospitably entertained with food and drink: and Väinämöinen sings the praises of the host, the hostess, the inviter, the bridesmaid, and the other wedding-guests (383-672). On the way back Väinämöinen's sledge breaks down, but he repairs it, and drives home (673-738).
Long already ’twas expected,
Long expected and awaited,
That the new bride soon would enter
The abode of Ilmarinen;
And the eyes with rheum were dripping
Of the old folks at the windows,
And the young folks’ knees were failing
As about the door they waited,
And the children’s feet were freezing,
By the wall as they were standing,10
Mid-aged folks their shoes were spoiling,
As upon the beach they wandered.
And at length upon a morning,
Just about the time of sunrise,
From the wood they heard a rattling,
As the sledge came rushing onward.
Lokka then the kindest hostess,
Kaleva’s most handsome matron,
Uttered then the words which follow:
“’Tis my son’s sledge now approaching,20
As from Pohjola he cometh,
And he brings the youthful damsel.
Straight he journeys to this country,
To the homestead hastens onward,
To the house his father gave him,
Which his parents had constructed.”
Therefore thus did Ilmarinen
Hasten forward to the homestead,
To the house his father gave him,
Which his parents had constructed.30
Hazel-grouse were twittering blithely
On the collar formed of saplings,
And the cuckoos all were calling,
On the sledge’s sides while sitting,
And the squirrels leaped and frolicked
On the shafts of maple fashioned.
Lokka then the kindest hostess,
Kaleva’s most beauteous matron,
Uttered then the words which follow,
And in words like these expressed her:40
“For the new moon waits the village,
And the young await the sunrise,
Children search where grow the berries,
And the water waits the tarred boat;
For no half-moon have I waited,
Nor the sun have I awaited,
But I waited for my brother,
For my brother and step-daughter,
Gazed at morning, gazed at evening,
Knew not what had happened to them,50
If a child he had been rearing,
Or a lean one he had fattened,
That he came not any sooner,
Though he faithfully had promised
Soon to turn his footsteps homeward,
Ere defaced had been his footprints.
“Ever gazed I forth at morning,
And throughout the day I pondered,
If my brother was not coming,
Nor his sledge was speeding onward60
Swiftly to this little homestead,
To this very narrow dwelling.
Though the horse were but a straw one,
And the sledge were but two runners,
Yet a sledge I still would call it,
And a sledge would still esteem it,
If it homeward brought my brother,
And another fair one with him.
“Thus throughout my life I wished it,
This throughout the day I looked for,70
Till my head bowed down with gazing,
And my hair bulged up in ridges,
And my bright eyes were contracted,
Hoping for my brother’s coming
Swiftly to this little household,
To this very narrow dwelling,
And at length my son is coming,
And in truth is coming swiftly,
With a lovely form beside him,
And a rose-cheeked girl beside him.80
“Bridegroom, O my dearest brother,
Now the white-front horse unharness,
Do thou lead the noble courser
To his own familiar pasture,
To the oats but lately garnered;
Then bestow thy greetings on us,
Greet us here, and greet the others,
All the people of the village.
“When thou hast bestowed thy greetings,
Thou must tell us all thy story.90
Did thy journey lack adventures,
Hadst thou health upon thy journey,
To thy mother-in-law when faring,
To thy father-in-law’s dear homestead,
There to woo and win the maiden,
Beating down the gates of battle,
And the maiden’s castle storming,
Breaking down the walls uplifted,
Stepping on her mother’s threshold,
Sitting at her father’s table?100
“But I see without my asking,
And perceive without inquiry,
He has prospered on his journey,
With his journey well contented.
He has wooed and won the gosling,
Beaten down the gates of battle,
Broken down the boarded castle,
And the walls of linden shattered,
When her mother’s house he entered,
And her father’s home he entered.110
In his care is now the duckling,
In his arms behold the dovekin,
At his side the modest damsel,
Shining in her radiant beauty.
“Who has brought the lie unto us,
And the ill report invented,
That the bridegroom came back lonely,
And his horse had sped for nothing?
For the bridegroom comes not lonely,
Nor his horse has sped for nothing;120
Perhaps the horse has brought back something,
For his white mane he is shaking,
For the noble horse is sweating,
And the foal with foam is whitened,
From his journey with the dovekin.
When he drew the blushing damsel.
“In the sledge stand up, O fair one,
On its floor, O gift most noble,
Do thou raise thyself unaided,
And do thou arise unlifted,130
If the young man tries to lift thee,
And the proud one seeks to raise thee.
“From the sledge do thou upraise thee,
From the sledge do thou release thee,
Walk upon this flowery pathway,
On the path of liver-colour,
Which the swine have trod quite even,
And the hogs have trampled level,
Over which have passed the lambkins,
And the horses’ manes swept over.140
“Step thou with the step of gosling,
Strut thou with the feet of duckling,
In the yard that’s washed so cleanly,
On the smooth and level grassplot,
Where the father rules the household,
And the mother holds dominion,
To the workplace of the brother,
And the sister’s blue-flowered meadow.
“Set thy foot upon the threshold,
Then upon the porch’s flooring,150
On the honeyed floor advance thou,
Next the inner rooms to enter,
Underneath these famous rafters,
Underneath this roof so lovely.
“It was in this very winter,
In the summer just passed over,
Sang the floor composed of duckbones,
That thyself should stand upon it,
And the golden roof resounded
That thou soon should’st walk beneath it,160
And the windows were rejoicing,
For thy sitting at the windows.
“It was in this very winter,
In the summer just passed over,
Often rattled the door-handles,
For the ringed hands that should close them,
And the stairs were likewise creaking
For the fair one robed so grandly,
And the doors stood always open,
And their opener thus awaited.170
“It was in this very winter,
In the summer just passed over,
That the room around has turned it,
Unto those the room who dusted,
And the hall has made it ready
For the sweepers, when they swept it,
And the very barns were chirping
To the sweepers as they swept them.
“It was in this very winter,
In the summer just passed over,180
That the yard in secret turned it
To the gatherer of the splinters,
And the storehouses bowed downward,
For the wanderer who should enter,
Rafters bowed, and beams bent downward
To receive the young wife’s wardrobe.
“It was in this very winter,
In the summer just passed over,
That the pathways had been sighing
For the sweeper of the pathways,190
And the cowsheds nearer drawing
To the cleanser of the cowsheds;
Songs and dances were abandoned,
Till should sing and dance our duckling.
“On this very day already,
And upon the day before it,
Early has the cow been lowing,
And her morning hay expecting,
And the foal has loud been neighing
That his truss of hay be cast him,200
And the lamb of spring has bleated,
That its food its mistress bring it.
“On this very day already,
And upon the day before it,
Sat the old folks at the windows,
On the beach there ran the children,
By the wall there stood the women,
In the porch-door youths were waiting,
Waiting for the youthful mistress,
And the bride they all awaited.210
“Hail to all within the household,
Likewise hail to all the heroes,
Hail, O barn, and all within thee,
Barn, and all the guests within thee,
Hail, O hall, and all within thee,
Birchbark roof, and all thy people,
Hail, O room, and all within thee,
Hundred-boards, with all thy children!
Hail, O moon, to thee, O monarch,
And the bridal train so youthful!220
Never was there here aforetime,
Never yesterday nor ever,
Was a bridal train so splendid:
Never were such handsome people.
“Bridegroom, O my dearest brother,
Let the red cloths now be loosened,
Laid aside the veils all silken;
Let us see thy cherished marten,
Whom for five long years thou wooed’st,
And for eight years thou hast longed for.230
“Hast thou brought whom thou hast wished for,
Hast thou brought with thee the cuckoo,
From the land a fair one chosen,
Or a rosy water-maiden?
“But I see without my asking,
Comprehend without inquiry,
Thou has really brought the cuckoo,
Hast the blue duck in thy keeping;
Greenest of the topmost branches,
Thou hast brought from out the greenwood,240
Freshest of the cherry-branches,
From the freshest cherry-thickets.”
On the floor there sat an infant,
From the floor spoke out the infant:
“O my brother, what thou bringest,
Is a tar-stump void of beauty,
Half as long as a tar-barrel,
And as tall as is a bobbin.
“Shame, O shame, unhappy bridegroom,
All thy life thou hast desired,250
Vowed to choose from hundred maidens,
And among a thousand maidens,
Bring the noblest of the hundred,
From a thousand unattractive;
From the swamp you bring a lapwing,
From the hedge you bring a magpie,
From the field you bring a scarecrow,
From the fallow field a blackbird.
“What has she as yet accomplished,
In the summer just passed over,260
If the gloves she was not weaving,
Nor begun to make the stockings?
Empty to the house she cometh,
To our household brings no presents,
Mice are squeaking in the baskets,
Long-eared mice are in the coppers.”
Lokka, most accomplished hostess,
Kaleva’s most handsome matron,
Heard these wondrous observations,
And replied in words which follow:270
“Wretched child, what art thou saying?
To thy own disgrace thou speakest!
Thou may’st wonders hear of others,
Others may’st perchance disparage,
But thou may’st not shame this damsel,
Nor the people of this household.
“Bad the words that thou hast uttered,
Bad the words that thou hast spoken,
With the mouth of calf of night-time,
With the head of day-old puppy.280
Handsome is this noble damsel,
Noblest she of all the country,
Even like a ripening cranberry,
Or a strawberry on the mountain,
Like the cuckoo in the tree-top,
Little bird in mountain-ashtree,
In the birch a feathered songster,
White-breast bird upon the maple.
“Ne’er from Saxony came ever,
Nor in Viro could they fashion290
Such a girl of perfect beauty,
Such a duck without an equal,
With a countenance so lovely,
And so noble in her stature,
And with arms of such a whiteness,
And with slender neck so graceful.
“Neither comes the damsel dowerless,
Furs enough she brought us hither,
Blankets, too, as gifts she brought us,
Cloths as well she carried with her.300
“Much already has this damsel
Wrought by working with her spindle,
On her own reel has she wound it,
With her ringers much has finished.
Cloths of very brilliant lustre
Has she folded up in winter,
In the spring days has she bleached them,
In the summer months has dried them;
Splendid sheets the beds to spread on,
Cushions soft for heads to rest on,310
Silken neckcloths of the finest,
Woollen mantles of the brightest.
“Noble damsel, fairest damsel,
With thy beautiful complexion,
In the house wilt thou be honoured,
As in father’s house the daughter,
All thy life shalt thou be honoured,
As in husband’s house the mistress.
“Never will we cause thee trouble,
Never trouble bring upon thee.320
To the swamp thou wast not carried,
Nor from the ditch-side they brought thee,
From the cornfields rich they brought thee,
But to better fields they led thee,
And they took thee from the ale-house,
To a home where ale is better.
“Noble girl, and fairest damsel,
One thing only will I ask thee,
Didst thou notice on thy journey
Shocks of corn that stood uplifted,330
Ears of rye in shocks uplifted,
All belonging to this homestead,
From the ploughing of thy husband?
He has ploughed and he has sown it.
“Dearest girl, and youthful damsel,
This is what I now will tell thee,
Thou hast willed our house to enter:
Be contented with the household.
Here ’tis good to be the mistress,
Good to be a fair-faced daughter,340
Sitting here among the milk-pans,
Butter-dishes at thy service.
“This is pleasant for a damsel,
Pleasant for a fair-faced dovekin.
Broad the planking of the bathroom,
Broad within the rooms the benches,
Here the master’s like thy father,
And the mistress like thy mother,
And the sons are like thy brothers,
And the daughters like thy sisters.350
“If the longing e’er should seize thee,
And the wish should overtake thee,
For the fish thy father captured,
Or for grouse to ask thy brother,
From thy brother-in-law ask nothing,
From thy father-in-law ask nothing;
Best it is to ask thy husband,
Ask him to obtain them for thee.
There are not within the forest
Any four-legged beasts that wander,360
Neither birds in air that flutter
Two-winged birds with rushing pinions,
Neither in the shining waters
Swarm the best of all the fishes,
Which thy husband cannot capture;
He can catch and bring them to thee.
“Here ’tis good to be a damsel,
Here to be a fair-faced dovekin;
Need is none to work the stone-mill;
Need is none to work the mortar;370
Here the wheat is ground by water,
And the rye by foaming torrents,
And the stream cleans all utensils,
And the lake-foam cleanses all things.
“O thou lovely little village,
Fairest spot in all the country!
Grass below, and cornfields over,
In the midst between the village.
Fair the shore below the village,
By the shore is gleaming water,380
Where the ducks delight in swimming,
And the water-fowl are sporting.”
Drink they gave the bridal party,
Food and drink they gave in plenty,
Meat provided in abundance,
Loaves provided of the finest.
And they gave them ale of barley,
Spicy drink, from wheat concocted.
Roast they gave them in abundance,
Food and drink in all abundance,390
In the dishes red they brought it,
In the handsomest of dishes.
Cakes were there, in pieces broken,
Likewise there were lumps of butter,
Powans too, to be divided,
Salmon too, to cut to pieces,
With the knives composed of silver,
And with smaller knives all golden.
Ale unpurchased there was flowing,
Mead for which you could not bargain;400
Ale flowed from the ends of rafters,
Honey from the taps was oozing,
Ale around the lips was foaming.
Mead the mood of all enlivened.
Who among them should be cuckoo,
Who should sing a strain most fitting?
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
He the great primeval minstrel,
He himself commenced his singing,
Set about composing verses,410
And he spoke the words which follow.
And expressed himself in thiswise:
“O my own beloved brethren,
O most eloquent companions,
O my comrades, ready talkers,
Listen now to what I tell you,
Rarely kiss the geese each other,
Rarely sisters gaze on sisters,
Rarely side by side stand brothers,
Side by side stand mother’s children,420
In these desert lands so barren,
In the wretched northern regions.
“Shall we give ourselves to singing,
Set about composing verses?
None can sing except the singer,
None can call save vernal cuckoo,
None can paint, except Sinetar,
None can weave save Kankahatar.
“Lapland’s children, they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting,430
As the elk’s rare flesh they feast on,
Or the meat of smaller reindeer,
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not,
While upon the ryebread feasting,
Or when eating is concluded?
“Lapland’s children, they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting,
As they drink from water-pitchers,
While they chew the bark of fir-tree.440
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not,
While the juice of corn we’re drinking,
And the best-brewed ale of barley?
“Lapland’s children they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting,
Even by the sooty fire,
As they lay the coals upon it.
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not,450
Underneath these famous rafters,
Underneath a roof so splendid?
“Good it is for men to dwell here,
Good for women to reside here,
All among the barrels ale-filled,
Standing close beside the mead-tubs,
Near the sound where swarm the powans,
Near the place for netting salmon,
Where the food is never failing,
And the drink is never stinted.460
“Good it is for men to dwell here,
Good for women to reside here,
Here to eat by care untroubled,
Here to live without affliction,
Here to eat unvexed by trouble,
And to live without a sorrow,
Long as lives our host among us,
All the lifetime of our hostess.
“Which shall I first praise in singing,
Shall it be the host or hostess?470
Always first they praise the heroes,
Therefore first I praise the Master,
He who first prepared the marshland,
And along the shore who wandered,
And he brought great stumps of fir-trees,
And he trimmed the crowns of fir-trees,
Took them to a good position,
Firmly built them all together,
For his race a great house builded,
And he built a splendid homestead,480
Walls constructed from the forest,
Rafters from the fearful mountains,
Laths from out the woods provided,
Boards from berry-bearing heathlands,
Bark from cherry-bearing uplands,
Moss from off the quaking marshes.
“And the house is well-constructed,
And the roof securely fastened.
Here a hundred men were gathered,
On the house-roof stood a thousand,490
When this house was first constructed,
And the flooring duly fitted.
“Be assured our host so worthy,
In the building of this homestead,
Oft his hair exposed to tempest,
And his hair was much disordered.
Often has our host so noble,
On the rocks his gloves left lying,
Lost his hat among the fir-trees,
In the marsh has sunk his stockings.500
“Often has our host so noble
In the early morning hours,
When no others had arisen,
And unheard by all the village,
Left the cheerful fire behind him,
Watched for birds in wattled wigwam,
And the thorns his head were combing,
Dew his handsome eyes was washing.
“Thus receives our host so noble,
In his home his friends around him;510
Filled the benches are with singers,
And with joyous guests the windows,
And the floor with talking people,
Porches, too, with people shouting,
Near the walls with people standing,
Near the fence with people walking,
Through the yard are folks parading.
Children on the ground are creeping.
“Now I first have praised the master,
I will praise our gracious hostess,520
She who has prepared the banquet,
And has filled the table for us.
“Large the loaves that she has baked us,
And she stirred us up thick porridge,
With her hands that move so quickly,
With her soft and tenfold fingers,
And she let the bread rise slowly,
And the guests with speed she feasted;
Pork she gave them in abundance,
Gave them cakes piled up in dishes,530
And the knives were duly sharpened,
And the pointed blades pressed downward,
As the salmon were divided,
And the pike were split asunder.
“Often has our noble mistress,
She the most accomplished housewife,
Risen up before the cockcrow,
And before the hen’s son hastened,
That she might prepare the needful,
That the work might all be finished,540
That the beer might be concocted,
And the ale be ready for us.
“Well indeed our noble hostess,
And this most accomplished housewife,
Best of ale for us concocted,
And the finest drink set flowing.
’Tis composed of malted barley,
And of malt the very sweetest,
And with wood she has not turned it,
With a stake she has not moved it,550
Only with her hands has raised it,
Only with her arms has turned it,
In the bathroom filled with vapour,
On the boarding, scoured so cleanly.
“Nor did she, our noble hostess,
And this most accomplished mistress,
Let the germs mature them fully,
While on ground the malt was lying.
Oft she went into the bathroom,
Went alone, at dead of midnight,560
Fearing not the wolf should harm her,
Nor the wild beasts of the forest.
“Now that we have praised the hostess,
Let us also praise the inviter;
Who was chosen as inviter,
And upon the road to guide us?
Best inviter of the village,
Best of guides in all the village.
“There we look on our inviter,
Clad in coat from foreign countries;570
Round his arms ’tis tightly fitted,
Neatly round his waist ’tis fitted.
“There we look on our inviter,
In a narrow cloak attired;
On the sand the skirts are sweeping,
On the ground the train is sweeping.
Of his shirt we see a little,
Only see a very little,
As if Kuutar’s self had wove it,
And the tin-adorned one wrought it.580
“Here we look on our inviter,
Belted with a belt of woollen,
Woven by the Sun’s fair daughter,
By her beauteous fingers broidered,
In the times ere fire existed,
And when all unknown was fire.
“Here we look on our inviter,
With his feet in silken stockings,
And with silk are bound his stockings,
And his garters are of satin,590
And with gold are all embroidered,
And are all adorned with silver.
“Here we look on our inviter,
Best of Saxon shoes he’s wearing,
Like the swans upon the river,
Or the ducks that swim beside them,
Or the geese among the thickets,
Birds of passage in the forests.
“Here we look on our inviter,
With his golden locks all curling,600
And his golden beard is plaited,
On his head a lofty helmet:
Up among the clouds it rises,
Through the forest’s glancing summit;
Such a one you could not purchase
For a hundred marks or thousand.
“Now that I have praised the inviter,
I will also praise the bridesmaid.
Whence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Whence was she, the happiest, chosen?610
“Thence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Thence was she, the happiest, chosen,
Where is Tanikka’s strong fortress,
From without the new-built castle.
“No, she came from other regions,
Not at all from such a region;
Thence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Thence was she, the happiest, chosen,
Brought to us across the water,
And across the open ocean.620
“No, she came from other regions,
Not at all from such a region,
Grew like strawberry in the country,
On the heaths where cranberries flourish,
On the field of beauteous herbage,
On the heath of golden flowerets,
Thence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Thence was she, the happiest, chosen.
“And the bridesmaid’s mouth is pretty,
As the spindle used in Suomi,630
And the bridesmaid’s eyes are sparkling,
As the stars that shine in heaven,
Gleaming are the damsel’s temples,
As upon the lake the moonlight.
“Here we look upon our bridesmaid;
Round her neck a chain all golden,
On her head a golden head-dress,
On her hands are golden bracelets,
Golden rings upon her fingers,
In her ears are golden earrings,640
Loops of gold upon her temples,
And her brows are bead-adorned.
“And I thought the moon was shining,
When her golden clasp was gleaming,
And I thought the sun was shining,
When I saw her collar gleaming,
And I thought a ship was sailing,
When I saw her head-dress moving.
“Now that I have praised the bridesmaid,
I will glance at all the people;650
Very handsome are the people,
Stately are the aged people,
And the younger people pretty,
And the householders are handsome.
“I have gazed at all the people,
And I knew them all already;
But before it never happened,
Nor in future times will happen,
That we meet so fine a household,
Or we meet such handsome people.660
Where the old folks are so stately,
And the younger people pretty.
Clothed in white are all the people,
Like the forest in the hoarfrost,
Under like the golden dawning:
Over like the morning twilight.
“Easy to obtain was silver,
Gold among the guests was scattered,
In the grass were littered purses,
In the lanes were bags of money,670
For the guests who were invited,
For the guests most greatly honoured.”
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Of the song the mighty pillar,
After this his sledge ascended,
Homeward drove upon his journey,
And he sang his songs for ever,
Sang, and chanted spells of magic,
Sang a song, and sang a second,
But, as he the third was singing,680
Clashed against a rock the runners,
Crashed the shafts against a tree-stump,
And the sledge broke off his chanting,
And the runners stopped his singing,
And the shafts in fragments shattered,
And the boards broke all asunder.
Spoke the aged Väinämöinen,
In the very words which follow,
“Are there none among the youthful,
Of the rising generation,690
Or perchance among the aged,
Of the sinking generation,
Who to Tuonela can wander,
And can go to Mana’s country,
Thence to fetch me Tuoni’s auger,
Bring me Mana’s mighty auger,
That a new sledge I may fashion,
Or repair my sledge that’s broken?”
But said all the younger people,
And the aged people answered:700
“There are none among the youthful,
None at all among the aged,
None of race so highly noble,
None is such a mighty hero,
As to Tuonela to travel,
Journey to the land of Mana,
Thence to bring you Tuoni’s auger,
And from Mana’s home to bring it,
That a new sledge you may fashion,
Or repair the sledge that’s broken.”710
Then the aged Väinämöinen,
He the great primeval minstrel,
Went again to Tuoni’s country,
Journeyed to the home of Mana,
Fetched from Tuonela the auger,
Brought from Mana’s home the auger.
Then the aged Väinämöinen
Sang a blue wood up before him,
In the forest rose an oak-tree,
And a splendid mountain-ashtree,720
And from these a sledge he fashioned,
And he shaped his runners from them,
And for shafts prepared them likewise,
And the frame he thus constructed,
Made a sledge to suit his purpose,
And a new sledge he constructed.
In the shafts the horse he harnessed,
Yoked before the sledge the chestnut,
In the sledge himself he seated,
And upon the seat he sat him,730
And without the whip the courser,
Sped, by beaded whip unharassed,
To his long-accustomed fodder,
To the food that waited for him,
And he brought old Väinämöinen,
He the great primeval minstrel,
To his own door, widely open,
To the threshold brought him safely.