Kalevala (Kirby 1907)/Runo 3
Runo III.—Väinämöinen and Joukahainen
Argument
Väinämöinen increases in wisdom and composes songs (1-20). Joukahainen sets out to contend with him in wisdom; but as he cannot overcome him, he challenges him to a duel, whereupon Väinämöinen grows angry, and sinks him in a swamp by his magic songs (21-330). Joukahainen, in great distress, finally offers his sister Aino in marriage to Väinämöinen, who accepts the offer and releases him (331-476). Joukahainen returns home discomfited, and relates his misfortunes to his mother (477-524). The mother rejoices at the prospect of such an alliance, but the daughter laments and weeps (525-580).
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast
Passed the days of his existence
Where lie Väinölä’s sweet meadows,
Kalevala’s extended heathlands:
There he sang his songs of sweetness
Sang his songs and proved his wisdom.
Day by day he sang unwearied,
Night by night discoursed unceasing,
Sang the songs of by-gone ages,
Hidden words of ancient wisdom,10
Songs which all the children sing not,
All beyond men’s comprehension,
In these ages of misfortune,
When the race is near its ending.
Far away the news was carried,
Far abroad was spread the tidings
Of the songs of Väinämöinen,
Of the wisdom of the hero;
In the south was spread the rumour;
Reached to Pohjola the tidings.20
Here dwelt youthful Joukahainen,
He, the meagre youth of Lapland;
And, when visiting the village,
Wondrous tales he heard related,
How there dwelt another minstrel,
And that better songs were carolled,
Far in Väinölä’s sweet meadows,
Kalevala’s extended heathlands;
Better songs than he could compass;
Better than his father taught him.30
This he heard with great displeasure,
And his heart was filled with envy
That the songs of Väinämöinen
Better than his own were reckoned.
Then he went to seek his mother;
Sought her out, the aged woman,
And declared that he would journey,
And was eager to betake him,
Unto Väinölä’s far dwellings,
That he might contend with Väinö.40
But his father straight forbade him,
Both his father and his mother,
Thence to Väinölä to journey,
That he might contend with Väinö.
“He will surely sing against you,
Sing against you, and will ban you,
Sink your mouth and head in snow-drifts,
And your hands in bitter tempest:
Till your hands and feet are stiffened,
And incapable of motion.”50
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“Good the counsel of my father,
And my mother’s counsel better;
Best of all my own opinion.
I will set myself against him,
And defy him to a contest,
I myself my songs will sing him,
I myself will speak my mantras;
Sing until the best of minstrels
Shall become the worst of singers.60
Shoes of stone will I provide him,
Wooden trousers on his haunches;
On his breast a stony burden,
And a rock upon his shoulders;
Stony gloves his hands shall cover,
And his head a stony helmet."
Then he went his way unheeding,
Went his way, and fetched his gelding,
From whose mouth the fire was flashing,
’Neath whose legs the sparks were flying.70
Then the fiery steed he harnessed,
To the golden sledge he yoked him,
In the sledge himself he mounted,
And upon the seat he sat him,
O’er the horse his whip he brandished,
With the beaded whip he smote him,
From the place the horse sprang quickly,
And he darted lightly forwards.
On he drove with thundering clatter,
As he drove a day, a second,80
Driving also on the third day,
And at length upon the third day,
Came to Väinölä’s sweet meadows,
Kalevala’s extended heathlands.
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
He, the oldest of magicians,
As it chanced was driving onward,
Peacefully his course pursuing
On through Väinölä’s sweet meadows,
Kalevala's extended heathlands.90
Came the youthful Joukahainen
Driving on the road against him,
And the shafts were wedged together,
And the reins were all entangled,
And the collar jammed with collar,
And the runners dashed together.
Thus their progress was arrested,
Thus they halted and reflected;
Sweat dropped down upon the runners;
From the shafts the steam was rising.100
Asked the aged Väinämöinen,
“Who are you, and what your lineage,
You who drive so reckless onward,
Utterly without reflection?
Broken are the horses’ collars,
And the wooden runners likewise;
You have smashed my sledge to pieces,
Broke the sledge in which I travelled.”
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Answered in the words which follow: 110
“I am youthful Joukahainen;
But yourself should also tell me,
What your race, and what your nation,
And from what vile stock you issue.”
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Told his name without concealment,
And began to speak as follows:
“Youth, if you are Joukahainen,
You should move aside a little,
For remember, you are younger.”120
But the youthful Joukahainen
Answered in the words which follow:
“Here of youthfulness we reck not;
Nought doth youth or age concern us,
He who highest stands in knowledge,
He whose wisdom is the greatest,
Let him keep the path before him,
And the other yield the passage.
If you are old Väinämöinen,
And the oldest of the minstrels,130
Let us give ourselves to singing,
Let us now repeat our sayings,
That the one may teach the other,
And the one surpass the other.”
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Answered in the words which follow:
“What can I myself accomplish
As a wise man or a singer?
I have passed my life in quiet,
Here among these very moorlands,140
On the borders of my home-field
I have heard the cuckoo calling.
But apart from this at present,
I will ask you to inform me
What may be your greatest wisdom;
And the utmost of your knowledge?”
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“Many things I know in fulness,
And I know with perfect clearness,
And my insight shows me plainly,150
In the roof we find the smoke-hole,
And the fire is near the hearthstone.
“Joyful life the seal is leading,
In the waves there sports the sea-dog,
And he feeds upon the salmon,
And the powans round about him.
“Smooth the water loved by powans,
Smooth the surface, too, for salmon ;
And in frost the pike is spawning,
Slimy fish in wintry weather.160
Sluggish is the perch, the humpback,
In the depths it swims in autumn,
But it spawns in drought of summer,
Swimming slowly to the margin.
“If this does not yet suffice you,
I am wise in other matters,
And of weighty things can tell you.
In the north they plough with reindeer,
In the south the mare is useful,
And the elk in furthest Lapland.170
“Trees I know on Pisa mountain,
Firs upon the rocks of Horna,
Tall the trees on Pisa mountain,
And the firs on rocks of Horna.
“Three great waterfalls I know of,
And as many lakes extensive,
And as many lofty mountains,
Underneath the vault of heaven.
Hälläpyörä is in Häme,
Karjala has Kaatrakoski,180
But they do not match the Vuoksi,
There where Imatra is rushing.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“Childish tales, and woman’s wisdom,
But for bearded men unsuited,
And for married men unfitted.
Tell me words of deepest wisdom,
Tell me now of things eternal.”
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Answered in the words which follow:190
“Well I know whence comes the titmouse,
That the titmouse is a birdie,
And a snake the hissing viper,
And the ruffe a fish in water.
And I know that hard is iron,
And that mud when black is bitter.
Painful, too, is boiling water,
And the heat of fire is hurtful,
Water is the oldest medicine,
Cataract’s foam a magic potion;200
The Creator’s self a sorcerer,
Jumala the Great Magician.
“From the rock springs forth the water,
And the fire from heaven descendeth,
And from ore we get the iron,
And in hills we find the copper.
“Marshy country is the oldest,
And the first of trees the willow.
Pine-roots were the oldest houses,
And the earliest pots were stone ones.”210
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Answered in the words which follow:
“Is there more that you can tell me,
Or is this the end of nonsense?”
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“Many little things I wot of,
And the time I well remember
When ’twas I who ploughed the ocean,
Hollowed out the depths of ocean,
And I dug the caves for fishes,220
And I sunk the deep abysses,
When the lakes I first created,
And I heaped the hills together,
And the rocky mountains fashioned.
“Then I stood with six great heroes,
I myself the seventh among them.
When the earth was first created,
And the air above expanded;
For the sky I fixed the pillars,
And I reared the arch of heaven,230
To the moon assigned his journey,
Helped the sun upon his pathway,
To the Bear his place appointed,
And the stars in heaven I scattered.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“Ay, indeed, a shameless liar!
You at least were never present
When the ocean first was furrowed,
And the ocean depths were hollowed,
And the caves were dug for fishes,240
And the deep abysses sunken,
And the lakes were first created,
When the hills were heaped together,
And the rocky mountains fashioned.
“No one ever yet had seen you,
None had seen you, none had heard you,
When the earth was first created,
And the air above expanded,
When the posts of heaven were planted,
And the arch of heaven exalted,250
When the moon was shown his pathway,
And the sun was taught to journey,
When the Bear was fixed in heaven,
And the stars in heaven were scattered.”
But the youthful Joukahainen
Answered in the words which follow:
“If I fail in understanding,
I will seek it at the sword-point.
O thou aged Väinämöinen,
O thou very broad-mouthed minstrel,260
Let us measure swords together,
Let the blade decide between us.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“I have little cause to fret me
Either for your sword or wisdom,
For your sword-point or your judgment.
But, apart from this at present,
I will draw no sword upon you,
So contemptible a fellow,
And so pitiful a weakling.”270
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Shook his head, his mouth drawn crooked,
And he tossed his locks of blackness,
And he spake the words which follow:
“He who shuns the sword’s decision,
Nor betakes him to his sword-blade,
To a swine I soon will sing him,
To a snouted swine transform him.
Heroes I have thus o’erpowered,
Hither will I drive and thither.280
And will pitch them on the dunghill,
Grunting in the cowshed corner.”
Angry then was Väinämöinen,
Filled with wrath and indignation,
And himself commenced his singing,
And to speak his words of wisdom.
But he sang no childish ditties,
Children’s songs and women’s jesting,
But a song for bearded heroes,
Such as all the children sing not,290
Nor a half the boys can master,
Nor a third can lovers compass,
In the days of dark misfortune,
When our life is near its ending.
Sang the aged Väinämöinen;
Lakes swelled up, and earth was shaken,
And the coppery mountains trembled,
And the mighty rocks resounded.
And the mountains clove asunder;
On the shore the stones were shivered.300
Then he sang of Joukahainen,
Changed his runners into saplings,
And to willows changed the collar,
And the reins he turned to alder,
And he sang the sledge all gilded,
To the lake among the rushes,
And the whip, with beads embellished,
To a reed upon the water,
And the horse, with front white-spotted
To a stone beside the torrent.310
Then he sang his sword, gold-hilted,
To a lightning-flash in heaven,
And his ornamented crossbow,
To a rainbow o’er the water,
And he sang his feathered arrows,
Into hawks that soar above him;
And his dog, with upturned muzzle,
Stands a stone in earth embedded.
From his head, his cap, by singing,
Next became a cloud above him,320
From his hands, his gloves, by singing,
Next were changed to water-lilies,
And the blue coat he was wearing,
Floats a fleecy cloud in heaven,
And the handsome belt that girt him,
In the sky as stars he scattered.
As he sang, sank Joukahainen
Waist-deep in the swamp beneath him,
Hip-deep in the marshy meadow,
To his arm-pits in a quicksand.330
Then indeed young Joukahainen
Knew at last, and comprehended;
And he knew his course was finished,
And his journey now was ended.
For in singing he was beaten,
By the aged Väinämöinen.
He would raise his foot to struggle
But he could no longer lift it;
Then he tried to lift the other,
But as shod with stone he felt it.340
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Felt the greatest pain and anguish,
And he fell in grievous trouble,
And he spoke the words which follow:
“O thou wisest Väinämöinen,
O thou oldest of magicians,
Speak thy words of magic backwards,
And reverse thy songs of magic.
Loose me from this place of terror,
And release me from my torment.350
I will pay the highest ransom,
And the fixed reward will give thee.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“What do you propose to give me,
If I turn my words of magic,
And reverse my songs of magic,
Loose you from this place of terror,
And release you from your torment?”
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“I’ve two crossbows I could give you,360
Ay, a pair of splendid crossbows,
One shoots forth with passing quickness,
Surely hits the mark the other.
If it please you, choose between them.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“No, your bows I do not covet,
For the wretched bows I care not;
I myself have plenty of them.
All the walls are decked with crossbows,
All the pegs are hung with crossbows;370
In the woods they wander hunting,
Nor a hero needs to span them.”
Then the youthful Joukahainen
In the swamp he sang yet deeper.
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“I have yet two boats to offer;
Splendid boats, as I can witness,
One is light, and fit for racing,
Heavy loads will bear the other;
If it please you, choose between them.”380
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“No, your boats I do not covet,
And I will not choose between them,
I myself have plenty of them.
All the staves are full already,
Every creek is crowded with them,
Boats to face the gale adapted,
Boats against the wind that travel.”
Then the youthful Joukahainen,
In the swamp he sang yet deeper.390
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“I have still two noble stallions;
Ay, a pair of handsome horses;
One of these of matchless swiftness,
And the other best in harness.
If it please you, choose between them.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“No, I do not want your horses;
Do not need your steeds, white-footed.
I myself have plenty of them.400
Every stall has now its tenant,
Every stable’s filled with horses,
With their backs like water shining;
Lakes of fat upon their haunches.”
Then the youthful Jaukahainen,
In the swamp he sang yet deeper.
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“O thou aged Väinämöinen,
Speak thy words of magic backwards,
And reverse thy songs of magic.410
I will give a golden helmet,
And a hat filled up with silver,
Which my father won in warfare,
Which he won in battle-struggle.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“No, I do not want your silver,
And for gold, I only scorn it.
I myself have both in plenty.
Every store-room crammed with treasure,
Every chest is overflowing.420
Gold as ancient as the moonlight,
Silver with the sun coeval.”
Then the youthful Joukahainen
In the swamp he sang yet deeper.
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“O thou aged Väinämöinen,
Loose me from this place of terror,
And release me from my torment.
All my stacks at home I’ll give thee,
And my fields I likewise promise,430
All to save my life I offer,
If you will accept my ransom.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“No, your barns I do not covet,
And your fields are ’neath my notice.
I myself have plenty of them.
Fields are mine in all directions,
Stocks are reared on every fallow,
And my own fields please me better,
And my stacks of corn are finest.”440
Then the youthful Joukahainen
In the swamp he sang yet deeper.
Then the youthful Joukahainen,
Felt at length the greatest anguish,
Chin-deep in the swamp while sinking,
In the mud his beard was draggled,
In the moss his mouth was sunken,
And his teeth among the tree-roots.
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“O thou wisest Väinämöinen,450
O thou oldest of magicians,
Sing once more thy songs of magic
,
Grant the life of one so wretched,
And release me from my prison.
In the stream my feet are sunken,
With the sand my eyes are smarting.
“Speak thy words of magic backwards,
Break the spell that overwhelms me!
You shall have my sister Aino,
I will give my mother’s daughter.460
She shall dust your chamber for you,
Sweep the flooring with her besom,
Keep the milk-pots all in order;
And shall wash your garments for you.
Golden fabrics she shall weave you,
And shall bake you cakes of honey.”
Then the aged Väinämöinen,
Heard his words, and grew full joyful,
Since to tend his age was promised
Joukahainen’s lovely sister.470
On the stone of joy he sat him,
On the stone of song he rested,
Sang an hour, and sang a second,
And again he sang a third time:
Thus reversed his words of magic,
And dissolved the spell completely.
Then the youthful Joukahainen
From the mud his chin uplifted,
And his beard he disentangled,
From the rock his steed led forward,480
Drew his sledge from out the bushes,
From the reeds his whip unloosing.
Then upon his sledge he mounted,
And upon the seat he sat him,
And with gloomy thoughts he hastened,
With a heart all sad and doleful,
Homeward to his dearest mother,
Unto her, the aged woman.
On he drove with noise and tumult,
Home he drove in consternation,490
And he broke the sledge to pieces,
At the door the shafts were broken.
Then the noise alarmed his mother,
And his father came and asked him,
“Recklessly the sledge was broken;
Did you break the shafts on purpose?
Wherefore do you drive so rashly,
And arrive at home so madly?”
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Could not keep his tears from flowing;500
Sad he bowed his head in sorrow,
And his cap awry he shifted,
And his lips were dry and stiffened,
O’er his mouth his nose was drooping.
Then his mother came and asked him
Wherefore was he sunk in sorrow.
“O my son, why weep so sadly?
O my darling, why so troubled,
With thy lips so dry and stiffened,
O’er thy mouth thy nose thus drooping?”510
Said the youthful Joukahainen,
“O my mother, who hast borne me,
There is cause for what has happened,
For the sorcerer has o’ercome me.
Cause enough have I for weeping,
And the sorcerer’s brought me sorrow.
I myself must weep for ever,
And must pass my life in mourning,
For my very sister Aino,
She, my dearest mother’s daughter,520
I have pledged to Väinämöinen,
As the consort of the minstrel,
To support his feeble footsteps,
And to wait upon him always.”
Joyous clapped her hands his mother,
Both her hands she rubbed together,
And she spoke the words which follow:
“Do not weep, my son, my dearest,
For thy tears are quite uncalled for.
Little cause have we to sorrow,530
For the hope I long have cherished,
All my lifetime I have wished it,
And have hoped this high-born hero
Might akin to us be reckoned,
And the minstrel Väinämöinen
Might become my daughter’s husband.”
But when Joukahainen’s sister
Heard, she wept in deepest sorrow,
Wept one day, and wept a second,
At the threshold ever weeping,540
Wept in overwhelming sorrow,
In the sadness of her spirit.
Then her mother said consoling,
“Wherefore weep, my little Aino?
You have gained a valiant bridegroom,
And the home of one most noble,
Where you’ll look from out the window,
Sitting on the bench and talking.”
But her daughter heard and answered,
“O my mother, who hast borne me,550
Therefore have I cause for weeping,
Weeping for the beauteous tresses,
Now my youthful head adorning,
And my hair so soft and glossy,
Which must now be wholly hidden,
While I still am young and blooming.
“Then must I through lifetime sorrow
For the splendour of the sunlight,
And the moonbeam’s charming lustre
And the glory of the heavens,560
Which I leave, while still so youthful,
And as child must quite abandon,
I must leave my brother’s work-room,
Just beyond my father’s window.”
Said the mother to the daughter,
To the girl the crone made answer,
“Cast away this foolish sorrow,
Cease your weeping, all uncalled for,
Little cause have you for sorrow,
Little cause for lamentation.570
God’s bright sun is ever shining
On the world in other regions,
Shines on other doors and windows
Than your father’s or your brother’s;
Berries grow on every mountain,
Strawberries on the plains are growing,
You can pluck them in your sorrow
Wheresoe’er your steps may lead you;
Not alone on father’s acres,
Or upon your brother’s clearings.”580