Kalevala (Kirby 1907)/Runo 41
Runo XLI.—Väinämöinen’s Music
Argument
Väinämöinen plays on the kantele, and all living things, whether belonging to the air, earth, or water, hasten to the spot to listen (1-168). The hearts of all listeners are so affected by the music that tears fall from their eyes, and Väinämöinen’s own eyes shed large drops which fall to the ground and trickle into the water, where they are changed into beautiful blue pearls (169-266).
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
He the great primeval minstrel,
Presently stretched out his fingers,
Washed his thumbs, the harp for playing,
On the stone of joy he sat him,
On the singer’s stone he sat him,
On a hill all silver-shining,
From a golden heath arising.
Then the harp he grasped with fingers,
And upon his knee he propped it,10
And his hands he placed beneath it,
Then he spoke the words which follow:
“Come ye now to listen to me,
Ye before who never heard me,
Hear with joy my songs primeval,
While the kantele is sounding.”
Then the aged Väinämöinen,
Quick commenced his skilful playing
On the instrument of pikebone,
On the kantele of fishbone,20
And he raised his fingers nimbly,
And his thumb he lifted lightly.
Now came pleasure after pleasure,
As the sweet notes followed others,
As he sat and played the music,
As he sang his songs melodious,
As he played upon the pike-teeth,
And he lifted up the fish-tail,
And the horsehair sounded sweetly,
And the horsehair sounded clearly.30
Played the aged Väinämöinen.
Nothing was there in the forest,
Which upon four feet was running,
Or upon their legs were hopping,
And which came not near to listen,
Came not to rejoice and wonder.
Gathered round him all the squirrels,
As from branch to branch they clambered,
And the ermines flocked around him,
Laid them down against the fences,40
On the plains the deer were springing,
And the lynxes shared the pleasure.
In the swamp each wolf awakened,
From the heath the bear aroused him,
From his lair among the fir-trees,
And the thickly growing pine-trees,
And the wolves ran lengthy journeys,
And the bears came through the heather,
Till they sat upon the fences,
Side by side against the gateway.50
On the rocks the fence fell over,
On the field the gate fell over,
Then they climbed upon the pine-trees,
And they ran around the fir-trees,
Just to listen to the music,
All rejoicing, and in wonder.
Sage of Tapiola illustrious,
He of Metsola the Master,
And the whole of Tapio’s people,
All the boys and all the maidens,60
Climbed upon a mountain summit,
That they might enjoy the music,
While the Mistress of the Forest,
Keen-eyed matron of Tapiola,
(Fine her stockings, blue in colour,
Firmly tied with crimson ribands,)
Climbed into a crooked birch-tree,
Rested in a curving alder,
To the kantele to listen,
That she might enjoy the music.70
And the birds of air assembled,
Those upon two wings that raise them,
Backwards sailing, forwards sailing,
And with all their speed came flying,
Swift to listen to the music,
All in wonder and rejoicing.
When the eagle in his eyry,
Heard the sweet tones sound from Suomi,
In the nest she left her fledgelings,
And she hovered round to listen80
To the gallant hero’s playing,
And to Väinämöinen’s singing.
High in air there soared the eagle,
Through the clouds the hawk was sailing,
Came the ducks from deepest waters,
Came the swans from snow-wreathed marshes,
And the smallest of the finches,
All the twittering birds assembled,
Singing-birds flocked round by hundreds,
And in thousands they assembled90
In the air, and heard delighted,
And alighted on his shoulders,
All rejoicing in the patriarch,
And in Väinämöinen’s playing.
E’en the Daughters of Creation,
Of the air the charming maidens,
Gathered to rejoice and wonder,
To the kantele to listen.
Some on arch of air were seated,
Seated on the dazzling rainbow,100
Some on little clouds were seated,
Resting on their crimson borders.
Then were Kuutar, slender damsel;
Päivätär, that maid accomplished;
Casting with their hands the shuttle,
Drawing threads that they were weaving,
As they wove a golden fabric,
And they wove the threads of silver,
High upon the red cloud-borders,
On the borders of the rainbow.110
But when they began to listen
To the notes of charming music,
From their hands they let the comb fall,
Cast from out their hands the shuttle,
And the golden bands were broken.
And the silver shaft was broken.
There remained no living creature,
None of those who dwell in water,
None who with six fins are moving,
Nor the largest shoals of fishes,120
Which assembled not to listen,
Came not to rejoice and wonder.
Thither came the pikes all swimming,
And the water-dogs swam forward,
From the rocks swam swift the salmon,
From the deeps there came the powans,
Perch and little roach came also,
Powans white, and other fishes;
Through the reeds they pushed their bodies,
Straightway to the shore they hastened,130
There to hear the songs of Väinö,
And to listen to his playing.
Ahto, king of all the billows,
Grass-beard ancient of the waters,
Mounted to the water’s surface,
Climbed upon a water-lily,
To the notes with joy he listened,
And he spoke the words which follow:
“Never have I heard such music,
In the course of all my lifetime,140
As is played by Väinämöinen,
Joyous and primeval minstrel.”
And the sisters, Sotko’s daughters,
Cousins of the reeds on lakeshore,
At the time their hair were brushing,
And their locks were deftly combing,
With a comb composed of silver,
And with golden brush they brushed it.
When they heard the strains unwonted,
And they heard the skilful playing,150
In the waves they dropped the brushes,
Dropped the comb among the lake-waves,
And their hair unsmoothed was hanging,
Nor they smoothed it in the middle.
E’en the Mistress of the Waters,
Water-Mother, towards the rushes,
From the lake herself ascended,
Raised herself from out the billows,
Quickly moved her to the rushes,
Climbed a rock in water standing,160
And she listened to the music,
And to Väinämöinen playing,
Listened to the wondrous music,
And to the delightful playing,
And she fell in deepest slumber,
Sank upon the ground in slumber,
On the mottled rocky surface,
Underneath a great rock’s shelter.
Then the aged Väinämöinen,
Played one day, and played a second.170
There was none among the heroes,
None among the men so mighty,
None among the men or women,
None of those whose hair is plaited,
Whom he did not move to weeping,
And whose hearts remained unmelted.
Wept the young and wept the aged,
All the married men were weeping,
Likewise all the married women,
And the half-grown boys were weeping,180
All the boys, and all the maidens,
Likewise all the little children,
When they heard the tones so wondrous,
And the noble sage’s music.
He himself, old Väinämöinen,
Felt his own tears rolling downward,
From his eyes the tears dropped downward,
And the water-drops fell downward;
They were tears than cranberries larger,
They were tears than peas much larger,190
Then the eggs of grouse still rounder,
Larger than the heads of swallows.
From his eyes there fell the tear-drops,
Others followed after others,
Tears upon his cheeks were falling,
Down upon his cheeks so handsome,
Rolling from his cheeks so handsome,
Down upon his chin’s expansion.
Rolling from his chin’s expansion,
Down upon his panting bosom,200
Rolling from his panting bosom,
Down upon his strong knee’s surface,
Rolling from his strong knee’s surface
Down upon his feet so handsome,
Rolling from his feet so handsome,
Down upon the ground beneath them,
And five woollen cloaks were soaking,
Likewise six of gilded girdles,
Seven blue dresses too were soaking,
And ten overcoats were soaking.210
And the tear-drops still were falling,
From the eyes of Väinämöinen,
Till they reached the blue lake’s margin,
Overflowed the blue lake’s margin,
Down below the sparkling water,
To the black ooze at the bottom.
Then the aged Väinämöinen
Spoke aloud the words which follow:
“Is there in this youthful party,
’Mid the young and fair here gathered,220
’Mid these high-descended people,
Any darling child of father,
Who the tears I shed can gather,
From beneath the sparkling water?”
And the young folks gave him answer,
And the old folks likewise answered:
“There are none among the youthful,
In this young and fair assemblage,
’Mid these high-descended people,
Not a darling child of father,230
Who the tears you shed can gather,
From beneath the sparkling water.”
Then the aged Väinämöinen,
Spoke again in words that follow:
“He who brings my tears unto me,
And the tears again can gather,
From beneath the sparkling waters,
Shall receive a dress of feathers.”
Forth there came a raven passing;
Said the aged Väinämöinen:240
“Bring me now my tears, O raven,
From beneath the sparkling water,
And receive the dress of feathers.”
But the raven could not do it.
And the blue duck heard him likewise,
And the blue duck next came forward.
Said the aged Väinämöinen:
“Often, blue duck, does it happen
That thy beak thou plungest downward,
As thou speedest through the water.250
Go thou forth my tears to gather,
From beneath the sparkling water,
Bounteous guerdon will I give thee,
And will give a dress of feathers.”
Then the duck went forth to seek them,
Seek the tears of Väinämöinen,
Underneath the sparkling water,
On the black ooze of the bottom.
In the lake she found the tear-drops,
And to Väinö’s hands she brought them,260
But they were transformed already,
Suffered beauteous transformation.
Into pearls were they developed,
Like the blue pearls of the mussel,
Fit for every king’s adornment,
To the great a lifelong pleasure.