Kalevala (Kirby 1907)/Runo 6
Runo VI.—Joukahainen’s Crossbow
Argument
Joukahainen cherishes hatred against Väinämöinen and lies in wait for him on his journey to Pohjola (1-78). He sees him riding past and shoots at him, but only kills his horse (79-182). Väinämöinen falls into the water and is driven out to sea by a tempest, while Joukahainen rejoices, because he thinks he has at last overcome Väinämöinen (183-234).
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Now resolved upon a journey
To the cold and dreary regions
Of the gloomy land of Pohja.
Then he took his straw-hued stallion
Like a pea-stalk in his colour,
And the golden bit adjusted,
Bridle on his head of silver,
On his back himself he seated,
And he started on his journey,10
And he trotted gently onward,
At an easy pace he journeyed,
Mounted on the straw-hued courser,
Like a pea-stalk in his colour.
Thus through Väinölä he journeyed,
Over Kalevala’s wide heathlands,
And the horse made rapid progress,
Home behind, and journey shortened,
Then across the sea he journeyed,
O’er the far-extending billows,20
With the horse’s hoofs unwetted,
And his feet unsunk in water.
But the youthful Joukahainen,
He, the puny son of Lapland,
Long had cherished his resentment,
And had long indeed been envious
Of the aged Väinämöinen,
Of the ever-famous minstrel.
Then he wrought a mighty crossbow,
And a splendid bow he fashioned,30
And he formed the bow of iron,
Overlaid the back with copper,
And with gold inlaid it also,
And with silver he adorned it.
Where did he obtain the bowstring?
Whence a cord to match the weapon?
Sinews from the elk of Hiisi,
And the hempen cord of Lempo.
Thus at length the bow was finished,
And the stock was quite completed,40
And the bow was fair to gaze on,
And its value matched its beauty.
At its back a horse was standing,
On the stock a foal was running,
On the curve a sleeping woman,
At the catch a hare was couching.
Shafts of wood he likewise fashioned,
Every arrow triply feathered,
And the shafts were formed of oakwood,
And he made the heads of pinewood;50
Thus the arrows were completed,
And he fixed the feathers on them,
From the swallows’ plumage taken,
Likewise from the tails of sparrows.
After this, the points he sharpened,
And the arrow-points he poisoned,
In the black blood of the serpent,
In the blood of hissing adders.
Thus he made his arrows ready,
And his bow was fit for bending,60
And he watched for Väinämöinen,
Waited for Suvantolainen,
Watched at morning, watched at evening,
Waited also through the noontide.
Long he watched for Väinämöinen,
Waited long, and wearied never,
Sitting gazing from the window,
Or upon the stairs he waited,
Sometimes lurking by the pathway,
Sometimes watching in the meadow,70
On his back his well-filled quiver,
’Neath his arm his crossbow ready.
Then he waited further onwards,
Lurking near another building,
On the cape that juts out sharply,
Where the tongue of land curves outward,
Near a waterfall, all foaming,
Past the banks of sacred rivers.
And at length one day it happened,
Very early in the morning,80
As he turned his eyes to westward,
And he turned his head to eastward
Something dark he spied on ocean,
Something blue upon the billows.
“Is a cloud in east arising,
Or the dawn of day appearing?”
In the east no cloud was rising,
Nor the dawn of day appearing.
’Twas the aged Väinämöinen,
’Twas the ever-famous minstrel,90
Who to Pohjola was hasting,
As to Pimentola he journeyed,
Mounted on his straw-hued courser,
Like a pea-stalk in his colour.
Then the youthful Joukahainen,
He, the meagre son of Lapland,
Spanned in haste his mighty crossbow,
And he aimed the splendid weapon
At the head of Väinämöinen,
Thus to kill Suvantolainen.100
Then his mother came and asked him,
And the aged one inquired,
“Wherefore do you span your weapon,
Bending thus the iron crossbow?”
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Answered in the words which follow:
“Therefore do I span the weapon,
Bending thus the iron crossbow,
For the head of Väinämöinen,
Thus to kill Suvantolainen,110
I will shoot old Väinämöinen,
Strike the ever-famous minstrel,
Through the heart, and through the liver,
’Twixt the shoulders I will shoot him.”
But his mother straight forbade him,
And dissuaded him from shooting.
“Do not shoot at Väinämöinen,
Do not Kalevalainen slaughter.
Of a noble race is Väinö ;
He’s my sister’s son, my nephew.120
“If you shoot at Väinämöinen,
And should Kalevalainen slaughter,
Gladness from the world will vanish,
And from earth will song be banished.
In the world is gladness better,
And on earth is song more cheerful,
Than to Manala if banished,
And to Tuonela’s darkest regions.”
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Paused a moment and reflected,130
And he pondered for an instant,
Though his hands to shoot were ready,
One would shoot, and one restrained him,
But his sinewy fingers forced him.
And at length these words he uttered,
And expressed his own decision:
“What if twice from earth in future
Every gladness should be banished?
Let all songs for ever vanish;
I will shoot my arrows, heedless!”140
Then he spanned the mighty crossbow,
And he drew the bow of copper,
And against his left knee bent it,
Steady with his foot he held it,
Took an arrow from his quiver,
Chose a triple-feathered arrow,
Took the strongest of his arrows,
Chose the very best among them,
Then upon the groove he laid it,
On the hempen cord he fixed it,150
Then his mighty bow he lifted,
And he placed it to his shoulder,
Ready now to shoot the arrow,
And to shoot at Väinämöinen.
And he spoke the words which follow:
“Do thou strike, O birch wood arrow,
Strike thou in the back, O pinewood.
Twang thy best, O hempen bowstring!
If my hand is leaning downward,
Let the arrow then strike higher,160
If my hand is bending upward,
Let the arrow then strike downward!”
Quickly then he drew the trigger,
Shot the first among his arrows.
Far too high the shaft flew upward,
High above his head to skyward,
And it whizzed among the cloudlets,
Through the scattered clouds it wandered.
Thus he shot, in reckless fashion,
Shot the second of his arrows.170
Far too low the shot flew downwards,
Deep in Mother Earth ’twas sunken.
Earth was almost sunk to Mana,
And the hills of sand were cloven.
Then he shot again, a third time,
And the third shaft, straighter flying,
In the blue elk’s spleen was buried,
Under aged Väinämöinen.
Thus he shot the straw-hued courser,
Like a pea-stalk in his colour;180
Through the flesh beneath his shoulder,
In the left side deep he pierced him.
Then the aged Väinämöinen
Plunged his fingers in the water,
With his hands the waves he parted,
Grasping at the foaming billows,
From the blue elk’s back he tumbled,
From the steed of pea-stalk colour.
Then a mighty wind arising
Raised upon the sea a billow,190
And it bore old Väinämöinen,
Swimming from the mainland further,
O’er the wide expanse of water,
Out into the open ocean.
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Uttered words of boastful triumph:
“Now thou ancient Väinämöinen,
Never while thy life endureth,
In the course of all thy lifetime,
While the golden moon is shining,200
Walk in Väinölä’s fair meadows,
Or on Kalevala’s broad heathlands!
“May you toss for six years running,
Seven long summers ever drifting,
Tossed about for over eight years,
On the wide expanse of water,
On the surface of the billows,
Drift for six years like a pine-tree,
And for seven years like a fir-tree,
And for eight years like a tree-stump!”210
Then the house again he entered,
And at once his mother asked him,
“Have you shot at Väinämöinen?
Slaughtered Kaleva’s famous offspring?”
Then the youthful Joukahainen
Answered in the words which follow:
“I have shot at Väinämöinen,
And have o’erthrown Kalevalainen,
Sent him swimming in the water,
Swept him out upon the billows,220
On the restless waves of ocean
Where the waves are wildly tossing,
And the old man plunged his fingers
And his palms amid the waters,
Then upon his side he tumbled,
And upon his back he turned him,
Drifting o’er the waves of ocean,
Out upon the foaming billows.”
But his mother made him answer,
“Very evil hast thou acted,230
Thus to shoot at Väinämöinen
And to o’erthrow Kalevalainen.
Of Suvantola the hero,
Kalevala’s most famous hero.”