Part 6

"Dig them also wells all golden Upon both sides of the pastures, That the herd may drink the water, And the sweet juice then may trickle Down into their teeming udders, Down into their swelling udders, That the veins may all be moving, And the milk may flow in rivers, And the streams of milk be loosened, And may foam the milky torrents, 150 And the milk-streams may be silent, And the milk-streams may be swollen, And the milk be always flowing, And the stream be always dropping, Down upon the greenest haycocks, And no evil fingers guide it; That no milk may flow to Mana, Nor upon the ground be wasted.

"There are many who are wicked, And who send the milk to Mana, 160 And upon the ground who waste it, Give the cattle's yield to others. They are few, but they are skilful Who can bring the milk from Mana, Sourest milk from village storage, And when new from other quarters.

"Never has indeed my mother Sought for counsel in the village, Brought it from another household; But she fetched her milk from Mana, 170 Sour milk brought from those who stored it, And fresh milk obtained from others; Had the milk from distance carried, Had it fetched from distant regions, Fetched the milk from realms of Tuoni, 'Neath the earth in Mana's kingdom. Secretly at night they brought it, And in murky places hid it, That the wicked should not hear it, Nor the worthless ones should know it, 180 Nor bad hay should fall into it, And it should be saved from spoiling.

"Thus my mother always told me In the very words which follow: 'Where has gone the yield of cattle, Whither has the milk now vanished? Has it been conveyed to strangers, Carried to the village storehouse, In the laps of beggar-wenches, In the arms of those who envy, 190 Or among the trees been carried, And been lost amid the forest, And been scattered in the woodlands, Or been lost upon the heathlands?

"'But no milk shall go to Mana, Nor the yield of cows to strangers, In the laps of beggar-wenches, In the arms of those who envy, Nor among the trees be carried, Nor be lost amid the forest, 200 Nor be scattered in the woodlands Nor be lost upon the heathlands. In the house the milk is useful, And at all times it is needed; In the house there waits the mistress, In her hand the wooden milk-pail.'

"Suvetar, the best of women, Etelätär, Nature's old one, Go and fodder my Syötikki, Give thou drink to my Juotikki, 210 Milk confer upon Hermikki, And fresh fodder give Tuorikki, Give thou milk unto Mairikki, Put fresh milk into the cowhouse, From the heads of brightest herbage, And the reeds of all the forest, From the lovely earth up-springing, From the hillocks rich in honey, From the sweetest meadow-grasses, And the berry-bearing regions, 220 From the goddess of the heather, And the nymph who tends the grasses, And the milkmaid of the cloudlets, And the maid in midst of heaven. Give the cows their milk-filled udders Always filled to overflowing, To be milked by dwarfish women, That a little girl may milk them.

"Rise, O virgin, from the valley, From the spring, in gorgeous raiment, 230 From the spring, O maiden, rise thou, From the ooze arise, O fairest. From the spring take thou some water, Sprinkle thou my cattle with it, That the cattle may be finer, And the mistress' cattle prosper, Ere the coming of the mistress, Ere the herd-girl look upon them, She, the most unskilful mistress, And the very timid herd-girl. 240

"Mielikki, the forest's mistress, Of the herds the bounteous mother, Send the tallest of thy handmaids, And the best among thy servants, That they may protect my cattle, And my herd be watched and tended Through the finest of the summer, In the good Creator's summer, Under Jumala's protection, And protected by his favour. 250

"Tellervo, O maid of Tapio, Little daughter of the forest, Clad in soft and beauteous garments, With thy yellow hair so lovely, Be the guardian of the cattle, Do thou guard the mistress' cattle All through Metsola so lovely, And through Tapiola's bright regions Do thou guard the herd securely, Do thou watch the herd unsleeping. 260

"With thy lovely hands protect them, With thy slender fingers stroke them, Rub them with the skins of lynxes, Comb them with the fins of fishes, Like the hue of the lake creatures, Like the wool of ewe of meadow. Come at evening and night's darkness, When the twilight round is closing, Then do thou lead home my cattle, Lead them to their noble mistress, 270 On their backs the water pouring, Lakes of milk upon their cruppers.

"When the sun to rest has sunken, And the bird of eve is singing, Then I say unto my cattle, Speak unto my horned creatures.

"'Come ye home, ye curve-horned cattle, Milk-dispensers to the household, In the house 'tis very pleasant, Where the floor is nice for resting. 280 On the waste 'tis bad to wander, Or upon the shore to bellow, Therefore you should hasten homeward, And the women fire will kindle, In the field of honeyed grasses, On the ground o'ergrown with berries.'

"Nyyrikki, O son of Tapio, Blue-coat offspring of the forest! Take the stumps of tallest pine-trees, And the lofty crowns of fir-trees, 290 For a bridge in miry places, Where the ground is bad for walking, Deep morass, and swampy moorland, And the treacherous pools of water. Let the curve-horned cattle wander, And the split-hoofed cattle gallop, Unto where the smoke is rising, Free from harm, and free from danger, Sinking not into the marshes, Nor embogged in miry places. 300

"If the cattle pay no heeding, Nor will home return at nightfall, Pihlajatar, little damsel, Katajatar, fairest maiden, Quickly cut a branch of birch-tree, Take a rod from out the bushes, Likewise take a whip of cherry, And of juniper to scourge them, From the back of Tapio's castle, From among the slopes of alder. 310 Drive the herd towards the household, At the time for bathroom-heating; Homeward drive the household cattle, Cows from Metsola's great forest.

"Otso, apple of the forest, With thy honey-paws so curving, Let us make a peace between us, Haste to make a peace between us, So that always and for ever In the days that we are living, 320 Thou wilt fell no hooféd cattle, Nor wilt overthrow the milch-kine, Through the finest of the summer, In the good Creator's summer.

"When thou hear'st the cow-bells ringing, Or thou hear'st the cow-horn sounding, Cast thee down among the hillocks, Sleep thou there upon the meadow, Thrust thine ears into the stubble, Hide thy head among the hillocks, 330 Or conceal thee in the thickets, To thy mossy lair retreat thou, Go thou forth to other districts, Flee away to other hillocks, That thou mayst not hear the cow-bells, Nor the talking of the herdsmen.

"O my Otso, O my darling, Handsome one, with paws of honey, I forbid thee to approach them, Or molest the herd of cattle, 340 Neither with thy tongue to touch them, Nor with ugly mouth to seize them, With thy teeth to tear to pieces, Neither with thy claws to scratch them.

"Go thou slouching through the meadow, Go in secret through the pasture, Slinking off when bells are ringing, Shun the talking of the shepherds. If the herd is on the heathland, Then into the swamps retreat thou, 350 If the herd is in the marshes, Then conceal thee in the thickets, If the herd should climb the mountain, Quickly then descend the mountain, If the herd should wander downward, Wander then along the mountain, If they wander in the bushes, To the thicker woods retreat thou, If the thicker wood they enter, Wander then into the bushes, 360 Wander like the golden cuckoo, Like the dove of silver colour, Move aside as moves the powan, Glide away like fish in water, As a flock of wool drifts sideways, Or a roll of flax the lightest, In thy fur thy claws conceal thou, In thy gums thy teeth conceal thou, That the herd thou dost not frighten, Nor the little calves be injured. 370

"Let the cattle rest in quiet, Leave in peace the hooféd cattle, Let the herd securely wander, Let them march in perfect order Through the swamps and through the open, Through the tangle of the forest, Never do thou dare to touch them, Nor to wickedly molest them.

"Keep the former oath thou sworest, There by Tuonela's deep river, 380 By the raging fall of water, At the knees of the Creator. Thou hast been indeed permitted, Three times in the course of summer, To approach the bells when ringing, And the tinkling of the cow-bells, But 'tis not permitted to thee, Nor permission has been given, To commence a work of evil, Or a deed of shame accomplish. 390

"Should thy frenzy come upon thee, And thy teeth be seized with longing, Cast thy frenzy in the bushes, On the heath thy evil longing, Then attack the trees all rotten, Overthrow the rotten birch-trees, Turn to trees in water standing, Growl in berry-bearing districts.

"If the need for food should seize thee, Or for food the wish thou feelest, 400 Eat the fungi in the forest, And do thou break down the ant-hills, And the red roots do thou delve for; These are Metsola's sweet dainties. Eat no grass reserved for fodder, Neither do thou hurt my pasture.

"When in Metsola the honey Is fermenting and is working, On the hills of golden colour, And upon the plains of silver, 410 There is food for those who hunger, There is drink for all the thirsty, There is food to eat that fails not, There is drink that never lessens.

"Let us make a league eternal, Make an endless peace between us, That we live in perfect quiet And in comfort all the summer, And to us the lands are common, And our provender delicious. 420

"If thou dost desire a combat, And wouldst live in hopes of battle, Let us combat in the winter, And contend in time of snowfall. When the marshes thaw in summer, And the pools are all unfrozen, Never venture to approach thou, Where the golden herd is living.

"When thou comest to this country, And thou movest in this forest, 430 We at any time will shoot you, Though the gunners should be absent. There are very skilful women, All of them accomplished housewives, And they will destroy your pathway, On your journey bring destruction, Lest you might work any evil, Or indulge in any mischief, Ill by Jumala not sanctioned, And against his blessed orders. 440

"Ukko, thou, of Gods the highest, Shouldst thou hear that he is coming, Then do thou transform my cattle, Suddenly transform my cattle, Into stones convert my own ones, Change my fair ones into tree-trunks, When the monster roams the district, And the big one wanders through it.

"If I were myself a Bruin, Roamed about a honey-pawed one, 450 Never would I dare to venture To the feet of aged women. There are many other regions, There are many other penfolds, Where a man may go to wander, Roaming aimless at his pleasure. Therefore move thy paws across them, Do thou move thy paws across them, In the blue wood's deep recesses, In the depths of murmuring forest. 460

"On the heath o'er pine-cones wander, Tramp thou through the sandy districts, Go thou where the way is level, Do thou bound along the lakeshore, To the furthest bounds of Pohja, To the distant plains of Lapland. There indeed mayst thou be happy, Good it is for thee to dwell there, Wandering shoeless in the summer, Wandering sockless in the autumn, 470 Through the wide expanse of marshland, And across the wide morasses.

"But if thou should not go thither, If thou canst not find the pathway, Hasten then to distant regions, Do thou wander, on thy pathway Unto Tuonela's great forest, Or across the heaths of Kalma. There are marshes to be traversed, There are heaths that thou mayst traverse, 480 There is Kirjos, there is Karjos, There are many other cattle, Fitted with their iron neck-chains, Ten among them altogether; There the lean kine quickly fatten, And their bones are soon flesh-covered.

"Be propitious, wood and forest, Be thou gracious, O thou blue wood, Give thou peace unto the cattle, And protection to the hoofed ones, 490 Through the whole length of the summer, Of the Lord the loveliest season.

"Kuippana, thou king of woodland,

## Active greybeard of the forest,

Hold thy dogs in careful keeping, Watch thou well thy dogs and guard them; Thrust some fungus in one nostril, In the other thrust an apple, That they may not smell the cattle, And they may not scent their odour. 500 Bind their eyes with silken ribands, Likewise bind their ears with linen, That they may not hear them moving, And they may not see them walking.

"If this is not yet sufficient, And they do not much regard it, Then do thou forbid thy children, Do thou drive away thy offspring. Lead them forth from out this forest, From this lakeshore do thou drive them, 510 From the lands where roam the cattle, From among the spreading willows, Do thou hide thy dogs in caverns, Nor neglect to bind them firmly, Bind them with the golden fetters, With the slender silver fetters, That they may commit no evil, And be guilty of no outrage.

"If this is not yet sufficient, And they do not much regard it, 520 Ukko, then, O golden monarch, Ukko, O thou silver guardian, Hearken to my words so golden, Listen to my lovely sayings! Take a snaffle made of rowan, Fix it on their stumpy muzzles, Or if rowan will not hold them, Cast thou then a copper muzzle, If too weak is found the copper, Forge thou then an iron muzzle, 530 If they break the iron muzzle, And it should itself be shattered, Drive thou then a stake all golden, Through the chin and through the jawbone, Do thou close their jaws securely, Fix them that they cannot move them, That they cannot move their jawbones, And their teeth can scarcely open, If the iron is not opened, If the steel should not be loosened, 540 If with knife it is not severed, If with hatchet 'tis not broken."

Then did Ilmarinen's housewife, Of the smith the wife so artful, Drive from out their stalls the cattle, Send the cattle forth to pasture, After them she sent the shepherd, That the slave should drive the cattle.

RUNO XXXIII.--THE DEATH OF ILMARINEN'S WIFE

_Argument_

While Kullervo is in the pasture in the afternoon he tries to cut the cake with his knife which he completely spoils, and this goes to his heart the more because the knife was the only remembrance left to him of his family (1-98). To revenge himself on the mistress, he drives the cattle into the marshes to be devoured by beasts of the forest, and gathers together a herd of wolves and bears, which he drives home in the evening (99-184). When the mistress goes to milk them she is torn to pieces by the wild beasts (185-296).

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Put his lunch into his wallet, Drove the cows along the marshes, While across the heath he wandered, And he spoke as he was going, And repeated on his journey, "Woe to me, a youth unhappy, And a youth of wretched fortune! Wheresoe'er I turn my footsteps, Nought but idleness awaits me; 10 I must watch the tails of oxen, And must watch the calves I follow, Always tramping through the marshes, Through the worst of level country."

Then upon the ground he rested, On a sunny slope he sat him, And he then composed these verses, And expressed himself in singing: "Sun of Jumala, O shine thou, Of the Lord, thou wheel, shine warmly, 20 On the warder of the smith's herd, And upon the wretched shepherd, Not on Ilmarinen's household, Least of all upon the mistress, For the mistress lives luxurious, And the wheaten-bread she slices, And the finest cakes devours, And she spreads them o'er with butter, Gives the wretched shepherd dry bread, Dry crusts only for his chewing, 30 Only oaten-cake she gives me, Even this with chaff she mixes, Even straw she scatters through it, Gives for food the bark of fir-tree, Water in a birch-bark bucket, Upscooped 'mid the grassy hillocks. March, O sun, and wheat, O wander, Sink in Jumala's own season, Hasten, sun, among the pine-trees, Wander, wheat, into the bushes, 40 'Mid the junipers, O hasten, Fly thou to the plains of alder, Lead thou then the herdsman homeward, Give him butter from the barrel, Let him eat the freshest butter, Over all the cakes extending."

But the wife of Ilmarinen While the shepherd was lamenting, And while Kullervo was singing, Ate the butter from the barrel, 50 And she ate the freshest butter, And upon the cakes she spread it, And hot soup had she made ready, But for Kullervo cold cabbage, Whence the dog the fat had eaten, And the black dog made a meal from, And the spotted dog been sated, And the brown dog had sufficient.

From the branch there sang a birdling, Sang a small bird from the bushes, 60 "Time 'tis for the servant's supper, O thou orphan boy, 'tis evening."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Looked, and saw the sun was sinking, And he said the words which follow: "Now the time has come for eating, Yes, the time has come for eating, Time it is to take refreshment."

So to rest he drove the cattle, On the heath he drove the cattle, 70 And he sat him on a hillock, And upon a green hill sat him. From his back he took his wallet, Took the cake from out the wallet, And he turned it round and eyed it, And he spoke the words which follow: "Many a cake is outside handsome, And the crust looks smooth from outside, But within is only fir-bark, Only chaff beneath the surface." 80

From the sheath he took his knife out, And to cut the cake attempted. On the stone the knife struck sharply, And against the stone was broken. From the knife the point was broken; And the knife itself was broken.

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Looked, and saw the knife was broken, And at length he burst out weeping, And he said the words which follow: 90 "Save this knife I'd no companion, Nought to love except this iron, 'Twas an heirloom from my father, And the aged man had used it. Now against a stone 'tis broken, 'Gainst a piece of rock 'tis shattered In the cake of that vile mistress, Baked there by that wicked woman.

"How shall I for this reward her, Woman's prank, and damsel's mockery, 100 And destroy the base old woman, And that wicked wench, the bakeress?"

Then a crow cawed from the bushes, Cawed the crow, and croaked the raven. "O thou wretched golden buckle, Kalervo's surviving offspring, Wherefore art thou so unhappy, Wherefore is thy heart so troubled? Take a switch from out the bushes, And a birch from forest-valley, 110 Drive the foul beasts in the marshes, Chase the cows to the morasses, Half to largest wolves deliver, Half to bears amid the forest.

"Call thou all the wolves together, All the bears do thou assemble, Change the wolves to little cattle, Make the bears the larger cattle, Lead them then like cattle homeward, Lead them home like brindled cattle; 120 Thus repay the woman's jesting, And the wicked woman's insult."

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Uttered then the words which follow: "Wait thou, wait thou, whore of Hiisi, For my father's knife I'm weeping, Soon wilt thou thyself be weeping, And be weeping for thy milchkine."

From the bush a switch he gathered, Juniper as whip for cattle, 130 Drove the cows into the marshes, And the oxen in the thickets, Half of these the wolves devoured, To the bears he gave the others, And he sang the wolves to cattle, And he changed the bears to oxen, Made the first the little cattle, Made the last the larger cattle.

In the south the sun was sinking, In the west the sun descended, 140 Bending down towards the pine-trees At the time of cattle-milking. Then the dusty wicked herd-boy, Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Homeward drove the bears before him, And the wolf-flock to the farmyard, And the bears he thus commanded, And the wolves he thus instructed: "Tear the mistress' thighs asunder, See that through her calves you bite her, 150 When she comes to look around her, And she bends her down to milk you."

Then he made a pipe of cow-bone, And a whistle made of ox-horn, From Tuomikki's leg a cow-horn, And a flute from heel of Kirjo, Then upon the horn blew loudly, And upon his pipe made music. Thrice upon the hill he blew it, Six times at the pathway's opening. 160

Then did Ilmarinen's housewife, Wife of smith, an active woman, Who for milk had long been waiting, And expecting summer butter, Hear the music on the marshes, And upon the heath the cattle, And she spoke the words which follow, And expressed herself in thiswise: "Praise to Jumala be given, Sounds the pipe, the herd is coming, 170 Whence obtained the slave the cow-horn, That he made a horn to blow on? Wherefore does he thus come playing, Blowing tunes upon the cow-horn, Blowing till he bursts the eardrums, And he gives me quite a headache?"

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Answered in the words which follow: "In the swamp the horn was lying, From the sand I brought the cow-horn, 180 To the lane I brought your cattle, In the shed the cows are standing; Come you forth to smoke the cattle, And come out to milk the cattle."

Then did Ilmarinen's housewife Bid the mother milk the cattle. "Mother, go and milk the cattle, Do thou go to tend the cattle, For I think I cannot finish Kneading dough as I would have it." 190

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring, Answered in the words which follow: "Ever do the thrifty housewives, Ever do the careful housewives Go the first to milk the cattle, Set themselves to milk the cattle."

Then did Ilmarinen's housewife Hasten forth to smoke the cattle, And she went to milk the cattle, And surveyed the herd before her, 200 Gazed upon the horned cattle, And she spoke the words which follow: "Beauteous is the herd to gaze on, Very sleek the horned cattle, They have all been rubbed with lynx-skin And the wool of sheep of forest, Well-filled, too, are all their udders, And expanded with their fulness."

So she stooped her down to milk them, And she sat her down for milking, 210 Pulled a first time and a second, And attempted it a third time, And the wolf sprang fiercely at her, And the bear came fiercely after. At her mouth the wolf was tearing, And the bear tore through her tendons, Halfway through her calves they bit her, And they broke across her shinbones.

Kullervo, Kalervo's offspring Thus repaid the damsel's jesting, 220 Damsel's jesting, woman's mocking, Thus repaid the wicked woman.

Ilmarinen's wife illustrious Then herself was brought to weeping, And she spoke the words which follow: "Ill thou dost, O wicked herdsman, Driving bears unto the homestead, To the yard these wolves gigantic."