LITMIR.BIZ

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At the door, beneath the rafters,

       At the place where stand the kettles.

       "O my only son, my dearest,

       O my child, of all the strongest,

       When thou com'st to the carousal,

       And thou comest where thou wishest,

       Drink thou half a goblet only,

       Drink the measure to the middle,

       And the other half return thou;

       Give the worst half to a worse one. 400

       In the goblet rests a serpent,

       And a worm within the measure."

      Yet again her son she cautioned,

       To her child again gave warning,

       At the last field's furthest limit,

       At the last of all the gateways.

       "When thou com'st to the carousal,

       And thou comest where thou wishest,

       Sit upon a half-seat only,

       Step thou with a half-step only, 410

       And the other half return thou;

       Give the worst half to a worse one,

       Thus wilt thou a man be reckoned,

       And a most illustrious hero,

       And through armies push thy pathway,

       And will crush them down beneath thee,

       In the press of mighty heroes,

       In the throng of men of valour."

      Then departed Lemminkainen,

       When the horse in sledge was harnessed. 420

       With his ready whip he struck him,

       With his beaded whip he smote him,

       And the fiery steed sprang forward,

       Onward sped the rapid courser.

      When a short way he had journeyed,

       For about an hour had travelled,

       There he saw a flock of blackfowl, In the air the grouse flew upward, And the flock ascended rushing From before the speeding courser. 430

      On the ice there lay some feathers

       Cast by grouse upon the roadway;

       These collected Lemminkainen,

       And he put them in his pocket,

       For he knew not what might happen,

       Or might chance upon his journey.

       In a house are all things useful,

       Can at need be turned to something.

      Then he drove a little further,

       On his road a little further, 440

       When to neigh began the courser,

       Pricked his long ears up in terror.

      Then the lively Lemminkainen,

       He the handsome Kaukomieli,

       In the sledge at once leaned forward,

       Bending down to gaze about him.

       There he saw, as said his mother,

       As his own old mother warned him,

       How there flowed a fiery river,

       Right across the horse's pathway, 450

       In the stream a cataract fiery,

       In the fall a fiery island,

       On the isle a peak all fiery,

       On the peak a fiery eagle.

       In his throat the fire was seething,

       And his mouth with flame was glowing,

       And his plumage fire was flashing,

       And the sparks around were scattering.

      Kauko from afar he noticed,

       From afar saw Lemminkainen. 460

      "Whither wilt thou go, O Kauko,

       Whither goes the son of Lempi?"

      Answered lively Lemminkainen,

       Said the handsome Kaukomieli,

       "Unto Pohja's feast I journey,

       The carousal held in secret.

       Turn thee on one side a little,

       From the youth's path do thou turn thee,

       Let the traveller make his journey,

       Do not hinder Lemminkainen, 470

       Therefore move aside a little,

       Let him now pursue his journey."

      Thereupon the eagle answered,

       Hissing from his throat of fire,

       "I will let the traveller pass me,

       Will not hinder Lemminkainen,

       Through my mouth will let him hasten,

       Let him thus pursue his journey.

       Thither shall thy path direct thee,

       Fortunate shall be thy journey, 480

       To the banquet thou art seeking,

       Where thou all thy life may'st rest thee."

      Little troubled Lemminkainen,

       And he let it not concern him,

       But he felt into his pocket,

       And his pouch he opened quickly,

       Took the feathers of the blackfowl,

       Leisurely he rubbed the feathers,

       And between his palms he rubbed them,

       'Twixt his fingers ten in number, 490

       And a flock of grouse created,

       And a flock of capercailzies,

       In the eagle's beak he thrust them,

       To his greedy throat he gave them,

       To the eagle's throat all fiery,

       In the fire-bird's beak he thrust them,

       Thus he freed himself from danger,

       And escaped the first day's danger.

      With his whip he struck the courser,

       With the beaded whip he struck him, 500

       And the horse sped quickly onward,

       And the steed sprang lightly forward.

      Then he drove a little further,

       But a little way had travelled,

       When the horse again was shying,

       And again the steed was neighing.

       From the sledge again he raised him,

       And he strove to gaze around him,

       And he saw, as said his mother,

       As his aged mother warned him, 510

       Right in front a trench of fire,

       Right across the path extending,

       Ever to the east extending,

       North-west endlessly extending,

       Full of stones to redness heated,

       Full of blocks of stone all glowing.

      Little troubled Lemminkainen,

       But he raised a prayer to Ukko.

       "Ukko, thou, of Gods the highest,

       Ukko, thou, our Heavenly Father, 520

       Send thou now a cloud from north-west,

      

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