Runo XXXVIII.—Ilmarinen’s New Bride from Pohjola
Argument
Ilmarinen goes to Pohjola to woo the younger sister of his first wife, but as he receives only insulting words in reply, he becomes angry, seizes the maiden, and starts on his homeward journey (1-124). On the way the maiden treats Ilmarinen with contempt, and provokes him till he changes her into a seagull (125-286). When Ilmarinen comes home, he relates to Väinämöinen how the inhabitants of Pohjola live free from care since they possessed the Sampo; and also tells him how badly his wooing has prospered (287-328).
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
He the great primeval craftsman,
Cast away the golden image,
Cast away the silver damsel,
Afterwards his horse he harnessed,
Yoked before the sledge the chestnut,
On the sledge himself he mounted,
And within the sledge he sat him,
And departed on his journey,
And proposed, as he was driving,10
He to Pohjola would travel,
There to ask another daughter.
So he drove for one day onward,
Journeyed also on the second,
And at length upon the third day,
Came to Pohjola’s broad courtyard.
Louhi, Pohjola’s old Mistress
Came into the yard to meet him,
And began the conversation,
And she turned to him and asked him20
How her child’s health was at present,
If her daughter was contented,
As the daughter-in-law of master,
And the daughter-in-law of mistress.
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
Head bowed down, and deeply grieving,
And his cap all sloping sideways,
Answered in the words which follow:
“Do thou not, O mother, ask me,
Do not question me in thiswise30
How your daughter may be living,
How your dear one now is dwelling!
Death has borne her off already,
Grisly death has seized upon her.
In the ground is now my berry,
On the heath is now my fair one,
And her dark locks ’neath the stubble,
’Neath the grass my silver-fair one.
Give me now your second daughter,
Give me now that youthful maiden,40
Give her to me, dearest mother,
Give me now your second daughter,
Thus to occupy the dwelling,
And the station of her sister.”
Louhi, Pohjola’s old Mistress,
Answered in the words which follow:
“Ill have I, unhappy, acted,
And it was a sad misfortune
When to thee my child I promised,
And I gave to thee the other,50
In her early youth to slumber,
For the rosy-cheeked one perished.
To the mouth of wolf I gave her,
To the jaws of bear when growling.
“No more daughters will I give you,
Nor my daughter will I give you,
That she wash the soot from off you,
And she scratch the soot from off you,
Sooner would I give my daughter,
And would give my tender daughter,60
To the fiercely-foaming cataract,
To the ever-seething whirlpool,
As a prey to worms of Mana,
To the teeth of pike of Tuoni.”
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
Mouth and head both turning sideways,
With his black hair in disorder,
As his head he shook in anger,
Pushed his way into the chamber,
And beneath the roof he entered,70
And he spoke the words which follow:
“Come thou now with me, O maiden,
In the station of thy sister,
And to occupy her dwelling,
Cakes of honey there to bake me,
And the best of ale to brew me.”
From the floor there sang a baby,
Thus he sang, and thus made answer:
“Quit our castle, guest unwelcome,
From our doors, O stranger, hasten!80
Thou before hast harmed our castle,
Evil much hast wrought our castle,
When the first time here thou earnest,
And within our doors hast entered.
“Maiden, O my dearest sister,
O rejoice not in this lover,
Neither in his mouth so subtle,
Neither in his feet well-shapen,
For his gums are like a wolf’s gums,
Curved his claws like those of foxes,90
And the claws of bears conceals he,
And his belt-knife blood is drinking,
’Tis with this that heads he severs,
And with this the backs lays open.”
Then the maiden’s self made answer,
Thus she spoke to Ilmarinen:
“I myself will not go with you,
Trouble not for such a scoundrel,
For your first wife you have murdered,
And my sister you have slaughtered.100
You perchance would also slay me,
Murder me, as her you murdered.
Such a maiden is deserving
Of a man of greater standing,
And whose form is far more handsome,
In a finer sledge to take me,
To a larger, finer dwelling,
To a better home than thou hast,
Not unto a smith’s black coalhouse,
To a stupid husband’s homestead.”110
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
He the great primeval craftsman,
Mouth and head both turning sideways,
And his black hair in disorder,
Seized without ado the maiden,
In his grasp he seized the maiden,
From the room he rushed like snowstorm,
Dragged her where his sledge was standing,
In the sledge he pushed the maiden,
And within the sledge he cast her,120
Started quickly on his journey,
And prepared him for his journey,
With one hand the horse he guided,
On the girl’s breast laid the other.
Wept the maiden and lamented,
And she spoke the words which follow:
“Now I come where grow the cranberries,
To the swamps where grow the arums,
Now the dove approaches ruin,
And the bird is near destruction.130
“Hear me now, smith Ilmarinen,
If you will not now release me,
I will smash your sledge to pieces,
And will break it into fragments,
Break it with my knees asunder,
Break it with my legs to fragments.”
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
Answered in the words that follow:
“Know, the sledge by smith was fashioned,
And the boards are bound with iron,140
And it can withstand the pushing,
And the noble maiden’s struggles.”
Then the hapless girl lamented,
And bewailed, the copper-belted,
Struggled till she broke her fingers,
Struggled till her hands were twisted,
And she spoke the words which follow:
“If you will not now release me,
To a lake-fish I’ll transform me,
In the deepest waves a powan.”150
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
Answered in the words which follow:
“Even so you will not ’scape me,
I myself as pike will follow.”
Then the hapless girl lamented,
And bewailed, the copper-belted,
Struggled till she broke her fingers,
Struggled till her hands were twisted,
And she spoke the words which follow:
“If you will not now release me,160
To the wood will I betake me,
Hiding in the rocks like ermine.”
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
Answered in the words which follow:
“Even thus you will not ’scape me,
For as otter I’ll pursue you.”
Then the hapless girl lamented,
And bewailed, the copper-belted,
Struggled till she broke her fingers,
Struggled till her hands were twisted,170
And she spoke the words which follow:
“If you will not now release me,
As a lark I’ll soar above you,
And behind the clouds will hide me.”
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
Answered in the words which follow:
“Even thus you will not ’scape me,
For as eagle I’ll pursue you.”
But a little way they journeyed,
Short the distance they had traversed,180
When the horse pricked ears to listen,
And the long-eared steed was shying.
Then her head the maiden lifted,
In the snow she saw fresh footprints,
And she thereupon inquired,
“What has passed across our pathway?“
Said the smith, said Ilmarinen,
“’Twas a hare that ran across it.”
Then the hapless girl was sighing,
Much she sobbed, and much was sighing,190
And she spoke the words which follow:
“Woe to me, unhappy creature!
Better surely had I found it,
And my lot were surely better
If the hare’s track I could follow,
In the traces of the Crook-leg.
Than in sledge of such a suitor,
’Neath the rug of one so wrinkled,
For the hairs of hare are finer,
And his mouth-cleft is more handsome.”200
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
Bit his lips, his head turned sideways,
And the sledge drove rattling onward,
And a little way they journeyed,
When the horse pricked ears to listen,
And the long-eared steed was shying.
Then her head the maiden lifted,
In the snow she saw fresh footprints,
And she thereupon inquired,
“What has passed across our pathway?”210
Said the smith, said Ilmarinen,
“’Twas a fox that ran across it.”
Then the hapless girl was sighing,
Much she sobbed, and much was sighing,
And she spoke the words which follow:
“Woe to me, unhappy creature,
Better surely had I found it,
And my lot were surely better,
Were I riding in a fox-sledge,
And in Lapland sledge were fleeing,220
Than in sledge of such a suitor,
’Neath the rug of one so wrinkled,
For the hairs of fox are finer,
And his mouth-cleft is more handsome.”
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
Bit his lips, his head turned sideways,
And the sledge drove rattling onward,
And a little way they journeyed,
When the horse pricked ears to listen,
And the long-eared steed was shying.230
Then her head the maiden lifted,
In the snow she saw fresh footprints,
And she thereupon inquired,
“What has passed across our pathway?“
Said the smith, said Ilmarinen,
“’Twas a wolf that ran across it.”
Then the hapless girl was sighing,
Much she sobbed, and much was sighing,
And she spoke the words which follow:
“Woe to me, unhappy creature!240
Better surely had I found it,
And my lot were surely better
If a growling wolf I followed,
Tracked the pathway of the Snouted,
Than in sledge of such a suitor,
’Neath the rug of one so wrinkled,
For the hair of wolf is finer,
And his mouth-cleft is more handsome.”
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
Bit his lips, his head turned sideways,250
And the sledge drove rattling onwards,
And at night they reached a village.
With the journey overwearied,
Slept the smith, and slept profoundly,
And another than her husband
Made the girl laugh as he slept there.
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
In the morning when he wakened,
Mouth and head both twisted sideways,
Tossed his black hair in disorder.260
After this, smith Ilmarinen
Pondered till he spoke as follows:
“Shall I now commence my singing,
Shall I sing a bride like this one,
To a creature of the forest,
Or a creature of the water?
“Not to forest beast I’ll sing her,
All the forest would be troubled;
Neither to a water-creature,
Lest the fishes all should shun her;270
Better slay her with my hanger,
With my sword will I despatch her.”
But the sword perceived his object,
Understood the hero’s language,
And it spoke the words which follow:
“Not for this was I constructed,
That I should despatch the women,
And the weak I thus should slaughter.”
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
Presently commenced his singing,280
And began to speak in anger,
Sung his wife into a seamew,
Thenceforth round the cliffs to clamour,
Scream upon the rocks in water,
Moan around the jutting headlands,
Struggle with the winds against her.
After this smith Ilmarinen
In his sledge again dashed forward,
And the sledge drove rattling onward,
Head bowed down in great depression,290
Back he journeyed to his country,
Till he reached the well-known regions.
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Came upon the road to meet him,
And began to speak as follows:
“Ilmarinen, smith and brother,
Wherefore is your mood so gloomy,
Wherefore is your cap pushed sideways,
As from Pohjola thou comest?
How at Pohjola exist they?”300
Said the smith, said Ilmarinen,
“How at Pohjola exist they?
There the Sampo grinds for ever,
And revolves the pictured cover,
And one day it grinds provisions,
Grinds for sale upon the second,
On the third what needs the household.
“Thus I speak, and tell you truly,
And again repeat it to you,
How at Pohjola exist they,310
When at Pohjola’s the Sampo!
There is ploughing, there is sowing,
There is every kind of increase,
And their welfare is eternal.”
Said the aged Väinämöinen,
“Ilmarinen, smith and brother,
Where hast thou thy wife abandoned,
Where thy youthful bride so famous,
That you here return without her,
Ever driving homeward wifeless?”320
Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
Answered in the words which follow:
“Such a wife she was, I sang her
To the sea-cliffs as a seamew;
Now she screams aloud as seagull,
Shrieks aloud without cessation,
Moans about the rocks in water,
And around the cliffs she clamours.”