Its tail from Lempo's sail, its shanks from bent sticks,
Its belly from a wretch's sack, its guts from Lempo's needle-case,
Its rump from the air's ring, its crop from a cracked kettle,
Its neck from Hiisi's weaving stool, its beak from a wizard's arrow-tip,
Its tongue from Kirki's[1] axe, its eyes of mussel[2] pearl (F. stone).
(b.)
Ho! raven, thou ill-omened bird, raven! "bird of three Lempos,"
Thy hovel is on the ground, thy home upon a birch.
Certainly I know thy stock, with all thy bringing up.
Thou wast gathered from kitchen soot—heaped up from burning sticks,
Bred from coals composed of all that's bad,
Thy body (?)[3] of Hiisi's leather glove legs of Hiisi's spindles,
Thy guts of Hissi's belt-appendages—feet of an air weather-vane,
Thy claws of tary sticks, thy wings of Lempo's fans,[4]
Thy down was sweated out of coals, thine ears from birch-leaves,
One eye is made of Hiisi's seed, the other of an iron bean
Thy beak is of a wizard's axe, thy tongue of Keito's spear.
xvi.—The Origin of the Titmouse.
I know the titmouse's origin,
Of what the titmouse was made—the little bird was composed.
Of trees the willow originated first, of trees the willow, of lands the knoll,
Of forest animals the bear, of birds of air the titmouse.
A pellet dropt from a willow, a fragment fell from a sallow
Upon a bare, abandoned field,
From that the titmouse was made—the little bird was composed.
- ↑ The Being that incited to love.
- ↑ Kuukkala, explained doubtfully by Lönnrot by "mussel". Perhaps it is intended for kuulakka, "transparent" its eyes of transparent stone.
- ↑ Ruppa. The word is not in the dictionary, but my friend Lehtori Raitio, to whom I am greatly indebted for many explanations of difficult passages, suggests that it is a loanword from the Swedish kropp, "the body".
- ↑ Or "wings".
