Kalevala : the Epic Poem of Finland — Complete. Anonymous

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       There to pluck some birchen tassels;

       Bound a bundle for my father,

       Bound a second for my mother,

       Bound a third one for my brother,

       For my sister silken tassels.

       Straightway then I hastened homeward,

       By a foot-path left the forest;

       As I reached the woodland border

       Spake Osmoinen from the cornfield,

       Spake the ancient Wainamoinen:

       'Wear not, beauteous maid, for others,

       Only wear for me, sweet maiden,

       On thy breast a golden crosslet,

       Shining pearls upon thy shoulders,

       Bind for me thine auburn tresses,

       Weave for me thy silver braidlets.'

       Then I threw the gold-cross from me,

       Tore the jewels from my fingers,

       Quickly loosed my shining necklace,

       Quick untied my silken ribbons,

       Cast them all away indignant,

       Into forest ferns and flowers.

       Then I thus addressed the singer:

       'Not for thee and not for others,

       Hang I from my neck the crosslet,

       Deck my hair with silken ribbons;

       Need no more the many trinkets,

       Brought to me by ship and shallop;

       Sooner wear the simplest raiment,

       Feed upon the barley bread-crust,

       Dwell forever with my mother

       In the cabin with my father.'"

       Thus the gray-haired mother answered

       Aino, her beloved daughter:

       "Weep no more, my lovely maiden,

       Waste no more of thy sweet young-life;

       One year eat thou my sweet butter,

       It will make thee strong and ruddy;

       Eat another year fresh bacon,

       It will make thee tall and queenly;

       Eat a third year only dainties,

       It will make thee fair and lovely.

       Now make haste to yonder hill-top,

       To the store-house on the mountain,

       Open there the large compartment,

       Thou will find it filled with boxes,

       Chests and cases, trunks and boxes;

       Open thou the box, the largest,

       Lift away the gaudy cover,

       Thou will find six golden girdles,

       Seven rainbow-tinted dresses,

       Woven by the Moon's fair daughters,

       Fashioned by the Sun's sweet virgins.

       In my young years once I wandered,

       As a maiden on the mountains,

       In the happy days of childhood,

       Hunting berries in the coppice;

       There by chance I heard the daughters

       Of the Moon as they were weaving;

       There I also heard the daughters

       Of the Sun as they were spinning

       On the red rims of the cloudlets,

       O'er the blue edge of the forest,

       On the border of the pine-wood,

       On a high and distant mountain.

       I approached them, drawing nearer,

       Stole myself within their hearing,

       Then began I to entreat them,

       Thus besought them, gently pleading:

       'Give thy silver, Moon's fair daughters,

       To a poor, but worthy maiden;

       Give thy gold, O Sun's sweet virgins,

       To this maiden, young and needy.'

       Thereupon the Moon's fair daughters

       Gave me silver from their coffers;

       And the Sun's sweet shining virgins

       Gave me gold from their abundance,

       Gold to deck my throbbing temples,

       For my hair the shining silver.

       Then I hastened joyful homeward,

       Richly laden with my treasures,

       Happy to my mother's cottage;

       Wore them one day, than a second,

       Then a third day also wore them,

       Took the gold then from my temples,

       From my hair I took the silver,

       Careful laid them in their boxes,

       Many seasons have they lain there,

       Have not seen them since my childhood.

       Deck thy brow with silken ribbon,

       Trim with gold thy throbbing temples,

       And thy neck with pearly necklace,

       Hang the gold-cross on thy bosom,

       Robe thyself in pure, white linen

       Spun from flax of finest fiber;

       Wear withal the richest short-frock,

       Fasten it with golden girdle;

       On thy feet, put silken stockings,

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