Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/51

Rh Entered a human skin — the body of a wretched man. The shaft may be extricated, the arrow can be drawn out By virtue of the word of God, through the mercy of the Lord always. Variants. 14 The earth was about to ignite — to sparkle with fiery sparks.

Good old Väinämöinen, the soothsayer as old as time, Made a boat by (magic) knowledge, prepared a skiff by means of song From the fragments of a single oak, from the breakage of a brittle tree. He cut the boat upon a mountain — caused a loud clatter on a rock. He sang a song, he fixed the keel ; he sang another, he joined a plank. Immediately he sang a third while setting in its place the prow, While ending off a timber knee, while he was clinching end to end, While setting up the gunwale boards, while he was cutting at the tholes. A boat was completely finished that could bowl along with speed, Both stiff when sailing with the wind and safe when sailing against the wind.

(a.) At night flax was sown — by moonlight was ploughed, Was cleansed, was heckled, was plucked, was rippled, Was sharply tugged, was violently teazled. The flax was taken to steep, soon it was steeped. Quickly was lifted out, hastily was dried. Then it was brought home — was soon freed from husks, Was noisily broken on flax-brakes, was diligently swingled,