Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v1.djvu/152

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Now the left was fit to run with,

And the right for wearing ready,

And the frames were now completed,

And the rings were also fitted.

Frames he lined with skins of otter,

And the rings with ruddy foxskin.

Then he smeared with grease the snowshoes,

Smeared them with the fat of reindeer,

And himself reflected deeply,

And he spoke the words which follow:

“Can you, in this youthful frolic,

You, a young and untried hero,

Forward glide upon the left shoe,

And push forward with the right one?”

Said the lively Lemminkainen,

Answered him the ruddy rascal:

“Yes, upon this youthful frolic

Of a young and untried hero,

I can glide upon the left shoe,

And push forward with the right one.”

On his back he bound his quiver,

And his new bow on his shoulder,

In his hands his pole grasped firmly,

On the left shoe glided forward,

And pushed onward with the right one,

And he spoke the words which follow:

“In God’s world may there be nothing,

Underneath the arch of heaven,

In the forest to be hunted,

Not a single four-foot runner,

Which may not be overtaken,

And can easily be captured

Thus by Kaleva’s son with snowshoes,

And with Lemminkainen’s snowshoes.”

But the boast was heard by Hiisi,

And by Juutas comprehended;

And an elk was formed by Hiisi,

And a reindeer formed by Juutas,

With a head of rotten timber,

Horns composed of willow-branches,