Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v1.djvu/153

Runo XIII]

Feet of ropes the swamps which border,

Shins of sticks from out the marshes;

And his back was formed of fence-stakes,

Sinews formed of dryest grass-stalks,

Eyes of water-lily flowers,

Ears of leaves of water-lily,

And his hide was formed of pine-bark,

And his flesh of rotten timber.

Hiisi now the elk instructed,

Thus he spoke unto the reindeer:

“Now rush forth thou elk of Hiisi,

On thy legs, O noble creature,

To the breeding-place of reindeer,

Grassy plains of Lapland’s children,

Till the snowshoe-men are sweating;

Most of all, this Lemminkainen!”

Then rushed forth the elk of Hiisi,

Sped away the fleeing reindeer,

Rushing past the barns of Pohja,

To the plains of Lapland’s children,

In the house the tubs kicked over,

On the fire upset the kettles,

Threw the meat among the ashes,

Spilt the soup among the cinders.

Then arose a great commotion,

On the plains of Lapland’s children,

For the Lapland dogs were barking,

And the Lapland children crying,

And the Lapland women laughing,

And the other people grumbling.

He, the lively Lemminkainen,

Chased the elk upon his snowshoes,

Glided o’er the land and marshes,

O’er the open wastes he glided.

Fire was crackling from his snowshoes,

From his staffs end smoke ascending,

But as yet the elk he saw not;

Could not see it; could not hear it.

O’er the hills and dales he glided,

Through the lands beyond the ocean,