Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v1.djvu/182

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Thence the journey is a short one,

And the distance very trifling,

Unto Jumala’s bright dwelling,

And the regions of the blessed.”

From the earth the bee rose swiftly,

On his honeyed wings rose whirring,

And he soared on rapid pinions,

On his little wings flew upward.

Swiftly past the moon he hurried,

Past the borders of the sunlight,

Rose upon the Great Bear’s shoulders,

O’er the Seven Stars’ backs rose upward,

Flew to the Creator’s cellars,

To the halls of the Almighty.

There the drugs were well concocted,

And the ointment duly tempered

In the pots composed of silver,

Or within the golden kettles.

In the midst they boiled the honey,

On the sides was sweetest ointment,

To the southward there was nectar,

To the northward there was ointment.

Then the bee, that bird aerial,

Gathered honey in abundance,

Honey to his heart’s contentment,

And but little time passed over,

Ere the bee again came buzzing,

Humming loudly on his journey,

In his lap of horns a hundred,

And a thousand other vessels,

Some of honey, some of liquid,

And the best of all the ointment.

Then did Lemminkainen's mother

Raise it to her mouth and taste it,

With her tongue the ointment tasted,

With the greatest care she proved it.

“’Tis the ointment that I needed,

And the salve of the Almighty,

Used when Jumala the Highest,

The Creator heals all suffering.”