Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v1.djvu/230

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After this the house he entered,

Underneath the roof he hastened,

And upon the floor spoke loudly,

Near the door beneath the rafters,

And he spoke the words which follow,

And expressed himself in thiswise:

“Wilt thou come with me, O maiden,

Evermore as my companion,

Wife-like on my knees to seat thee,

In my arms as dove to nestle?”

Then the lovely maid of Pohja,

Answered in the words which follow:

“Have you then the boat constructed,

Built the large and handsome vessel,

From the splinters of my spindle,

From the fragments of my shuttle?”

Then the aged Väinämöinen

Answered in the words which follow:

“I have built a noble vessel

And a splendid boat constructed,

Strongly built to face the tempests,

And the winds its course opposing,

As it cleaves the tossing billows,

O’er the surface of the water,

Bladder-like amid the surges,

As a leaf, by current drifted,

Over Pohjola’s wide waters,

And across the foaming billows.”

Then the lovely maid of Pohja,

Answered in the words which follow:

“Nothing do I reck of seamen,

Heroes boasting of the billows!

Drives the wind their minds to ocean,

And their thoughts the east wind saddens:

Therefore thee I cannot follow,

Never pledge myself unto thee,

Evermore as thy companion,

In thy arms as dove to nestle,

Spread the couch whereon thou sleepest,

For thy head arrange the pillows.”