Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v1.djvu/332

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Long as lives our host among us,

All the lifetime of our hostess.

“Which shall I first praise in singing,

Shall it be the host or hostess?

Always first they praise the heroes,

Therefore first I praise the Master,

He who first prepared the marshland,

And along the shore who wandered,

And he brought great stumps of fir-trees,

And he trimmed the crowns of fir-trees,

Took them to a good position,

Firmly built them all together,

For his race a great house builded,

And he built a splendid homestead,

Walls constructed from the forest,

Rafters from the fearful mountains,

Laths from out the woods provided,

Boards from berry-bearing heathlands,

Bark from cherry-bearing uplands,

Moss from off the quaking marshes.

“And the house is well-constructed,

And the roof securely fastened.

Here a hundred men were gathered,

On the house-roof stood a thousand,

When this house was first constructed,

And the flooring duly fitted.

“Be assured our host so worthy,

In the building of this homestead,

Oft his hair exposed to tempest,

And his hair was much disordered.

Often has our host so noble,

On the rocks his gloves left lying,

Lost his hat among the fir-trees,

In the marsh has sunk his stockings.

“Often has our host so noble

In the early morning hours,

When no others had arisen,

And unheard by all the village,

Left the cheerful fire behind him,

Watched for birds in wattled wigwam,