Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v1.djvu/334

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’Tis composed of malted barley,

And of malt the very sweetest,

And with wood she has not turned it,

With a stake she has not moved it,

Only with her hands has raised it,

Only with her arms has turned it,

In the bathroom filled with vapour,

On the boarding, scoured so cleanly.

“Nor did she, our noble hostess,

And this most accomplished mistress,

Let the germs mature them fully,

While on ground the malt was lying.

Oft she went into the bathroom,

Went alone, at dead of midnight,

Fearing not the wolf should harm her,

Nor the wild beasts of the forest.

“Now that we have praised the hostess,

Let us also praise the inviter;

Who was chosen as inviter,

And upon the road to guide us?

Best inviter of the village,

Best of guides in all the village.

“There we look on our inviter,

Clad in coat from foreign countries;

Round his arms ’tis tightly fitted,

Neatly round his waist ’tis fitted.

“There we look on our inviter,

In a narrow cloak attired;

On the sand the skirts are sweeping,

On the ground the train is sweeping.

Of his shirt we see a little,

Only see a very little,

As if Kuutar’s self had wove it,

And the tin-adorned one wrought it.

“Here we look on our inviter,

Belted with a belt of woollen,

Woven by the Sun’s fair daughter,

By her beauteous fingers broidered,

In the times ere fire existed,

And when all unknown was fire.