Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v2.djvu/171

Runo XL]

’Tis not thus you play upon it,

Neither are you skilled musicians.

Give me now the harp of fishbone,

Let me try to play upon it,

On my knees now place it for me,

At the tips of my ten fingers.”

Then the lively Lemminkainen

In his hands the harp uplifted

And he drew it nearer to him,

Held it underneath his fingers,

And he tried to play upon it,

And the kantele he twisted,

But could play no tune upon it,

Draw no cheerful music from it.

Said the aged Väinämöinen,

“There are none among the youthful,

Nor among the growing people,

Nor among the aged people,

Who can play upon these harpstrings,

Drawing cheerful music from them.

Perhaps in Pohjola ’twere better,

Tunes might perhaps be played upon it,

Cheerful music played upon it,

If to Pohjola I took it.”

So to Pohjola he took it,

And to Sariola he brought it,

And the boys they played upon it,

Boys and girls both played upon it,

And the married men played on it,

Likewise all the married women,

And the Mistress played upon it,

And they turned the harp and twisted,

Held it firmly in their fingers,

At the tips of their ten fingers.

Thus played all the youths of Pohja,

People played of every station,

But no cheerful notes came from it,

And they played no music on it,

For the strings were all entangled,

And the horsehair whined most sadly,