Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v2.djvu/192

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But a little time passed over,

Short the time that then passed over,

When did Ukko, God the Highest,

Of the air the mighty ruler,

Winds arouse in magic fury,

Made the tempests rage around them.

Then the winds arose in fury,

And the tempests raged around them,

And the west wind blew most fiercely,

From the south-west just as fiercely,

And the south wind still more fiercely,

And the east wind whistled loudly,

Roared the south-east wind tremendous,

And the north wind howled in fury.

From, the trees the leaves were scattered,

And the pine-trees lost their needles,

And the heather lost its flowerets,

And the grasses lost their tassels,

And the black ooze was uplifted

To the sparkling water’s surface.

Still the winds were wildly blowing,

And the waves assailed the vessel,

Swept away the harp of pikebone,

And the kantele of fish-fins,

Joy for Vellamo’s attendants,

And to Ahtola a pleasure.

Ahto on the waves perceived it,

On the waves his children saw it,

And they took the harp so charming,

And unto their home conveyed it.

Then the aged Väinämöinen

From his eyes wept tears of sadness,

And he spoke the words which follow:

“Thus has gone what I constructed,

And my cherished harp has vanished,

And is lost my life-long pleasure.

Never will it happen to me,

In the course of all my lifetime

To rejoice again in pike-teeth,

Or to play on bones of fishes.”