Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v2.djvu/242

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Unto all mankind ’twas dismal,

And to Ukko’s self ’twas dismal.

Ukko, then, of Gods the highest,

In the air the great Creator,

Now began to feel most strangely,

And he pondered and reflected,

What strange thing the moon had darkened,

How the sun had been obstructed,

That the moon would shine no longer,

And the sun had ceased his shining.

Then he stepped to cloudland’s borders,

On the borders of the heavens,

Wearing now his pale blue stockings,

With the heels of varied colour,

And he went the moon to seek for,

And he went to find the sunlight,

Yet he could not find the moonlight,

Nor the sun he could discover.

In the air a light struck Ukko,

And a flame did Ukko kindle,

From his flaming sword he struck it,

Sparks he struck from off the sword-blade,

From his nails he struck the fire,

From his limbs he made it crackle,

High above aloft in heaven,

On the starry plains of heaven.

When the fire had thus been kindled,

Then he took the spark of fire,

In his golden purse he thrust it,

Placed it in his silver casket,

And he bade the maiden rock it,

Told the maid of air to rock it,

That a new moon might be fashioned,

And a new sun be constructed.

On the long cloud’s edge she sat her,

On the air-marge sat the maiden,

There it was she rocked the fire,

There she rocked the glowing brightness,

In a golden cradle rocked it,

With a silver cord she rocked it.