Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v2.djvu/51

Runo XXVIII]

Never in the first of summers,

Nor in any other summer,

Mix myself in mighty battles,

In the clashing of the sword-blades.

Wounds are still upon my shoulders,

In my breast deep wounds still rankle,

From my former battle-pleasures,

In the midst of all the tumult,

In the midst of mighty battles,

Where the heroes all contended.”

Then did Lemminkainen’s mother

Answer in the words which follow:

“Take the boat your father left you,

And betake yourself to hiding.

Traverse nine lakes in succession,

Half the tenth one must thou traverse,

To an island on its surface,

Where the cliffs arise from water.

There in former times your father

Hid, and kept himself in safety,

In the furious fights of summer,

In the hardest years of battle.

There you’ll find a pleasant dwelling,

And a charming place to linger.

Hide thyself a year, a second,

In the third year come thou homeward,

To your father’s well-known homestead,

To the dwelling of your parents.”