"But, fearful of the god, stood silent all,
Until the tribe of Burtnieks bold grew.
Its legendary fighters strong and tall,
Then said: 'Great Perkons, we will come with you,
As pious subjects we will heed your mind,
If you but lead us to the fair new land!'
With Perkons at the head, the tribe behind,
They walked far to the west, a sturdy band."
"By savage creatures harried on the track,
Foul fiends and giants, dragons fed their fears.
All fell on them, but Perkons drove them back,
And Burtnieks's men fought with their spears.
At length they won through to the western bound:-
The place they settled called the 'Baltic Sea'.
A fruitful valley in this land they found,
And chose the site where future life would be."
"They built a castle there and cleared the plains,
Sowed barley fields that Perkons fertile made.
From Patrimps and Saulite came ripe grains,
From Uzin autumn honey in the glade;
The Gods' Sons made from it a heady brew.
The brides were fair, the tribe grew greater still.
Both springtime's spirit came, and Liga too;
Her golden kokle's songs filled vale and hill."
"Upon the Earth this was the Golden Age!-
The Devil, who such fortune could not bear,
Commanded that a mighty whirlwind rage,
And suck a massive lake into the air,
Then in the valley down its water pour.
The whirlwind blew until, to calm its lust,
An old man, who a three-pronged pitchfork bore,
Prepared the fork into its midst to thrust."
"Another, seeing this, cried: 'Wait, until
I say a water spell. Within the gale
Is water seeking place, that down will spill
And fill our valley should the wind now fail.'
Not understanding this, the first thrust through.
The lake poured roaring down, the valley filled,
And Burtnieks's castle sank from view.-
All seemed then lost, but Liga different willed."
"Beneath the flood she played the kokle long,
So beautiful the rocks grew soft and broke;
A tunnel opened, and with Liga's song,
Into the light came out the rescued folk."
Scene 4: The story of the creation
The Earth is formed
Another time, Laimdota read anew:-
"In the beginning nothing was. But plain
There shone an endless light, from which all grew.
No start or ending marked God's perfect reign.
He was the world's pure soul, good spirits' kin.
The Devil still obeyed his God in all,
Beside him stood and knew not stain of sin,
Although his mind was close before the fall."
"To make the world, God asked of him one thing:
To fly deep down, primordial ooze to view,
To find there slime, a handful back to bring.-
The Devil found the slime when down he flew,
But wondered why God had for it a plan.
To copy God he thought some slime to save,
A handful placed inside his mouth's broad span.
The other handful then to God he gave."