"If the longing e'er should seize thee,
And the wish should overtake thee,
For the fish thy father captured,
Or for grouse to ask thy brother,
From thy brother-in-law ask nothing,
From thy father-in-law ask nothing;
Best it is to ask thy husband,
Ask him to obtain them for thee.
There are not within the forest
Any four-legged beasts that wander,360
Neither birds in air that flutter
Two-winged birds with rushing pinions,
Neither in the shining waters
Swarm the best of all the fishes,
Which thy husband cannot capture;
He can catch and bring them to thee.
"Here 'tis good to be a damsel,
Here to be a fair-faced dovekin;
Need is none to work the stone-mill;
Need is none to work the mortar;370
Here the wheat is ground by water,
And the rye by foaming torrents,
And the stream cleans all utensils,
And the lake-foam cleanses all things.
"O thou lovely little village,
Fairest spot in all the country!
Grass below, and cornfields over,
In the midst between the village.
Fair the shore below the village,
By the shore is gleaming water,380
Where the ducks delight in swimming,
And the water-fowl are sporting."
Drink they gave the bridal party,
Food and drink they gave in plenty,
Meat provided in abundance,
Loaves provided of the finest,
And they gave them ale of barley,
Spicy drink, from wheat concocted.
Roast they gave them in abundance,
Food and drink in all abundance,390
In the dishes red they brought it,
In the handsomest of dishes.
Cakes were there, in pieces broken,
Likewise there were lumps of butter,
Powans too, to be divided,
Salmon too, to cut to pieces,
With the knives composed of silver,
And with smaller knives all golden.
Ale unpurchased there was flowing,
Mead for which you could not bargain;400
Ale flowed from the ends of rafters,
Honey from the taps was oozing,
Ale around the lips was foaming,
Mead the mood of all enlivened.
Who among them should be cuckoo,
Who should sing a strain most fitting?
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
He the great primeval minstrel,
He himself commenced his singings,
Set about composing verses,410
And he spoke the words which follow,
And expressed himself in thiswise:
"O my own beloved brethren,
O most eloquent companions,
O my comrades, ready talkers,
Listen now to what I tell you,
Rarely kiss the geese each other,
Rarely sisters gaze on sisters,
Rarely side by side stand brothers,
Side by side stand mother's children,420
In these desert lands so barren,
In the wretched northern regions.
"Shall we give ourselves to singing,
Set about composing verses?
None can sing except the singer,
None can call save vernal cuckoo,
None can paint, except Sinetar,
None can weave save Kankahatar.
"Lapland's children, they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting,430
As the elk's rare flesh they feast on,
Or the meat of smaller reindeer,
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not,
While upon the ryebread feasting,
Or when eating is concluded?
"Lapland's children, they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting,
As they drink from water-pitchers,
While they chew the bark of fir-tree.440
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not,
While the juice of corn we're drinking,
And the best-brewed ale of barley?
"Lapland's children they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting,
Even by the sooty fire,
As they lay the coals upon it.
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not,450
Underneath these famous rafters,
Underneath a roof so splendid?
"Good it is for men to dwell here,
Good for women to reside here,
All among the barrels ale-filled,
Standing close beside the mead-tubs,
Near the sound where swarm the powans,
Near the place for netting salmon,
Where the food is never failing,
And the drink is never stinted.460