Took the resin of the fir tree,
Smeared therewith each seam and fissure,
Made each crevice safe from water.
"Thus the Birch Canoe was builded
In the valley, by the river,
In the bosom of the forest;
And the forest's life was in it,
All its mystery and its magic,
All the lightness of the birch tree,
All the toughness of the cedar,