Page 1 of 9 KALEVALA
Translated by
John Martin Crawford
Transcribed by
Echo of Snac
Page 2 of 9 RUNE I, PART I
BIRTH OF WAINAMOINEN
In primeval times, a
maiden,
Beauteous Daughter
of the Ether,
Passed for ages her
existence
In the great expanse
of heaven,
O'er the prairies yet
enfolded.
Page 3 of 9 Wearisome the maiden
growing,
Her existence sad
and hopeless,
Thus alone to live
for ages
In the infinite
expanses
Of the air above the
sea-foam,
In the far
outstretching
spaces,
Page 4 of 9 In a solitude of
ether,
She descended to the
ocean,
Waves her coach, and
waves her pillow.
Thereupon the rising
storm-wind
Flying from the East in
fierceness,
Whips the ocean into
surges,
Page 5 of 9 Strikes the stars with
sprays of ocean
Till the waves are
white with fervor.
To and fro they toss
the maiden,
Storm-encircled,
hapless maiden;
With her sport the
rolling billows,
With her play the
storm-wind forces,
Page 6 of 9 On the blue back of
the waters;
On the white-wreathed
waves of ocean,
Play the forces of the
salt-sea,
With the lone and
helpless maiden;
Till at last in full
conception,
Union now of force
and beauty,
Page 7 of 9 Sink the storm-winds
into slumber;
Overburdened now the
the maiden
Cannot rise above the
surface;
Seven hundred years
she wandered,
Ages nine of man's
existence,
Swam the ocean hither,
thither,
Page 8 of 9 Could not rise above
the waters,
Conscious only of her
travail;
Seven hundred years
she labored
Ere her first-born
was delivered.
Thus she swam as
water-mother,
Toward the east, and
also southward,
Page 9 of 9 Toward the west, and
also northward;
Swam the sea in all
directions,
Frightened at the
strife of
storm-winds,
Swam in travail, swam
unceasing,
Ere her first-born
was delivered.
