Kalevala : the Epic Poem of Finland – Volume 02. Неизвестный автор

through this host opposing,

        Through the hundred heads of adders,

        Through the thousand tongues of serpents.

        Spake the magic Lemminkainen:

        "Venomed viper, thing of evil,

        Ancient adder of Tuoni,

        Thou that crawlest in the stubble,

        Through the flower-roots of Lempo,

        Who has sent thee from thy kingdom,

        Sent thee from thine evil coverts,

        Sent thee hither, crawling, writhing,

        In the pathway I would travel?

        Who bestowed thy mouth of venom,

        Who insisted, who commanded,

        Thou shouldst raise thy head toward heaven,

        Who thy tail has given action?

        Was this given by the father,

        Did the mother give this power,

        Or the eldest of the brothers,

        Or the youngest of the sisters,

        Or some other of thy kindred?

        "Close thy mouth, thou thing of evil,

        Hide thy pliant tongue of venom,

        In a circle wrap thy body,

        Coil thou like a shield in silence,

        Give to me one-half the pathway,

        Let this wanderer pass by thee,

        Or remove thyself entirely;

        Get thee hence to yonder heather,

        Quick retreat to bog and stubble,

        Hide thyself in reeds and rushes,

        In the brambles of the lowlands.

        Like a ball of flax enfolding,

        Like a sphere of aspen-branches,

        With thy head and tail together,

        Roll thyself to yonder mountain;

        In the heather is thy dwelling,

        Underneath the sod thy caverns.

        Shouldst thou raise thy head in anger,

        Mighty Ukko will destroy it,

        Pierce it with his steel-tipped arrows,

        With his death-balls made of iron!"

        Hardly had the hero ended,

        When the monster, little heeding,

        Hissing with his tongue in anger,

        Plying like the forked lightning,

        Pounces with his mouth of venom

        At the head of Lemminkainen;

        But the hero, quick recalling,

        Speaks the master-words of knowledge,

        Words that came from distant ages,

        Words his ancestors had taught him,

        Words his mother learned in childhood,

        These the words of Lemminkainen:

        "Since thou wilt not heed mine order,

        Since thou wilt not leave the highway,

        Puffed with pride of thine own greatness,

        Thou shall burst in triple pieces.

        Leave thy station for the borders,

        I will hunt thine ancient mother,

        Sing thine origin of evil,

        How arose thy head of horror;

        Suoyatar, thine ancient mother,

        Thing of evil, thy creator!"

        "Suoyatar once let her spittle

        Fall upon the waves of ocean;

        This was rocked by winds and waters,

        Shaken by the ocean-currents,

        Six years rocked upon the billows,

        Rocked in water seven summers,

        On the blue-back of the ocean,

        On the billows high as heaven;

        Lengthwise did the billows draw it,

        And the sunshine gave it softness,

        To the shore the billows washed it,

        On the coast the waters left it.

        "Then appeared Creation's daughters,

        Three the daughters thus appearing,

        On the roaring shore of ocean,

        There beheld the spittle lying,

        And the daughters spake as follows:

        'What would happen from this spittle,

        Should the breath of the Creator

        Fall upon the writhing matter,

        Breathe the breath of life upon it,

        Give the thing the sense of vision?

        "The Creator heard these measures,

        Spake himself the words that follow:

        'Evil only comes from evil,

        This is the expectoration

        Of fell Suoyatar, its mother;

        Therefore would the thing be evil,

        Should I breathe a soul within it,

        Should I give it sense of vision.'

        "Hisi heard this conversation,

        Ever ready with his mischief,

        Made himself to be creator,

        Breathed a soul into the spittle,

        To fell Suoyatar's fierce anger.

        Thus arose the poison-monster,

        Thus was born the evil serpent,

        This the origin of evil.

        "Whence the life that gave her action'?

        From the carbon-pile of Hisi.

        Whence then was her heart created?

        From the heart-throbs of her mother

        Whence arose her brain of evil?

        From the foam of rolling waters.

        Whence was consciousness awakened?

        From the waterfall's commotion.

        Whence arose her head of venom?

        From the seed-germs of the ivy.

        Whence then came her eyes of fury?

        From the flaxen seeds of Lempo.

        Whence the evil ears for hearing?

        From the foliage of Hisi.

        Whence then was her mouth created?

        This from Suoyatar's foam-currents

        Whence arose thy tongue of anger r

        From the spear of Keitolainen.

        Whence arose thy fangs of poison?

        From the teeth of Mana's daughter.

        Whence then was thy back created?

        From