ed him in magic, and so he made ready a bow of steel. He painted
it with many bright colours and trimmed it with gold and silver and
copper. Then he chose the strongest sinews from the stag, and at length
the great bow was ready. On the back was painted a courser, at each end
a colt, near the bend a sleeping maiden, near the notch a running hare.
And after that he cut some arrows out of oak, put tips of sharpened
copper on them, and five feathers on the end. Then he hardened the
arrows and steeped them in the blood of snakes and the poison of the
adder to give them magic power.

When all was ready Youkahainen went out to wait for his enemy. For many
days and nights he watched in vain, but still he did not weary, and at
last one day at dawn he saw what seemed to be a black cloud on the
waters. But by his magic art he knew that it was Wainamoinen on his
magic steed. Then he went after his bow, but his mother stopped him and
asked him whom he meant to shoot with his bow and poisoned arrows.
Youkahainen replied: 'I have made this mighty bow and these poisoned
arrows for the old magician Wainamoinen, that I may destroy my rival.'

His mother reproved him, saying, 'If thou slayest Wainamoinen all our
joy will vanish, all the singing and music will die with him. It is
better that we have his magic music in this world than to have it all go
to the underground world Manala, where the spirits of the dead dwell.'

Youkahainen hesitated for a moment, but then envy and hatred filled his
heart, and he replied: 'Even though all joy and pleasure vanish from the
world, yet will I shoot this rival singer, let the end be what it will.'

With these words he hastened out and took his stand in a thicket near
the shore. He chose the three strongest arrows from his quiver, and
selecting the best among these three, he laid it against the string and
aimed at Wainamoinen's heart. And as he still waited for him to come
nearer, he sang this incantation: 'Be elastic, bow-string mine, swiftly
fly, O oaken arrow, swift as light, O poisoned arrow, to the heart of
Wainamoinen. If my hand too low shall aim thee, may the gods direct thee
higher. If mine eye too high shall aim thee, may the gods direct thee
lower.'

Then he let the arrow fly, but it flew over Wainamoinen's head and
pierced and scattered the clouds above. Again he shot a second, but it
flew too low and penetrated to the depths of the sea. Then he aimed the
third, and it flew from his bo