Never from the lake rose Turso,
In the sight of men to venture,
Long as sun and moon are shining,
Or the pleasant day is dawning,
And the air is most delightful. 460

Then the aged Vaeinaemoeinen
Once again steered on the vessel.
But a little time passed over,
Short the time that then passed over,
When did Ukko, God the Highest,
Of the air the mighty ruler,
Winds arouse in magic fury,
Made the tempests rage around them.

Then the winds arose in fury,
And the tempests raged around them, 470
And the west wind blew most fiercely,
From the south-west just as fiercely,
And the south wind still more fiercely,
And the east wind whistled loudly,
Roared the south-east wind tremendous,
And the north wind howled in fury.

From the trees the leaves were scattered,
And the pine-trees lost their needles,
And the heather lost its flowerets,
And the grasses lost their tassels, 480
And the black ooze was uplifted
To the sparkling water's surface.

Still the winds were wildly blowing,
And the waves assailed the vessel,
Swept away the harp of pikebone,
And the kantele of fish-fins,
Joy for Vellamo's attendants,
And to Ahtola a pleasure.
Ahto on the waves perceived it,
On the waves his children saw it, 490
And they took the harp so charming,
And unto their home conveyed it.

Then the aged Vaeinaemoeinen
From his eyes wept tears of sadness,
And he spoke the words which follow:
"Thus has gone what I constructed,
And my cherished harp has vanished,
And is lost my life-long pleasure.
Never will it happen to me,
In the course of all my lifetime 500
To rejoice again in pike-teeth,
Or to play on bones of fishes."

Thereupon smith Ilmarinen
Felt the very greatest sadness,
And he spoke the words which follow:
"Woe to me, this day unhappy,
That upon the lake I travel,
On this wide expanse of water,
That I tread on wood that's rolling,
And on planks that shake beneath me. 510
Now my hair has seen the tempest,
And my hair begins to shudder,
And my beard ill days has witnessed,
Which it saw upon the water,
Yet have we but seldom witnessed,
Such a storm as rages round us,
Witnessed such tremendous breakers,