waving,
And among the beauteous rushes.

Eager now to make a capture,
Then he cast the net and sunk it, 330
But he cast the net out twisted,
And in wrong direction drew it,
And the fish they could not capture,
Though with eagerness they laboured.

In the water went the brothers,
To the net the men proceeded,
And they swung it and they pushed it,
And they pulled it and they dragged it,
Through the deeps, and rocky places,
Drew it o'er Kalevala's shingle; 340
But the fish they could not capture;
Not the fish so greatly needed.
Came the grey pike never near them,
Neither on the placid water,
Nor upon its ample surface;
Fish are small, and nets not many.

Now the fish were all complaining;
Said one pike unto another,
And the powan asked the ide-fish,
And one salmon asked another: 350
"Can the famous men have perished,
Perished Kaleva's great children,
They who drag the net of linen,
And of yarn have made the fish-net,
With long poles who beat the water,
With long sticks who move the waters?"

Old and famous Vaeinaemoeinen
Answered in the words which follow:
"No, the heroes have not perished,
Kaleva's great race has died not, 360
When one dies, is born another,
And the best of staves they carry,
Longer sticks to sound the water,
And their nets are twice as fearful."

RUNO XLVIII.--THE CAPTURE OF THE FIRE

_Argument_

The heroes prepare a linen net, and at length capture the fish which has
swallowed the fire (1-192). The fire is found in the fish's belly, but
flashes up suddenly, and burns Ilmarinen's cheeks and hands severely
(193-248). The fire rushes into the forest, burns over many countries,
and spreads further and further, till at length it is captured and
carried to the dark dwellings of Kalevala (249-290). Ilmarinen recovers
from his burns (291-372).

Vaeinaemoeinen, old and steadfast,
He the great primeval minstrel,
Thereupon began to ponder,
And reflected on the method
How to make a net of linen,
How to make the hundred meshes.

Then he spoke the words which follow,
And expressed himself in thiswise:
"Is there one who flax can sow me,
Who can sow the flax and card it, 10
And of this a net can make me,
Weave for me it