at the sun's declining,
To rejoice me in the evening,
Nor to cheer me in the morning.

"Now no more can I consider
How to shape my course of action,
How upon the earth to sojourn, 210
How throughout the world to travel.
Would my mother now were living,
And my aged mother waking!
She would surely tell me truly
How to best support my trouble,
That my grief may not o'erwhelm me,
And my sorrow may not crush me,
In these weary days of evil,
In this time of deep depression."

In her grave his mother wakened, 220
Answered from beneath the billows:
"Still thy mother lives and hears thee,
And thy aged mother wakens,
That she plainly may advise thee.
How to best support thy trouble.
That thy grief may not o'erwhelm thee,
And thy sorrow may not crush thee,
In these weary days of evil,
In these days of deep depression.
Seek thou out the maids of Pohja, 230
Where the daughters are more handsome,
And the maidens twice as lovely,
And are five or six times nimbler,
Not like lazy girls of Jouko,
Lapland's fat and sluggish daughters.

"Thence a wife, O son, provide thee,
From the fairest maids of Pohja;
Choose a maid of fair complexion,
Lovely, too, in every feature,
One whose feet are always nimble, 240
Always active in her movements."

RUNO VI.--JOUKAHAINEN'S CROSSBOW

_Argument_

Joukahainen cherishes hatred against Vainamoinen and lies in wait for
him on his journey to Pohjola (1-78). He sees him riding past and shoots
at him, but only kills his horse (79-182). Vainamoinen falls into the
water and is driven out to sea by a tempest, while Joukahainen rejoices,
because he thinks he has at last overcome Vainamoinen (183-234).

Vainamoinen, old and steadfast,
Now resolved upon a journey
To the cold and dreary regions
Of the gloomy land of Pohja.

Then he took his straw-hued stallion
Like a pea-stalk in his colour,
And the golden bit adjusted,
Bridle on his head of silver,
On his back himself he seated,
And he started on his journey, 10
And he trotted gently onward,
At an easy pace he journeyed,
Mounted on the straw-hued courser,
Like a pea-stalk in his colour.

Thus through Vainola he journeyed,
Over Kalevala's wide heathlands