560
Fearing not the wolf should harm her,
Nor the wild beasts of the forest.

"Now that we have praised the hostess,
Let us also praise the inviter;
Who was chosen as inviter,
And upon the road to guide us?
Best inviter of the village,
Best of guides in all the village.

"There we look on our inviter,
Clad in coat from foreign countries; 570
Round his arms 'tis tightly fitted,
Neatly round his waist 'tis fitted.

"There we look on our inviter,
In a narrow cloak attired;
On the sand the skirts are sweeping,
On the ground the train is sweeping.
Of his shirt we see a little,
Only see a very little,
As if Kuutar's self had wove it,
And the tin-adorned one wrought it. 580

"Here we look on our inviter,
Belted with a belt of woollen,
Woven by the Sun's fair daughter,
By her beauteous fingers broidered,
In the times ere fire existed,
And when all unknown was fire.

"Here we look on our inviter,
With his feet in silken stockings,
And with silk are bound his stockings,
And his garters are of satin, 590
And with gold are all embroidered.
And are all adorned with silver.

"Here we look on our inviter,
Best of Saxon shoes he's wearing,
Like the swans upon the river,
Or the ducks that swim beside them,
Or the geese among the thickets,
Birds of passage in the forests.

"Here we look on our inviter,
With his golden locks all curling, 600
And his golden beard is plaited,
On his head a lofty helmet:
Up among the clouds it rises,
Through the forest's glancing summit;
Such a one you could not purchase
For a hundred marks or thousand.

"Now that I have praised the inviter,
I will also praise the bridesmaid.
Whence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Whence was she, the happiest, chosen? 610

"Thence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Thence was she, the happiest, chosen,
Where is Tanikka's strong fortress,
From without the new-built castle.

"No, she came from other regions,
Not at all from such a region;
Thence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Thence was she, the happiest, chosen,
Brought to us across the water,
And across the open ocean. 620

"No, she came from other regi