Kalevala: Or, Poems of the Kaleva District

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Kalevala: Or, Poems of the Kaleva District

by Elias Lönnrot, Francis Peabody Magoun Jr. (Translator)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 1,499 ratings · 104 reviews

The national folk epic of Finland is here presented in an English translation that is both scholarly and eminently readable. To avoid the imprecision and metrical monotony of earlier verse translations, Magoun has used prose, printed line for line as in the original so that repetitions, parallelisms, and variations are readily apparent. The lyrical passages and poetic imag...more

Paperback, 440 pages

Published March 15th 1985 by Harvard University Press (first published 1835)

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Aug 31, 2011 Suna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scandinavian, dawdling, classics, mythology-folklore-legends

For months I had this from the library, until I well exceeded the maximum renewal limit.
And that's counting the clandestine four renewals my extremely benevolent librarian let me have.
She also allows me to take out way more books than is strictly allowed at any one given time and if other people request books I haven't finished she lets me have them until I have. Even though I was supposed to return them on the last expiry date. The woman is a lexical goddess.
After almost a year, however, even...more

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Feb 09, 2008 Brandon Pearce rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Tolkien fans, Epic poetry fans

Shelves: epic

Fascinating Finish Fairytales. If you are a Tolkien fan you have to read the Kalevala as it was a major source of material for him. The Kalevala seems so bizaar at first blush but really has some interesting insights into pre christian bronze age life in Finland. There are certainly Christian elements that have been added to the Kalevala as Christianity reached Finland in the tenth century but this is pretty pure as far as pagan folklore goes. The iron charms portion of the book are of particula...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Yiting Shen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was inspired by the special Kalevala exhibition at the Atheneum Art Museum in Helsinki the past weekend. The paintings and sculptures drew me into the epic world.

The words have served as vivid memories for my short visit. The English translation is rather easy to read compared with the Homeric Iliad or Odyssey. More importantly, as I read close and loud into the lines, Kalevala has the light touch, and sense of humor. It's not as cold as you think - Finns are warm as I encounter, from the very...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Gijs rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century, finnish, myths-and-legends, poetry, scandinavia, favorites

Omvangrijke collectie van vijftig gezangen, door Lönrott in de negentiende eeuw verzameld en aaneengesmeed.

Na een uiterst merkwaardig scheppingsverhaal gaat het grootste gedeelte van de gezangen over de verhoudingen tussen de landen Kalevala (mythisch Finland) en Pohjola (Noord- of Lapland). Hierin spelen drie helden de hoofdrol: Väinämöinen de oude zanger, Ilmarinen de smid en Lemminkäinen de ontstuimige losbol. Ze leven in een magische wereld, waar met zang vanalles kan ontstaan of veranderen....more

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Aug 11, 2011 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, poetry, religion

This is a thought-provoking piece of majestic work. Thought-provoking because as I read it, an insane amount of questions kept coming to mind which I will try (completely incompletely) to compile here, although not with the mastery of Elias Lonnrot.

So, without further ado, three important lessons that I learned from The Kalevala:

Lesson 1: The Kalevala has fuck-all to do with Lord of the Rings.

Yes, yes, I know. Tolkien studied Finnish - an impressive feat because it holds the records for the mos...more

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Apr 24, 2010 Annabelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read the teen version by Kirsti Makeinen Pirkko-Iiisa Surojegin & Kaarina Brooks

The Finnish creation story of ruins that were sung by elders was written down in the 1850’s and created a resurgence of the Finnish language, after Finland was occupied by Russia and Swedent. It is written in verse, very metaphoric and non rational with the classic themes of martyrdom, combat, magic, transformation, resurrection and immaculate birth. I loved the nature imagery of spruce, pine, aspen, sage, barl...more

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Feb 09, 2008 Katherine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

More people should read the Kalevala, because it's beautiful and strange and absolutely unique. For example: have you ever read an epic in which the identity of a stolen, magical object is not defined?

Interesting story about how it came to be: Lonnrot went into the Finnish countryside in the 1840s and took dictation from traditional singers. The Kalevala is the product of Lonnrot's rolling all these diverse tales into one long creation myth.

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Oct 05, 2011 Dave Maddock rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Dave by: Mythgard Institute

Shelves: mythology

Read for a class at the Mythgard Institute. This might've been a 4-star review if not for the unevenness of the book. Since this is a loose collection of traditional Finnish folk songs compiled and edited into a roughly continuous narrative, perhaps this isn't surprising. Nevertheless, I felt that some episodes were much more skillfully composed than others. For instance, the earlier stories of Väinämöinen and Lemminkäinen and the interlude of Kullervo were my favorites while Ilmarinen's wedding...more

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Jun 15, 2010 Anthony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scandinavian-literature

Finnish epic compiled in the 19th century from a combination of ancient and not-so-ancient traditions of oral folklore. a very bizarre book, and while it bears some resemblance to homer and the bible, i think it has more of an affinity with rabelais. A quick taste from the myth of the origin of iron should suffice to show what i mean by the comparison:

"... These maidens strolled about the clouds with full and aching breasts. To relieve their bosoms they squeezed forth milk upon the earth, marshe...more

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Apr 13, 2007 teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Being born and raised in the UP and of finnish descent I am interested in Finnish culture.

The Kalevala is the Finnish epic poem written by Lonnrot in 1839. He went around collecting runos (song poems) and he put them together (and added some) to create this poem.

My friends are reading a runo a week at lj at kalevala_1 year.

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Oct 02, 2011 Curtis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: poetry, mythgard

Although I clearly lack the language and culture to fully appreciate this collection of legend (or what have you), I found much of The Kalevala very intriguing. I liked best the exploits of Väinaöinen, as he set about doing...whatever it was he set about doing...but the craftsmanship and courtship of Ilmarinen also held some interest for me. I liked least the beginning (though, that may simply have been because I was coming upon something completely unknown and didn't yet know how to approach it...more

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Nov 17, 2011 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this is one of those books that needs a few reads with a few years between them. It reminds me of the Odyssey quite a bit, and there are some obvious parallels in the story. It's wrong to think of this as a derivative work, though. It may share some style and elements with it, but the Kalevala is uniquely Finnish. If you are the type of person who enjoys this type of work then don't miss out. There's more than enough unique material to keep your attention.

I can't say much with confidence...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Mimi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am reading the Eino Friberg translation and it is wonderful. I got this after having seen a very strange film called The Day the Earth Froze, and then several years ago I had seen the contemporary Finish opera Kullervo. It turns out both are part of the Kalevala, Epic of the Finnish people.

The translation and poetry is superb. I love how everything happens in thirds:

"On he hurried helter-skelter,
One day, two days, and a third;
On the third day he was there
In the glades of Vainola,
On the heaths...more

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May 09, 2010 iffi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tales, sci-fi-fantasy

Огромен епос в рими - много приятно и различно от нещата, които чета по принцип.
Научават се интересни неща за финландската култура (преди да станат християни). Една от най-интересните части е пространните обяснения колко ще й е гадно на невестата в новата къща, как жената да се държи с мъжа си, как мъжа да се държи с жена си (всичко това около 50 страници рими). Епоса не е много героичен с много битки, но всички герои са много интересни и превода е много добър. (Силно се препоръчва за фенове на...more

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Apr 20, 2008 Rena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a Finn, this epic speaks to my heart. I haven't finished the book--shameful--but the poetry and story are amazing. The Kalevala was the oral tradition of the Finns and this translation preserves that feeling.

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Mar 11, 2013 Andras Miklosvari rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature. The Kalevala played an instrumental role in the development of the Finnish national identity and(including stories telling of the Creation Myth, combat, healing, brewing beer etc...)Finland's language strife and the growing sense of nationality that eventually led to Finland's independence in the early 20th Century. Elias Lönnrot decided to collect (mouth by mouth) poems to supplement h...more

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May 12, 2013 Vasiliki Rayane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epic, poetry, finnish-literature, folklore, fantasy, favourite, mythology

read greek translation, by Εκδόσεις Καστανιώτη (Lastanioti Publisher),a few years back.

Unfortunatelly the certain translation only contained fragments of the actual work.
I really enjoyed it though and the translation was decent enough.
The poems metre and phythm/rhyme were well played out.

And in general it was one of my first reads on scandinavian mythology/folklore and I was deeply enchanted by it.It really served as a great starter for me to get deeper into folklore poems and sagas of scandinav...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Panagiotis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In fact i decided to read kalevala because one of my favorite band,Amorphis from Finland,writes music that deals with stories from this epic poem.Well,i did right,cause as a fan of worldwide Mythologies,Kalevala offered me all the things i just wanted to read.Gods,evil witches,heroes,battles and exciting,heroic,funny or tragic stories.Recommended to all people who like such stuff,by reading this you will also put yourself in a place comparing the stories with similar of other's Mythologies.One o...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book

This is an epic poem of Finland and itis awesome. If someone told you this is boring they are wrong.
In this book they drink lots of beer, fight, shoot magic, herd animals, woo women and small delicate andnot so delicateforest animals, they forgeiron into awesome weapons and beautiful objects,they also fish for salmon and huge pike, steal fire, steal the sun and moon, steal a sampo, fight, shoot magic, win sun and moon back, they feast with bears, drink more beer, shoot more magic, fish some more...more

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May 10, 2007 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drama-poetry

It's about time I finished this!

I'm still puzzling over the translator's note to his use of the name "Rocky Horror". :)

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Sep 26, 2011 Gemma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There was some really good poetry and more engaging characters than other oral tradition epics. But the Rainbow Maiden always slowed the story down (how many runes does it take to get out of the house and into a sledge, anyway?!) and there were a lot of tiresome digressions (how to make beer anyone?). It also felt like a lot was missing, which makes sense in light of the history of how it came to be written down. And after reading a couple Icelandic epics, I really felt how much the Christian sl...more

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Feb 02, 2013 David Redden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are so many reasons to like The Kalevala. It's an extraordinary collection of traditional Finnish legend/folk songs rescued from oblivion by the 19th Century Finnish scholars Zacharias Topelius and Elias Lonnrot, who copied them down from the few remaining singers who knew the ancient songs. After collecting the songs, the two strung them together into a loose poetic narrative called the Kalevala, or in English, "The Land of Heroes." The story follows a variety of Finnish folk-heroes and v...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Louisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, epic-poetry, mythology

The Kalevala is a delight; a wonderful rendering of ancient Finnish mythology. The English translation by John Crawford (1888) reads beautifully and follows closely the Finnish cadence with eight syllables in every line. While the male heroes Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen provide most of the action, I thought it was interesting to see how the Finnish world was created entirely by females; the Daughter of the Ether and a seabird that lays golden eggs on her knee. When the eggs fall into...more The Kalevala is a delight; a wonderful rendering of ancient Finnish mythology. The English translation by John Crawford (1888) reads beautifully and follows closely the Finnish cadence with eight syllables in every line. While the male heroes Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen provide most of the action, I thought it was interesting to see how the Finnish world was created entirely by females; the Daughter of the Ether and a seabird that lays golden eggs on her knee. When the eggs fall into the ocean and break, the whole world comes about beautifully:

All the fragments come together
Forming pieces two in number,
One the upper, one the lower,
Equal to the one, the other.
From one half the egg, the lower,
Grows the nether vault of Terra:
From the upper half remaining,
Grows the upper vault of Heaven;
From the white part come the moonbeams,
From the yellow part the sunshine,
From the motley part the starlight,
From the dark part grows the cloudage;
And the days speed onward swiftly,
Quickly do the years fly over,
From the shining of the new sun
From the lighting of the full moon.

Seen how difficult it must have been to collect the fragments and different versions of the epic poem that until the 19th century existed only in oral form, it is admirable how Elias Lönnrot pieced it together and made a wonderful story out of it. I loved how he blended the characters of Lemminkäinen and Kaukomieli smoothly into one while keeping both their names:

How the merry Lemminkäinen,
Handsome hero, Kaukomieli,
Wandered through Pohyola's chambers,
Through the halls of Sariola.

While the story can be brutal at times (Lemminkäinen being chopped to pieces, for instance), it is fascinating to find in the Kalevala the roots of common Finnish names (Tapio, Aino, Sampo) and habits (the "healing baths of vapor" that Väinämöinen prepares to get rid of the diseases sent by Louhi) and the thing that the Fins have with nature. I loved reading this and came away with a better appreciation of the Finnish language and culture. (less)

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May 16, 2012 Margot rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a fantastic translation of the Kalevala. Magoun explains his approach to the translation in the Introduction, and I completely agree with his decision to sacrifice the meter of the original in favor of preserving the meaning. This is the first translation that I have read, but I had heard from several people that the Kalevala was a dry, difficult read, bogged down by the trochaic tetrameter. To my surprise and delight, I found this translation colorful and lively, at times exciting and...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Volsung added it · review of another edition

Shelves: finnish

The comprehensible and pleasing translation, plus the excellent and informative notes, commentary, and essays, make this a particularly fine (and useful) edition of "The Kalevala."

To speak of both of these in more detail: the translation is not only expert (it is done by the medievalist and scholar of folklore/oral-formulaic theory, Francis Peabody Magoun, Jr.) but also highly enjoyable to read. It is also quite accessible, perhaps more so to most readers than W.F. Kirby's sometimes archaic and...more The comprehensible and pleasing translation, plus the excellent and informative notes, commentary, and essays, make this a particularly fine (and useful) edition of "The Kalevala."

To speak of both of these in more detail: the translation is not only expert (it is done by the medievalist and scholar of folklore/oral-formulaic theory, Francis Peabody Magoun, Jr.) but also highly enjoyable to read. It is also quite accessible, perhaps more so to most readers than W.F. Kirby's sometimes archaic and complex Everyman translation (though Kirby's translation is very fine, the best in my opinion). My own understanding of the matter is completely novice, but from what little I can tell through examination of the "Kalevala" in Finnish, I think Magoun's translation well captures the form and style of the original. In my opinion, I would rank Magoun's translation just below Kirby's in terms of both literary pleasure and accurate representation of meter and style; but only just.

A notable distinction of Magoun's version is his frequent translation of Finnish proper names into English, especially place-names -- i.e. "Tuoni" rendered "Death," and thus "Tuonela" fully translated by Magoun as "Death's Domain"; the important locale "Pohjola" is given as "North Farm"; and the toponym "Kalevala" itself is rendered (as in the translation's subtitle) "the Kaleva District." (Cf. Kirby's title and subtitle, "Kalevala, the Land of Heroes.") This is not true of characters such as Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, Kullervo, and Lemminkäinen.

Magoun's translation is very fine, but the feature which really makes this edition shine is the inclusion of numerous informative and interesting resources in the Appendices -- for instance, essays on Elias Lönnrot, the publication and varying editions of his "Kalevala," and Finnish ceremonial peasant singing; Lönnrot's original preface to the "Kalevala"; commentary on the translation; a glossary of proper names with etymologies and explanatory notes; a list of charms occurring in the poem; etc.

All in all, between the enjoyable and accessible translation, and the scholarly appendices offering considerable information and context for allowing the interested reader to explore deeper, this is a /highly/ recommended edition/translation of this fascinating and unique work.
(less)

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May 26, 2012 Bernardita Labourdette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poetry

(escribir en español) “Ni par toi ni par personne porte des croisements dans ma poitrine, ni je m'attache les cheveux avec seda” ;
(La pucelle noyée)
La Kalevala (qui signifie “Tierra de Héroes” ;) ils sont tu chantes épiques fineses réunis par le Dr. Elias Lönnrot, sous la forme d'un grand poème, premièrement de 12.000 vers, divisés 12 runos ou chansons (ce qui est qui ensuite se vaste à 22.793 chansons, divisées 50 runos). Ces poèmes ont été composés approximativement entre les siècles V à au XI...more (escribir en español) “Ni par toi ni par personne porte des croisements dans ma poitrine, ni je m'attache les cheveux avec seda” ;
(La pucelle noyée)
La Kalevala (qui signifie “Tierra de Héroes” ;) ils sont tu chantes épiques fineses réunis par le Dr. Elias Lönnrot, sous la forme d'un grand poème, premièrement de 12.000 vers, divisés 12 runos ou chansons (ce qui est qui ensuite se vaste à 22.793 chansons, divisées 50 runos). Ces poèmes ont été composés approximativement entre les siècles V à au XII, par les gens qui vivaient au nord et à l'est du golfe de Bothnia (ce qui est qui est connu maintenant comme la Finlande).
Lönnrot en publiant la Kalevala dans 1835, en plus de récupérer un matériel mythologique de valeur incalculable a fait apparaître la littérature finesa moderne parce que la langue qu'on parlait jusqu'à ce moment entre les gens illustrés du pays était ce qui est suédoise (étant donné l'invasion produite années avant).
Dans les domaines et les lieux séparés toutefois, on conservait la langue finlandaise dans les sagas mythiques qui étaient oralement transmises de génération en génération, dans les noms dieux et héros que Lönnrot a transcrits.

Nous nous trouvons de cette manière face à un drame grandiose, avec l'éternelle lutte entre les obscurité et la lumière, dans laquelle Vainamöinen, barde, chamán, prophète, dieu de la chanson et de la poésie, celui qui peuple d'abord la Terre, elle est rendu, quel mortel ; d'une belle fille qui dédaigne son amour étant vieille (donc avait été dans le ventre de sa mère par plus de 700 années et était née personne), en noyant et en étant transformé en sirène. Cette peine d'amour le vagar sans direction, en étant capturé et en étant porté jusqu'aux côtes où elle habite Louhi, giganta congelée qui domine la sorcellerie et qui il impose des essais impossibles à ce qui est pretendientes de sa belle fille.
Un des essais est de forger le Sampo mythique, (espèce de moulin maïs, sel et argent) avec une pointe d'une plume de cygne, lait d'une vache stérile, un grain d'orge et la laine d'une brebis. Vainamöinen demande au forgeron Ilmarinen que le fasse, chose à à laquelle le il accède par la main de la fille de Louhi. Toutefois il nage il sale comme il était attendu et dans la lutte pour obtenir le Sampo, celui-ci se casse et est tombé à la mer, en produisant du sel jusqu'à aujourd'hui...
Les histoires s'succèdent ainsi, un après une autre, apparaît Kullervo, héros tragique celui qui se tombe de sa soeur sans être sue, par Lemminkainen, une chance de Dieu engañador que continuellement riñe avec Vainamoinen et Lönnrot, structure son poème en utilisant des vers de 8 syllabes, sans rime mais avec aliteración (répétition de phonèmes initiaux ou importants dans chaque vers) et en faisant des parallélismes continus entre l'image et les mots.
Termine la Kalevala avec l'avènement des rois mortels, la distance des dieux de la Terre et la fondation de l'état indépendant de la Finlande.
Il finit ainsi une des épopées plus importantes que la littérature occidentale, la source d'inspiration pour auteurs comme JRR Tolkien et le poème qui a contribué à l'unité linguistique et spirituelle d'une nation.
(less)

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Dec 28, 2009 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: winter20092010, published-1835, poetry, fraudio

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Dec 23, 2008 Chaney Bicknell marked it as to-read · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like mythology or exceedingly long poems.

UPDATE: Once again "slowly chipping away at the behemoth" has morphed into "totally intimidated by the behemoth" and I've moved onto a different, less horrifyingly dense book. Honestly, I need to get more systematic with my note-taking before I tackle this monster.

--

Slowly chipping away at this behemoth. I'm reading ahead, then going back and re-reading so I can take decent notes. I'm 14 cantos deep, and I've taken notes on 10. There are 50.

So far I like it a lot. The roles of Vainamoinen, Ilmar...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would like to have known more about how this was assembled. Which parts are the oral history and which parts Lonnrot added to make a coherent whole. The notes in the back of the book were too few and inconvenient to keep turning to- footnotes preferred.

I think it was a good translation without the Victorian flowery prose of the earlier translation I found on line.

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Dec 29, 2009 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Laura by: Bettie

Shelves: audio-books, read-2009, scandinavian-literature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Elias Lönnrot

Elias Lönnrot was a Finnish philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for composing the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled from national folklore.

Lönnrot was born in Sammatti, in the province of Uusimaa in Finland. He studied medicine at the Academy of Turku. To his misfortune the year he joined was the year of the Great Fire of Turku, burning down ha...more Elias Lönnrot was a Finnish philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for composing the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled from national folklore.

Lönnrot was born in Sammatti, in the province of Uusimaa in Finland. He studied medicine at the Academy of Turku. To his misfortune the year he joined was the year of the Great Fire of Turku, burning down half the town – and the University. Lönnrot (and many of the rest of the University) moved to Helsinki, where he graduated in 1832.

He got a job as district doctor of Kajaani in Northern Finland during a time of famine in the district. The famine had prompted the previous doctor to resign, making it possible for a very young doctor to get such a position. Several consecutive years of crop failure resulted in enormous losses of population and livestock; Lönnrot wrote letters to the State departments, asking for food, not medicines. He was the sole doctor for the 4,000 or so people of his district, at a time where doctors were rare and very expensive, and where people did not buy medicines from equally rare and expensive pharmacies, but rather trusted to their village healers and locally available remedies.

His true passion lay in his native Finnish language. He began writing about the early Finnish language in 1827 and began collecting folk tales from the rural people about that time.

Lönnrot went on extended leaves of absence from his doctor's office; he toured the countryside of Finland, Sapmi (Lapland), and nearby portions of Russian Karelia to support his collecting efforts. This led to a series of books: Kantele, 1829–1831 (the kantele is a Finnish traditional instrument); Kalevala, 1835–1836 (possibly Land of Heroes; better known as the "old" Kalevala); Kanteletar, 1840 (the Kantele Maiden); Sananlaskuja, 1842 (Proverbs); an expanded second edition of Kalevala, 1849 (the "new" Kalevala); and Finsk-Svenskt lexikon, 1866–1880 (Finnish-Swedish Dictionary).

Lönnrot was recognised for his part in preserving Finland's oral traditions by appointment to the Chair of Finnish Literature at the University of Helsinki. He died on March 19, 1884 in Sammatti, in the province of Uusimaa.(less)

More about Elias Lönnrot...

Books by Elias Lönnrot

The Kanteletar: Lyrics and Ballads after the Oral Tradition (Oxford World's Classics)

The Kalevala (Volume 2); The Epic Poem of Finland

The Old Kalevala and Certain Antecedents

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Trivia About The Kalevala

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Quotes from The Kalevala

“Once to swim I sought the sea-side,
There to sport among the billows;
With the stone of many colors
Sank poor Aino to the bottom
Of the deep and boundless blue-sea,
Like a pretty son-bird, perished.
Never come a-fishing, father,
To the borders of these waters,
Never during all thy life-time,
As thou lovest daughter Aino.

Mother dear, I sought the sea-side,
There to sport among the billows;
With the stone of many colors,
Sank poor Aino to the bottom
Of the deep and boundless blue-sea,
Like a pretty song-bird perished.
Never mix thy bread, dear mother,
With the blue-sea's foam and waters,
Never during all thy life-time,
As thou lovest daughter Aino.
Brother dear, I sought the sea-side,
There to sport among the billows;
With the stone of many colors
Sank poor Aino to the bottom
Of the deep and boundless blue-sea,
Like a pretty song-bird perished.
Never bring thy prancing war-horse,
Never bring thy royal racer,
Never bring thy steeds to water,
To the borders of the blue-sea,
Never during all thy life-time,
As thou lovest sister Aino.

Sister dear, I sought the sea-side,
There to sport among the billows;
With the stone of many colors
Sank poor Aino to the bottom
Of the deep and boundless blue-sea,
Like a pretty song-bird perished.
Never come to lave thine eyelids
In this rolling wave and sea-foam,
Never during all thy life-time,
As thou lovest sister Aino.
All the waters in the blue-sea
Shall be blood of Aino's body;
All the fish that swim these waters
Shall be Aino's flesh forever;
All the willows on the sea-side
Shall be Aino's ribs hereafter;
All the sea-grass on the margin
Will have grown from Aino's tresses.” — 18 people liked it

“Words shall not be hid
nor spells buried
might shall not sink underground
though the mighty go.” — 5 people liked it

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title link	preview: Kalevala: Or, Poems of the Kaleva District
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/319444.Kalevala?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348173538l/319444.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/319444.Kalevala?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Kalevala: Or, Poems of the Kaleva District by Elias Lönnrot[/url]

Kalevala: Or, Poems of the Kaleva District

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