# Kalevala (Kirby 1907)/Runo 48

Layout 2
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). Ilinarinen recovers from his burns (291-372).
Väinämöinen, 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 its hundred meshes, Thus this wretched fish to slaughter, And destroy the fish unhappy?” So a little spot they found him, Found a place not yet burned over, In the wide extent of marshes, There between two stumps they found it. Thereupon they dug the roots out, And ’twas there they found the flaxseed,20 Guarded by the worm of Tuoni, There protected by the earthworm. There they found a heap of ashes; Dry the ashes that they found there, Of a wooden burned-up vessel, Of a boat that once had burned there. ​There it was they sowed the flaxseed,
In the loose ash did they sow it, On the shore of Lake of Alue, There they sowed it in the clayfield.30 Presently the shoot rose upward, And the flax grew thick and strongly, Grew beyond their expectations, In a single night of summer. Then they steeped it in the night-time, And they carded it by moonlight, And they cleansed it and they stripped it, And they beat it and they rubbed it, With their tools of steel they scraped it, And with all their strength they stripped it.40 Then they took the flax to steeping, And it soon began to soften, And they hastened then to pound it, Afterwards in haste they dried it. Then into the house they brought it, And they hastened then to strip it, And they hastened next to beat it, And they hastened then to break it. Then with diligence they cleansed it, In the twilight did they comb it,50 And upon the loom arranged it, Quicker brought it to the spindle, In a single night of summer; Thus between two days they worked it After this the sisters spun it, And their brothers’ wives were netting, And the brothers worked the meshes, And the fathers also aided. Quickly did they turn the netter, And the mesh with speed they twisted,60 Till the net was quite completed, And the cords were fixed upon it, In a single night of summer, Half another in addition. Thus the net was quite completed, And the cords were fixed upon it. ​And its length was hundred fathoms, And its breadth was hundreds seven; Stones for weights were fastened to it, Likewise proper floats provided. With the net the youths were walking, And at home the old men pondered, Whether they would make a capture, And secure the fish they wished for. Then they drew the net and dragged it, Much they toiled, and threshed the water, Drew it lengthwise through the water, Dragged it crosswise through the water, Captured many little fishes, Many luckless perch they captured,80 Many bony perch they captured, And a large-galled Redeye likewise, But the fish they could not capture That for which the net was fashioned. Said the aged Väinämöinen, “O thou smith, O Ilmarinen, Let us now go forth together Where the net is in the water.” Thereupon went both the heroes, And they drew it through the water,90 And upon one side they spread it Round the islands in the water, And the other side directed, Round about the promontories, And the balance-pole was guided Just as aged Väinö pushed it. Thus they cast the net and pushed it, And they drew the net and dragged it, Captured fishes in abundance, And they captured perch in plenty,100 Salmon-trout in great abundance, Bream and salmon too they captured, All the fishes of the water, Only not the fish they sought for, That for which the net was woven, And the ropes were fastened to it. ​Then the aged Väinämöinen Worked to make the net yet longer, Wider yet the sides expanded, Perhaps five hundred fathoms broader,110 Netted full seven hundred fathoms, And he spoke the words which follow: “To the depths the nets we’ll carry, And will now extend them further, Once again will drag the water, Thus another cast attempting.” To the depths the nets they carried, Further did they then convey them, And again they dragged the water, Thus another cast attempting.120 Then the aged Väinämöinen Spoke aloud the words which follow: “Vellamo, O Water-Mother, Old one with the lavish bosom, Do thou change the shift upon thee, Do thou change thy dress completely, For thou hast a shift of rushes, On thy head a cap of lake-foam, Fashioned by the Wind’s fair daughter, Which the billows’ daughter gave thee.130 Now assume a shift of linen, Of the finest flax that’s woven, Which by Kuutar has been woven, Paivatar has wrought when spinning. “Ahto, master of the billows, Ruler thou of caves a hundred, Take thy pole in length five fathoms, Take thy stake, in length full seven, Thresh with this the open water, And do thou stir up the lake-bed,140 Stir thou all the heaps of refuse, Drive thou on the shoals of fishes, Where the net is spread to catch them, And its hundred floats are swimming, From the bays by fish frequented, From the caves where hide the salmon, ​From the wide lake’s seething whirlpool,
And from the profound abysses, Where the sun was never shining, Undisturbed the sand for ever.”150 From the lake a dwarf ascended, From the waves arose a hero, Stood upon the lake’s broad surface, And he spoke the words which follow: “Is there need to thresh the water, With a long pole to disturb it?” Väinämöinen, old and steadfast, Answered in the words that follow: “There is need to thresh the water, With a long pole to disturb it.”160 Then the dwarf, the little hero, Lifted from the bank a pine-tree, Took a tall tree from the pinewood, And prepared to thresh the water, And he asked, and spoke as follows: “Shall I thresh with strength sufficient, Putting forth my utmost efforts, Or as hard as may be needful?” Old and prudent Väinämöinen Answered in the words which follow:170 “If you thresh as hard as needful, You will have to do much threshing.” Then the man, the little hero, Set to work to thresh the water, And he threshed as much as needful, And he drove the shoals of fishes, And into the net he drove them, In the net with floats a hundred. Rested now the smith his oars; Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,180 Now the net himself drew upward, At the rope as he was pulling. Said the aged Väinämöinen, “We have caught a shoal of fishes, In the net that I am lifting, With a hundred floats provided.” ​Then the net was soon drawn upward,
And they drew it up and shook it In the boat of Väinämöinen, Finding mid the shoal of fishes,190 That for which the net was fashioned, And the hundred floats provided. Väinämöinen, old and steadfast, To the land then urged the vessel, To the blue bridge-side he brought it, To the red bridge-end he brought it, There the shoal of fishes sorted, Turned the heap of bony fishes, And the grey pike found among them, Which he long had sought to capture.200 Then the aged Väinämöinen Thus unto himself reflected: “Is it wise with hands to seize it, Save with gauntlets made of iron, Save with gloves of stone constructed, Save with mittens made of copper?” And the Sun’s son heard him speaking, And replied in words that follow: “I myself would rip the pike up, Venture in my hand to take him,210 If I had my large knife only, Which my noble father gave me.” Then from heaven the knife descended, From the clouds the knife fell downward, Golden-hafted, silver-bladed, To the Sun’s son’s belt dropped downward. Thereupon the Sun’s son seized it, Firmly in his hand he grasped it, And with this the pike ripped open, Cleft the body of the Broad-snout,220 And within the grey pike’s belly There the grey trout he discovered, And within the grey trout’s belly There he found the smooth-skinned powan. Then he split the smooth-skinned powan, And a blue clew he discovered, ​In the powan’s entrails hidden, In the third fold of the entrails. Then the blue clew he unwinded; From the inside of the blue clew230 Fell a red clew from within it, And when he unwound the red clew, In the middle of the red clew, There he found a spark of fire Which had once from heaven descended, Through the clouds had fallen downward, From above eight heavens descending, From the ninth aerial region. Väinämöinen then considered How the spark might best be carried,240 To the cold and fireless dwellings, To the rooms so dark and gloomy. But the fire flashed up most fiercely, From the Sun’s son’s hands who held it, Singed the beard of Väinämöinen, Burned the smith much more severely, For upon his cheeks it burned him, And upon his hands it scorched him. And it hastened quickly onward O’er the waves of Lake of Alue,250 Through the junipers fled onward, Burnt its way through all the thicket, Then rushed upward through the fir-trees, Burning up the stately fir-trees, Rushing ever further onward, Burned up half the land of Pohja, And the furthest bounds of Savo, Over both halves of Carelia. Väinämöinen, old and steadfast, Followed hard upon its traces,260 And he hastened through the forest, Close behind the furious fire, And at length he overtook it, ’Neath the roots of two great tree-stumps, In the stumps of alders hidden, In the rotten stumps he found it. ​Then the aged Väinämöinen
Spoke aloud the words which follow: “Fire, whom Jumala created, Creature of the bright Creator,270 Idly to the depths thou goest, Aimlessly to distant regions. It were better far to hide thee In the hearth of stone constructed, There thy sparks to bind together, And within the coals enclose them, That by day thou may’st be flickering In the kitchen birchen faggots, And at night thou may’st be hidden Close within the golden fire-box.”280 Then he thrust the spark of fire In a little piece of tinder, In the fungus hard of birch-tree, And among the copper kettles. Fire he carried to the kettles, Took it in the bark of birch-tree, To the end of misty headland, And the shady island’s summit. Now was fire within the dwellings, In the rooms again ’twas shining.290 But the smith named Ilmarinen Quickly hastened to the lakeshore, Where the rocks the water washes, And upon the rocks he sat him, In the pain of burning fire, In the anguish of its glowing. There it was he quenched the fire, There it was he dimmed its lustre, And he spoke the words which follow, And in words like these expressed him:300 “Fire whom Jumala created And O thou, the Sun’s son, Panu! Who has made ye thus so angry, As to scorch my cheeks in thiswise, And to burn my hips so badly, And my sides so much to injure? ​“How shall I the fire extinguish,
How shall I reduce its glowing, Make the fire for evil powerless, And its lustre render harmless,310 That no longer it may pain me, And may cause me pain no longer? “Come, thou girl, from land of Turja, Come, thou maiden, forth from Lapland, Frosty-stockinged, icy-booted, And thy skirts all frosted over, In thy hand the icy kettle, And the ice-spoon in the kettle. Sprinkle me with freezing water, Sprinkle me with icy water,320 On the places scorched so badly, And the burns the fire has caused me. “But if this is not sufficient, Come, thou youth, come forth from Pohja, Come, thou child, from midst of Lapland, From Pimentola, O tall one, Tall as is a forest fir-tree, Tall as pine-tree in the marshes, On thy hands the gloves of hoarfrost, On thy feet the boots of hoarfrost,330 On thy head the cap of hoarfrost, Round thy waist the belt of hoarfrost. “Bring from Pohjola the hoarfrost, Ice from out the frozen village. Hoarfrost’s plentiful in Pohja, Ice enough in frozen village. Lakes of ice, and frozen rivers, All the air with ice is laden. O’er the hoarfrost hares are skipping, On the ice the bears are sporting,340 In the middle of the snow-heaps, On the edge of the snow mountains, On the rims the swans are walking, On the ice the ducks are waddling, In the midst of snow-filled rivers, Cornices of icy cataracts. ​“On thy sledge bring thou the hoarfrost, On thy sledge the ice convey thou, From the slopes of rugged mountains, From the lofty mountains’ borders.350 Make them hoary with the hoarfrost, With the ice, O make them icy, All the hurts by fire occasioned, All the burns the fire has caused me. “But if this is not sufficient, Ukko, thou of Gods the highest, Ukko, thou the clouds who leadest, Thou the scattered clouds who herdest, Send a cloud from out the eastward, And a thick cloud from the westward,360 Link the edges close together, Close thou up the gaps between them, Send thou ice, and send thou hoarfrost, Send thou, too, the best of ointment, For the places scorched so badly, And the hurts by fire occasioned.” Thus it was smith Ilmarinen Found a means to quench the fire, And to dim the brilliant fire. Thus the smith was healed completely,370 And regained his former vigour, Healed from wounds the fire occasioned.