The Voyage to the World's End
The Kalevipoeg (Son of Kalev) is the Estonian national epic, compiled by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803–1882) from folk songs, oral traditions, and his own literary composition. Published in its definitive form in 1857–1861, it tells in twenty cantos the life of the giant hero Kalevipoeg — son of the mythical king Kalev and his wife Linda — from his birth through his adventures to his tragic end chained at the gates of the underworld.
Canto XVI follows directly from the founding of the city in Canto XV. Kalevipoeg conceives the ambition to sail to the edge of the world — to the place where the sky's dome is fastened to the earth. A raven gives him false counsel; wise men from Finland warn him he will need an iron ship to survive the northern lights. He orders the silver ship Lennuk (the Flier), gathers his companions — Olevipoeg the builder, Sulevipoeg, Alevipoeg, and a tongue-wise interpreter — and sails north into the unknown. Finnish sorcerers raise a seven-day storm. They reach Lapland, where a spinning maiden sings the tale of a hen that became a princess. The Lap wise man Varrak joins as navigator but warns that the raven's path leads to Hell. They survive a maelstrom by baiting a whale with a red-draped barrel, explore the volcanic Isle of Sparks (where Sulevipoeg singes his eyebrows and lights his pipe), lose their cup-bearer to a water-nymph's paradise, visit a land where roosters eat gold and cabbages grow to spruce-height, and are carried in a giantess's apron like fleas. The northern lights blaze as spirit-warriors; the heroes reach a shore of dog-tailed people, where Kalevipoeg's borrowed horse is killed by a hidden trap. In rage he plows the tundra with an uprooted oak, then repents and prays to Uku for the land's blessing. The wise man finally reveals the raven's deception, and Kalevipoeg turns for home — having learned that the great world has no end, that Taara's wisdom has no boundary, and that wisdom won on a false road is worth more than silver or gold.
This is a Good Works Translation by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated from the Estonian text of the 1857 first edition as preserved in Project Gutenberg (#25062). The parallelism and alliteration of Estonian regivärss are preserved in the line structure. No existing English translation was consulted as a source.
Part One — The Dream of the World's Edge
(Lines 1–82)
Kalev's mighty son,
Turning over his thoughts,
Had begun to reckon,
To arrange his wisdom-road,
To sail to the great world's end,
To voyage to the northern border,
Where none had walked before,
Where no path was ever trodden,
But where the sky's high dome
Was fastened to the earth.
He let his song flow smoothly,
Set his words in motion:
"When I ride out on horseback,
Let the grey one down the yard
To ride the secret road,
To tread the wisdom-path,
I ride across the open land,
Through the thickest brushwood,
Break over the mountains,
Leap through the gorges,
Stride a stretch of moss-bog,
Walk a second through dry-land,
A third through heather,
A fourth through heath —
Then I would reach my mark,
If lakes should not chain my step,
If the sea should not hold the man.
Hear me, eagle, beautiful bird!
Carry me upon your wings,
Rolling over the waters,
Flying over the waves,
Until I touch the world's edge
With my very hands,
Probe it with my fingers,
Where the sky's high roof
Has laid its eaves below,
Where blue-silk walls
Have set their lowest beams,
Where the moon- and sun-bearer,
The upholder of clouds,
Has fastened firm his heel,
Has pressed his toes into the earth!"
When he wished to tread
That unknown road headlong,
To walk with reckless daring
Where no one had walked before,
No path was ever trodden,
The wise bird raised its voice,
The raven croaked its words:
"Where you see blue water,
Wide and spreading waves,
Look — are there rushes by the shore,
Bulrushes at the water's edge?
Let your right foot strike there,
Your strong heel against the bank —
Then the earth will open
Its secret mouth to you,
Its hidden gate
Wide open before you,
And from there the world's end is yours."
Part Two — The Boast of Waters
(Lines 83–130)
Kalev's son replied:
"Have I not by fortune's chance
Already a hundred times
Crossed through Lake Peipsi unfearing,
Through Vortsjärv unwavering,
Through Kaiu lake undaunted,
Through the Western Sea unfalling,
Laden with burdens?
Do I not know their paths,
Their borders by the smallest measure,
Their wave-lengths' breadth,
Their hidden depths,
The grave-beds of Ahti's sons?
Lake Peipsi reached my hips,
Vortsjärv reached my belt,
The dark lake reached my belly,
Kaiu lake reached my neck,
The Western Sea my jaw,
The great sea reached my mouth.
Lake Ilmjärv alone remained
In its middle untested,
Its deep places unguessed,
Its depths unfathomed,
Its hidden places unwalked."
Turning his mind in thought,
Hatching his secret wishes,
Kalev's son set his song-words
Flying:
"If I set out in stubborn will,
Drive my steps forward,
My toes swiftly rolling,
Then I shall row toward Finland,
Point the prow to the north,
Steer the wagon's course —
Surely I shall find in the Rocky Land,
In Finland kinsmen,
In Turjamaa acquaintances,
On the islands old friends
Who will set me on the road,
Point me along the trail."
Then he spoke to Olev:
"Take up, Olev, little brother,
City-builder, master of wisdom,
Take the axe in your hand now,
Cut down the border-oak,
Topple the great oak,
Scatter its crown from the clouds,
Fell its trunk from the stump!
Part Three — The Great Oak
(Lines 131–215)
"Take that oak for needful timber,
That tree our father planted
On the high bluff's bend
Beside the yard,
That our mother nurtured;
That from the sea-cliff's edge,
From the wide sand-land
Sways its tall crown,
Spreads its broad branches,
So that the sun cannot shine,
The moon cannot glow,
The stars cannot glimmer,
The clouds cannot scatter rain!
Fell it, golden brother,
Topple the tall oak,
Let the sun shine again,
The moon glow once more,
The clouds scatter their drops,
The snow spread far and wide!
Make from the oak's trunk
The sturdiest needful ships
For sailing secret roads,
For managing wisdom's routes;
From the crown make warships,
From the middle make merchant ships,
From the knotty end make slave-ships,
From the shavings make children's boats,
From the corners make maiden-ships!
What remains, let it remain,
Leave the remnants unwasted:
From the remnants build Järva's fortress,
From the scraps build Riga's fortress,
From the shavings build Lääne's fortress,
A shelter-place for Virumaa,
A hiding-place for Harjumaa,
A refuge for Poltsamaa!
What is left over, let it remain,
Leave the remnants unwasted,
Leave the scraps unbroken,
The smallest pieces ungathered:
From the scraps build a hall of peace,
A shelter for orphan children,
A mourning-chamber for widows,
A lamenting-chamber for the sorrowful;
From them Viru gets its rain-shelter,
The farm-folk their wind-shelter.
What is left over, let it remain,
Leave the remnants unwasted,
Leave the scraps unbroken,
The smallest pieces ungathered:
So the poor may find their shelter,
The widows a place for mourning;
Those whose house the wind has built,
Whose beams the water rolled,
Whose roof the hail has shaken,
Whose doors the fog has made,
Whose white walls the snow has woven.
What is left over, let it remain,
Leave the branches unwasted,
The proud limbs undestroyed:
From the branches build a serf's chamber,
From the twigs build the poor their joy-room,
A play-room for the maidens,
A pleasure-room for children too!"
Part Four — The Warning of the Wise Men
(Lines 216–312)
Olev understood, replied,
And sang out smoothly:
"Well I would know what to do,
Would know, little brother,
If only there were men in our land,
Strong ones with knowledge,
Who might hew the oak down."
The raven heard from the spruce-top,
The wise bird took notice:
"Go seek out such men,
The strongest to be found,
The mightiest from far away,
Who might topple the great oak,
Fell the trunk from its stump."
They went to seek such men,
The strongest to be found,
Who might hew the border-oak,
Topple the great oak,
Scatter its crown from the clouds.
They brought men from Turjamaa,
Word-wise ones from Finland.
The wise men took notice,
The word-wise ones explained:
"Dear Kalev's son,
Strong-men's fostering!
If you truly wish to go
To seek the world's end,
Where the Old Father's hand
Has knotted the sky's borders,
Fastened them to the earth,
Lowered the wide rim,
Turn to the northern border,
Steer toward the Pole Star,
By the Old Wagon's light!
If you take that road,
Wander to the north,
Then a wooden boat will not endure,
Nor a ship made from oak-trunk.
The mighty force of the northern lights,
Flashing and flickering,
Would set a boat ablaze,
Would make a ship burst into flame;
There the ship must be wrought of iron,
The boat bent from steel,
Made from tempered metal,
Cast from ancient copper."
Part Five — The Silver Ship Lennuk
(Lines 313–398)
Kalev's mighty son
Had a fine ship built,
A proud vessel crafted,
Not bent from wood
Nor built from bone
Nor cast from copper,
Not made from tempered steel.
Kalevipoeg, mighty man,
Had the vessel fashioned,
The ship made from silver,
From the dearest silver-steel,
From the thinnest silver-planks.
The ship's roof of silver,
Silver-steel the ship's floor,
Silver the ship's masts,
Silver-cord the ship's ropes.
"Lennuk" was the ship's name given,
For in flight it cleft the waves.
Then he ordered a golden coat
Made for his own body's covering,
Ordered for his seamen too
Sturdy garments furnished:
Silver-steel for the leaders,
Iron-steel for the common folk,
Copper-steel for the elders,
Tempered steel for the wise ones,
For at the world's far edge
Near the Pole Star's borders
The flickering of the northern lights,
The whirling of the fire-sprites
Could not crack the iron,
Could not wear the steel coat through.
When the order then was given
To load the precious ship,
To bring provisions for the men,
Abundant stores for all the folk,
Kalev's son commanded
Word be sent to friends,
To dear foster-brothers,
Knowledge to the wise ones,
Who were called along,
Who were counted as helpers.
Part Six — The Departure
(Lines 399–463)
Then the worldly-wise ones sang,
The worldly-wise, the land-clever,
Shouting joy-songs out,
That they were called along,
Were counted as helpers.
But those who were left uncalled
Sang a sorrowful song:
"We, dear ones, listened,
We, poor ones, watched,
Whether we too would be called.
We were not shouted to the troop,
Not beckoned to come along;
By force Sulev was summoned,
With kindness Alev was called,
The cup-bearer was told to come
To tend the journey's way."
Kalev's mighty son
Brought aboard the seamen,
Others as fighting-men,
A third lot as trading-men,
Household sons, the slender.
Wise ones still were needed,
Word-men were compelled,
Wind-wise ones were wanted,
Spell-wise ones were coaxed
To sacrifice at Uku's stone,
To bring good fortune to the road.
When the ship before the dawn,
The little boat before the day,
The Lennuk at the first grey light
Went rolling on the waterway,
Rocking on the wave-cradle,
Hats were whirled around,
Songs were sung out smoothly:
"From my head I spin the hat,
Below I spin the ship;
I sail a striped road,
Roll along a foreign waterway
That is not berry-stemmed,
Not silver-threaded in its loops,
Not gold-threaded in its curls."
The ship was set upon the waves,
Its prow turned toward Finland,
To the northern border's turning,
Toward the Old Wagon's light.
Part Seven — The Sea Songs
(Lines 464–554)
Kalev's mighty son
Sat himself at the highest post
Beside the wise helmsman,
Drove his friends to rowing,
The lads to working sail,
The crew to tending ropes,
To tightening the cables.
When the ship merrily
Was flying on the wave-cradle,
Kalev's son began
To pour out a song of pleasure:
"I lift my hat
From my head toward the sun on high,
Who sows his golden letters
On the waves,
So that when the ship cleaves the waters
A golden border rises,
A silver furrow foams.
I lift my hat,
Bowing toward the moon,
Greeting the stars,
Who nourish our strength,
Who mark the way for us.
Let us go, let us sing our tale,
Let us fashion old words,
Tracking the rivers,
Playing with the seas,
Plowing the cliffs,
Exploring great islands,
Sweeping the sea's edge,
Clearing the shore's floor,
Where gold was sown,
Silver was planted,
Taara's wisdom sprinkled.
Once, once the world appeared,
Appeared in beauty!
Once, once the heavens were made,
Made with wisdom,
Dotted with stars,
Sprinkled with clouds."
Then he sang the long tale
Of the first world's appearing,
How the moon was given its house,
A nest made for the sun.
The Lennuk on the wave-cradle
Had sailed for many days,
By day with the sun as guide,
By night with the stars' direction.
The boat rolled toward the north,
Closer to the world's edge;
The tongue-wise one they brought along
Steered the ship from the helm;
He it was who understood all words,
All tongue-clickings,
Who knew the languages of birds,
Who knew the voices of beasts,
And wisely took their meaning.
Part Eight — The Finnish Sorcerers' Storm
(Lines 555–620)
At the Finnish sorcerers' bidding
The gale-storms raged,
Whipping the water to fury;
Cloud-darkness hid the day,
Hid the sun in mist,
Covered the sky-stars
Entirely in fog-murk,
In dew-grey cloaks,
So neither helmsman knew
Nor steersman the ship's course.
The tongue-wise one inquired
Of birds that from the waves
He found near the ship.
When he had got their answer,
He let a song ring out:
"Young brothers, little brothers,
Dear sons of heroes,
Let us go and see the foreign land,
Explore Finland's secrets,
Gather from its meadows,
Pluck from its heather,
Sweep from the sea-floor,
Harvest from beneath the waves,
Lift from the stone-piles,
Pry from the mountains,
Whatever they conceal,
Whatever precious things they hold!
The meadow-flowers weep,
The heather-plants lament,
The cliff-boulders cry out,
The ocean-hollows sigh,
The wave-cradles mourn
Where once they heard the precious things,
Once understood the ancient words."
On the wave-cradle the ship rose,
Sometimes rising high,
Sometimes nearly plunging,
Nearly falling under the waves,
So neither helmsman knew
Nor steersman the ship's course.
The sun had gone in secret
To rest in evening's bosom;
Night's darkness all around
Covered Kalev's ship.
Seven nights and seven days
The ship rocked without tiring,
In the storm-wind's driving
On the waves like a goosling;
Then the weary Finnish sorcerers
Rested from their blowing.
Part Nine — The Shore of Lapland
(Lines 621–700)
The sun broke free to shine,
To light the wide world;
At last from the water's edge
The shore began to grow in the distance,
To rise up higher.
The tongue-wise one called out:
"A strange shore, little brothers!"
Kalev's mighty son,
When they drew close to the bank,
Leapt from the ship into the waves,
Swimming eagerly,
Hurrying toward the shore;
Then he hauled his friends
By ropes from the ship to land.
This was not Finland's shore
Nor the familiar coast of Turjamaa,
Nor any place he had walked before.
The tongue-wise one asked:
What is this shore called?
The small birds sang,
The swallows twittered,
The old crow answered:
"This is the meagre shore of Lapland,
The poor ones' little bank."
The Lennuk was driven into the bay,
The silver boat to the raft's edge,
Fastened with stones,
Imprisoned with stakes,
That it might not escape
To fly upon the waves.
Kalev's dear son
Called the tongue-wise one as guide,
Drove his friends as escort
To view the foreign place.
They walked, the four of them,
A stretch of road, a mile of ground,
Along the heath swaying,
Through the tussock-mounds stumbling,
Along the wide clearing,
Striding through the moss-bog,
Walking through the heather
Along the peatland paths:
Perhaps somewhere by chance
A farmstead might rise to view.
What came rolling toward them,
What stretched before their eyes?
There rose to view a lone farmstead,
A little household from its hiding.
Before the door sat a maiden,
A young girl on the grass-bench,
Turning the spindle,
Spinning threads of linen;
Her fingers twirled the distaff,
But her mouth shaped words,
She let a little song ring gaily:
Part Ten — The Hen-Maiden's Song
(Lines 701–774)
"There was once a young wife,
She milked the cows before dawn,
Milked the cows in the alder-grove,
Strained the milk in the chamber;
Then she went to drive the herd.
She drove the herd to the birch-wood,
The cows down to the alders,
The calves to the bushes' shelter.
What did she find on the cattle-path?
She found a hen on the cattle-path,
A little rooster on the meadow;
The hen was rustling silk,
The rooster wore golden fringes.
The young wife chased the hen,
Teased the little rooster;
The rooster flew over the forest,
Over the wide clearing —
The little hen fell to the woman's hand,
Was carried in her apron home.
The hen carried in her apron,
The little one brought in her bosom,
Was taken to the grain-chamber,
Set upon the bin's edge,
To grow as a foster-hen,
To nestle beneath the lid.
The hen grew beneath the cover,
The little one swelled in hiding,
Grew a month, grew two,
Grew a quarter of a third month,
A week of a fourth month,
Plus a pair of days.
The young wife went to check the barn:
What would grow from the foster-hen,
What swell from the hidden little one?
From the hen a maiden grew,
A beautiful king's daughter.
Suitors came for the maiden,
Many bridegrooms for the girl,
Five and six with wine-jugs,
Seven hundred messages;
One was the moon, the second the sun,
The third" — —
"Kalevipoeg,
A bridegroom tall as a birch tree!"
So spoke Kalevipoeg
As he stepped across the threshold.
The girl fled in terror,
Cried for help in distress.
Part Eleven — The Lap Wise Man
(Lines 775–895)
At his daughter's cry the father came
To look at the stranger,
To see what had caused the commotion.
Kalev's dear son,
When he had greeted the father,
Recognized him as a Lap wise man,
And straightaway asked him:
"Sing out, foreign cuckoo,
Sing, sing, little bird,
Answer me, golden brother —
From here, which is the shortest road,
The straightest course to the world's end,
So that no other roads,
Silver-threaded in their loops,
Gold-threaded in their curls,
Come to lead me astray,
To block my journey's step!
Guide me straight to that place
Where the sky's little dome
Has fastened its lower edge,
Has lowered its blue-silk walls
Upon the open plain,
Where the moon goes dark,
Where the sun goes to rest
When they have finished
Their appointed watch
Of night and day!"
The raven at home had told him,
The wise bird had given notice:
"Where you see blue water,
Wide and spreading waves,
Look — are there rushes by the shore,
Bulrushes at the water's edge?
Let your right foot strike there,
Your strong heel against the bank —
Then the earth will open
Its secret mouth to you,
Its hidden gate
Wide open before you,
And from there the world's end is yours."
"Guide me to that edge,
To rush past the reed-shore!"
The wise man heard, replied:
"From here no road rises for you,
No wandering paths
Anywhere to the world's end;
The sea has no boundary,
The waves have no ending
Where the Old Father wisely
Has tilted the sky's roof,
Has lowered its eaves,
Has let blue-silk walls
Fall upon the open plain.
Those who went here before,
Treading the empty wind,
Found at the Isle of Sparks
Their death from too much daring.
The house-raven's counsel
Points to the road to Hell,
The gate of the Old One.
If you wish a journey homeward,
Friend, let me arrange it —
I will gladly come along
As your guide, for pleasure's sake."
Kalev's son replied:
"I can reach home unguided
On the road I already know.
Take the trouble, little brother,
Lead me to the foreign fields,
To the world's edge door,
To the Old Father's gate!"
Part Twelve — The Bargain with Varrak
(Lines 896–968)
The Lap wise man asked:
"What will be thrown to me as payment,
Tossed to me for my trouble?"
Kalev's son replied:
"Whatever you wish, little friend,
Whatever price you ask,
Shall be thrown to you as payment,
Tossed to you for your trouble.
Take half my treasure,
Ask for ten sacks of gold,
A good heap of silver!
Only lead me, little brother,
To the world's edge door,
To the Old Father's gate!
The sea's depths I have measured,
Hell's borders I know by the rope;
But the great world's end-walls
Until now remain unknown,
Untouched by my hands."
The Lap wise man sang back:
"Add something more for pleasure,
Put an extra price upon it —
Whatever you have at home in chains,
Standing by the wall!"
Kalev's dearest son
Promised to fulfill it all,
To add beyond the village-man's
Count of shackles
Still more for his delight.
The Lap wise man sang,
Varrak answered thus:
"Let your wish be done,
Let your will be fulfilled.
No blame shall rise against me,
No reproach against the stranger,
If you should meet by chance
Misfortune, danger, or mishap
On the journey ahead;
The blame falls on the one who compels,
The answer on the one who takes the counsel."
The Lap man was taken aboard the ship,
Varrak was brought to steer,
To guide the sea-voyage.
Part Thirteen — The Maelstrom
(Lines 969–1015)
On the wave-cradle rocking,
On the wind's wing driving,
Kalev's ship cleaved
Foam-roads through the water,
Many nights and many days
Sailing toward the north.
The ship drifted on the wave-fall
Into a whirlpool unaware —
The oars could not help,
Nor the sails deliver
The precious ship from the water's throat;
The maelstrom tried to swallow
The cargo and the carrier together.
The Lap wise man took a barrel,
Varrak took a little cask,
Covered it in red cloth
On the outside of the cask,
Wound red ribbons
In wickerwork around it,
Bound it with chains
To hang from the ship's side
So that a fish, seeing the bait,
Would surely come to take it.
From the water came a whale
To seize the red bait;
It gulped the little cask,
Set itself to straining,
Hauled the ship from the maelstrom,
Freed the boat from Hell's mouth,
From the underworld's door,
From the ancient enemy's gate,
Where many had fallen before,
Where some in distress had perished.
Part Fourteen — The Isle of Sparks
(Lines 1016–1100)
On the wave-cradle rocking,
On the wind's wing driving,
Kalev's ship cleaved
Foam-roads through the water,
Many nights and many days
Sailing toward the north.
Kalev's mighty son
Set his words to flowing,
Let his song ring out:
"Counsel does not cast a man into the corner,
Nor set his thoughts upon the shelf;
Against the threats of mishap
Song-words bring peace,
Wise words bring mastery."
The ship on the wave-flight,
On the water-stream's rolling,
Had been sailing a long time
Toward the northern border's turning,
When the Isle of Sparks appeared —
Fire-pillars rising,
Smoke-clouds swelling.
Kalevipoeg pressed forward
To view the Isle of Sparks;
Varrak argued against it,
Forbidding the fearful road.
Sulevipoeg spoke out:
"Let me go
To tread the fire-road,
To walk the smoke-path,
Where those who went before,
Many weaker ones, grew weak,
The feeble fell to ruin!"
They drove the ship from the waves
To the Isle of Sparks' edge,
Where one mountain played with fire,
A second birthed smoke,
A third boiled hot water;
Molten stones from the depths
Were sent as streams into the valleys.
Sulev walked by the smoke's guidance,
Trod by the fire's direction,
Closer to Hell's furnace,
To view the marvellous
Apparition secretly.
Fire-stone shards
Rained thickly through the smoke,
Whirled through the ashes
Like snowdrifts on the clearing,
Heavily on the peatland paths.
His iron coat clanging,
The stone-missiles tried
To kill Sulev.
Heedless of misfortune
The hero's son walked on
Toward the furnace of Hell,
Until the coat began to singe
And his body began to roast,
His eyelashes curled up,
His hair, his eyebrows scorched.
Sulevipoeg spoke:
"The Devil take this fire-hill,
From which there's no profit for anyone!
At home it could serve as kiln-fire,
As sauna-warmth for bathers —
In many a place it would be pleasant
Where one fathom per household
Is given as a mercy-gift.
For now I have no better plan:
I'll light my pipe."
Then he halted his steps,
Retreated from the fire-road.
Barely he reached the ship
To nurse his ailing sides,
To tend his singed wounds.
Part Fifteen — The Lost Cup-Bearer and the Land of Golden Birds
(Lines 1101–1170)
Kalevipoeg asked:
"Did you perhaps see the cup-bearer,
Who was running at your heels?"
Sulevipoeg denied it;
The others cried for the missing cup-bearer
With one voice.
Look — a beautiful white bird
Settled down upon the ship.
The tongue-wise one listened,
Perhaps the feathered one
Had seen the missing cup-bearer.
The white bird answered:
"On the other side of the ice-mountains,
Beyond the snowy clearings,
There is a fairer springtime place,
A warmer summer region;
In the soil eggs are boiled,
In the sand meat is roasted:
There the boy has wandered,
Lured by a water-maiden,
Living in unending summertime
In happiness forever.
Go your way, wise men —
The cup-bearer will not return!"
The men reached a land
Where roosters ate gold,
Roosters gold and hens silver,
Geese green silver,
Crows old copper,
Nestlings pennies,
Wise birds thalers,
Where the plants grew tall,
Cabbages to spruce-tree height.
Kalev's mighty son
Sent his servants,
Drove the underlings
To view the foreign place;
Ordered the tongue-wise one
To study the secret words,
To learn the birds' wisdom,
While he himself lay on the ship
With Sulev drowsing,
Resting in the sun's warmth;
He gave Alev the command
To keep watch on the guard-turn.
Part Sixteen — The Giant's Daughter
(Lines 1171–1264)
The tongue-wise one walked,
The servants strode
A stretch of road, a mile of ground,
Where no birdsong could be heard
Nor any creature found.
The sun was already sinking,
Falling into the sea-waves.
Weary from the walk, the brothers
Stretched themselves flat
In the bushes' shade to rest.
On the second day's dawning,
Before the light of morning,
A stronger young woman roused
The sleeping men from slumber —
She who had come to the cabbage-patch
To pick cabbage-leaves
For the cows to eat.
The young woman took the men,
Put the lads in her apron's fold,
Carried them in her lap home.
The father at home asked:
"What have you brought, young daughter,
What have you gathered from the cabbages?"
The girl shook out her apron,
Spilled the men upon the floor:
"Look here, father dear,
What I harvested in jest
From the cabbage-patch,
Where they, the little fleas, all six,
Chilled by the dew,
Were sleeping beneath the cabbage-heads!"
The wise father began to test
The little men with riddles:
"Who walks along the fence-top,
Steps along the garden's edge,
Circles through the reeds?"
The tongue-wise one answered:
"The bee, the little bird,
That walks along the fence-top,
Steps along the garden's edge,
Circles through the reeds."
The wise father tested again
The little men with riddles:
"What drinks from the river,
Tastes from the village wells,
From amid the stone-chips?"
The tongue-wise one answered:
"The rainbow drinks from the river,
Tastes from the village wells,
From amid the stone-chips."
The Giant wise man tested:
"Guess now, guess now, little men —
What comes rumbling from the thicket,
Hissing from the blue heavens?"
The tongue-wise one answered:
"The rain comes rumbling from the thicket,
Hissing from the blue heavens."
By this the Giant wise man knew
These were men of understanding.
"Put them in your apron, girl,
Take them back without delay
To where they stood before;
These are upper-world sons of men
Who walk the path of wisdom,
Seeking teachings."
The daughter obeyed the command:
Carried the six strangers back
To where she had gathered them.
The tongue-wise one understood the tongue,
Began to beg the girl:
"Carry us, maiden, for a jest,
Carry us down to the sea-shore!"
The girl, fulfilling the request,
Carried the men to the shore.
Like a column of smoke
Hanging from the sky's dome,
Flickering on a spark-pole,
Scattering fire from the heavens,
The Giant's young daughter came
In flying steps toward the ship,
Crashing to the sea-shore;
She poured the men from her apron
Onto the silver ship's rail.
The girl's panting breath
Blew the ship upon the waves
A mile's distance away.
The marvel of the apparition
Set everyone trembling.
Kalev's mighty son
Mocked the cloud-maiden:
"Be well, young girl!
You washed our eyes unbidden —
I'll dry the drops
From our cheeks myself."
Part Seventeen — The Northern Lights and the Dog-Tailed People
(Lines 1265–1380)
Kalevipoeg gave the order
To unfurl the sails,
Wanting straightaway
To sail further north;
Though the cold was very fierce,
Ice covered the tracks,
Through the high ice-hills
The Lennuk merrily cut
Its way, sailing the northern road.
Look! The spirits of the northern lights
In battle beneath the sky,
Flashing silver spears,
Swaying golden shields,
Seemed to set the ship aglow.
Already the men's courage failed,
The lads' trousers trembling.
But Kalev's son
Laughed a fiery jest:
"Let the northern lights' swords,
The silver spear-flashes,
The golden shield-swayings
Make us a fire-road,
By whose pale glimmering
We see further ahead!
The moon refused to come along,
The sun went long ago to hide;
As a mercy-gift Uku set
The northern lights to play."
At last a strange shore rolled near,
An unknown people rose
Before our friends' eyes;
The fellows had half-dog bodies,
Long dog-tails behind them,
In their tricks like goblins,
But human in their faces.
The dog-tailed fellows
Set about their torment fiercely,
Attacking the newcomers,
So that no one from the ship
Could step ashore.
Kalev's mighty son
Leapt from the ship to the bank
To scatter the dog-folk,
To hurl the enemy down;
He felled them by the hundred,
Struck them by the thousand.
By fortune he found a horse,
A sturdy stallion,
Leapt upon its back
To ride the battle-road,
To sweep away the dog-folk.
A foreign little man
Fastened a war-snare
Crosswise before the stallion's steps.
The good horse stumbled
When it struck the snare in panic,
Tripped by accident,
Fell on the wide clearing,
Dropped dead in the moss-bog.
Kalevipoeg mourning,
Sighing for the good horse,
Cursing the one who set the trap,
Damning the one who tied the snare,
Then took up headlong,
Tore from the earth the trunk
Of the sturdiest oak-tree,
To plow through the bog with it,
To furrow the dry-lands,
So that the northern fields
Should not grow crops,
Should not ripen grain.
Part Eighteen — The Repentance and the True Counsel
(Lines 1381–1478)
The land's wise man came scolding,
To forbid the plowman:
"Why are you, little brother,
In your anger plowing,
Destroying our land,
Cursing our moss-bogs,
Where there is no good pasture
Nor bread-land for children?"
Kalevipoeg answered:
"The war-snare took my horse,
Killed my riding-mount,
Before I could finish
The wisdom-road in fortune."
The wise old man remarked:
"How can you, golden brother,
Complete the wisdom-road,
When with your heavy hand
You have wiped out the people,
The counsellors from the meadows,
Destroyed them from the path?"
Kalevipoeg repenting
His cursing done in anger,
By which he had killed the seed-folk
From the northern field-edges,
Cried out to Uku in distress:
"Give growth to the fish,
Increase to Finland's herring,
Abundance to the seals,
Offspring to the feathered birds!
Let the waves roll timber
To the shore upon the water,
That for the future's profit
They may have good things to sow!"
The wise man understood, replied:
"Friend, since you wish well,
I will truly
Give you good counsel and direction,
How to find the further road."
Kalev's son replied:
"The raven at home proclaimed,
The wise bird gave notice:
'Where you see blue water,
Wide and spreading waves,
Rushes rolling at the shore,
Bulrushes at the water's edge —
There the hidden gate
Will show you the world's end.' "
The wise old man replied:
"The raven-bird in its telling
Has spoken deception to you.
Where you see blue water,
Wide and spreading waves,
Rushes rolling at the shore,
Bulrushes at the water's edge —
From there you will find the secret mouth,
The hidden gate,
Which will lure you into Hell,
Drive you into the jaws of death."
Part Nineteen — The Homeward Voyage
(Lines 1479–1555)
Kalev's dear son
Set off homeward,
Speaking to his friends,
He let his song flow smoothly:
"Let us go, let us go, merry brothers,
Walk on, walk on, dear ones!
Let us go back to the south,
Quickly walk toward home,
Where the house-dogs know us,
Where the familiar ones greet us!"
Varrak straightaway asked:
"Little brother, who will pay
My hauling-wages,
Throw me my reward,
When you turn toward home?"
Kalev's son replied:
"Everything without refusal
Shall be thrown to you as pay,
As we agreed.
You have not strayed a step —
From the road I myself turned back."
The men went aboard the ship
To sail toward home.
On the wave-cradle rocking,
On the wind's wing driving,
Kalev's ship cleaved
Foam-roads through the water.
The boat rolled toward Viru,
The ship merrily southward.
Part Twenty — The Wisdom of the Road
(Lines 1556–1645)
Kalev's dearest son
Set his words to flowing:
"No more wisdom can come to a man,
No more sense to any fellow,
Than has been given to beasts.
My empty road has gone to wind,
The world's end was left unsought,
Left untouched by my hands.
Let the Lennuk down to Lalli,
To Lindanisa's bay,
Where Olev has built the buildings,
Has raised the tall towers!"
The tongue-wise one answered:
"Whoever next wishes
To walk this path,
To seek the world's end,
Let him manage things more wisely —
First set his affairs in order:
Place offerings on the stone
For Uku the fortune-giver,
Bring fresh gifts to the guardians,
Sacrifices to the keepers,
Appeasements to the birds!"
Kalevipoeg in answer
Sang back smoothly:
"Coming home brings greater wisdom
Than going out gave the man.
I rushed down an empty road,
Treading the wind,
Went merrily upon the waves,
Wanted to touch
The sky's far back wall with my hands,
Seeking the world's end,
Probing with my fingers.
Let no other men,
Let no other sons of women,
Do what I have done in vain,
Wasting precious time;
I hoped for profit growing,
I had to mourn the loss.
My father was not there to bless,
My mother not there to comfort with love,
No sisters there to wish me well;
From the cold grave's center,
From the sand's embrace,
The father could not rise,
The mother could not give her love.
Regret, dear brothers,
Cannot grow from the journey!
Higher than silver treasure,
Dearer than loads of gold,
Wisdom must be reckoned;
For we found on the wandering road,
On the false-field's paths,
This truthful evidence:
That the great world has no end,
That Taara's wisdom has no road
Fastened anywhere,
No boundary set.
What else I plowed from foreign soil,
What secrets I have spoken,
From that a man will have
His whole life long to think.
Whoever the Creator
Has blessed with fortune,
Hidden in his own breast,
Made mightier in the power of spirit,
Sharper in wisdom,
Stronger in bodily force
Than others, and let him rise —
Let him roll to foreign lands
To see the great world,
To witness Taara's wisdom,
To view with watchful eyes
The godly wonders!
But the others, the weak ones,
The feebler sons of women,
Let them stay home to grow,
Let them bloom in their own garden!"
Part Twenty-One — The Homecoming
(Lines 1646–1666)
They let the Lennuk down to Lalli,
To Lindanisa's bay,
Where Olev had built the buildings,
Had raised the tall towers.
The boat was driven to the raft's edge,
The ship close to the shore.
The men went to the meadows,
Rolled onto the fields,
Stepped down into the yard.
A bird sang from the alders,
A cuckoo from the golden spruces:
"In your own land happiness blooms,
At home, profit grows best!
At home the yard-dogs know you,
A friend comes to greet you,
A kinsman comes to wish you well;
The sun shines kindly,
The sky-stars shine."
Colophon
Translated from the Estonian of Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's Kalevipoeg (1857) as preserved in Project Gutenberg (#25062). The sixteenth of twenty cantos. Approximately 1,126 verse lines translated from 19th-century literary Estonian.
No existing English translation was consulted as a source. The English is independently derived from Kreutzwald's Estonian text, preserving the parallelism, kenning-compounds, and alliterative rhythm of the original regivärss tradition.
Notable elements: the hero's ambition to sail to the edge of the world, the felling of the great oak to build ships and cities (a parallel to Kalevala Canto 2), the building of the silver ship Lennuk, Finnish sorcerers raising a seven-day storm, the spinning maiden's tale of a hen that became a princess, the Lap wise man Varrak's warning that the raven's counsel leads to Hell, the whale-baited escape from a maelstrom, Sulevipoeg's volcanic exploration and pipe-lighting on the Isle of Sparks, the cup-bearer lost to a water-nymph's paradise, the land where roosters eat gold and cabbages grow to spruce-height, the giantess who carries the heroes like fleas in her apron and blows their ship a mile with her breath, the northern lights as spirit-warriors with silver spears and golden shields, the dog-tailed people at the world's far shore, the horse killed by a hidden war-snare, Kalevipoeg's furious plowing of the tundra and his repentance, the raven's deception revealed, and the homeward voyage with the hard-won wisdom that the world has no end and Taara's wisdom has no boundary. The canto's final line — "In your own land happiness blooms, at home profit grows best" — is the Odyssean moral that mirrors every voyage-home in world literature.
Scribed by Runo (Tulku Uralic Alpha, Life 25) for the New Tianmu Anglican Church, March 2026.
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Source Text: Kalevipoeg — Kuueteistkümnes Lugu
Estonian text of Kalevipoeg Canto XVI, from the 1857 first edition of Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, as preserved in Project Gutenberg (#25062). Approximately 1,126 verse lines in literary Estonian regivärss.
Kalevite kange poega
Mõtteida mõlgutelles
Alustanud arvamisi
Tarkusteeda toimetada,
Suure ilma otsa sõita,
Põhja piiri purjetada,
Kus ei enne oldud käidud,
Teed ei iial ette tehtud,
Aga kuhu taevakummi
Maa külge kinnitatud.
Laskis laulu ladusasti,
Sõnasida sõudemaie:
"Kui ma lähen ratsul käima,
Hallil lasen alla õue
Salateeda sõitemaie,
Targa teeda tallamaie,
Lasen läbi lagediku,
Läbi paksu põõsastiku,
Murran üle mägedesta,
Kargan kuristiku kaudu,
Sammun tüki samblasooda,
Kõnnin teise kuivistikku,
Kolmandama kanarbikku,
Neljandama nõmmesida,
Siisap saaksin sihis sinna -
Järved mul ei sõlmiks sammu,
Kui ei meri meesta keelaks.
Kuule, kotkas, kaunis lindu,
Talita mind tiibadella
Üle vete veeremaie,
Üle lainte lendamaie,
Seni kui ma ilma serva
Käsilla saan katsumaie,
Sõrmilla saan sorkimaie,
Kuhu taeva kõrge katus
Räästa maha rajatanud,
Sinisiidil seinakesed
Aluspalke paigutanud,
Kuhu kuu- ja päevakandja,
Pilvede ülalpidaja
Oma kanda kinnitanud,
Varbaid maha vajutanud!"
Kui ta teademata teida
Tahtis minna tallamaie,
Suisa peaga sammumaie,
Kuhu enne ükski käiki,
Rada polnud rajatanud,
Tõstis häälta tarka lindu,
Kaaren sõnad krooksuteli:
"Kus sa silmad sinivetta,
Laialisi laineida,
Kae, kas kaldal kõrkjaida,
Võhumõõku vete ääres;
Parem jalg seal põrutagu
Kanget kanda vastu kallast, -
Siis saab maa sull′ salasuuda,
Varjul hoitud väravada
Laialt lahti tegemaie,
Kust saab ilma otsa kätte."
Kalevite poega kostis:
"Eks ma ole õnnekaupa
Enne seda sada korda
Peipsi järvest pelgamata,
Võrtsu järvest vankumata,
Kaiu järvest kartemata,
L ä ä n e m e r e s t langemata
Koormaga ju läbi käinud;
Eks ma tunne nende teida,
Pikkusmõõdul piirisida,
Laintelangu laiusida,
Salapeidul sügavusi,
Ahti poja haudasida?
Peipsi järv mul puusast saadik,
V õ r t s j ä r v mulle vöödest saadik,
Musta järv mul maost saadik,
Kaiu järv mul kaelast saadik,
Lääne lõualuudest saadik,
Suur meri suudest saadik.
Ilmjärv jäi mul ainuüksi
Keskipaigast katsumata,
Hauakohtelt arvamata,
Sügavusel süldamata,
Salapaigul sammumata."
Meelemõtteid mõlgutelles,
Salasoove sünnitelles
Pani Kalevite poega
Laulusõnad lendamaie:
"Kui mina kiuste võtan käiki,
Sunnin sammud sõudemaie,
Varbad virgalt veeremaie,
Siisap sõuan Soome poole,
Paadi otsa põhja poole,
Vankri juhil vaarumaie;
Küllap leian Kaljumaalta,
Soomemaalta sugulasi,
Turjamaalta tuttavaida,
Saarest vanu sõprasida,
Kes mind teele kohendavad,
Jälgedelle juhatavad."
Siisap sahkas Oleville:
"Võta, O l e v, vennikene,
Linnameister, mõistetarka,
Võta kirves nüüd kädeje,
Raiu maha rajatammi,
Tõuka maha suuri tammi,
Pilluta latva pilvesta,
Kukuta tüvi kännulta;
Võta tammi tarbepuuksi,
Mis see meie õue alla
Kõrge kalda küürusella
Isa enne istutanud,
Ema enne kasvatanud;
Mis seal merekalda pealta,
Laialisti liivikulta
Kõrget latva kõiguteleb,
Laiu oksi lahuteleb,
Et ei päeval paiste mahti,
Kuul ei kumamise mahti,
Tähtel siramise mahti,
Pilvedel ei piiske mahti!
Kukutele, kulla venda,
Tõuka maha kõrge tammi,
Pane päike paistemaie,
Kuu jälle kumamaie,
Pilved piisku pillutama,
Lunda laialt lahutama!
Tee sa tamme tüvikusta
Tugevamad tarbelaevad
Salateede sõudemiseks,
Targa teede toimetuseks;
Tammeladvast sõjalaevad,
Keske′elta kaubalaevad,
Otsapakust orjalaevad,
Laastudesta lastelaevad,
Nurkadesta neitsilaevad!
Mis on jäänud, jäta jälle,
Jäta jätmed raiskamata:
Jätmetest saab Järva linna,
Riismetest saab R i i a linna,
Laastudest saab Lääne linna,
Varjukohta Virumaale,
Harjusse redusepaika,
Põltsamaale peidupaika!
Mis jääb üle, jäta jälle,
Jäta jätmed raiskamata,
Jäta riismed rikkumata,
Kõhetumad korjamata:
Riismetest saab rahukoda,
Vaestelaste varjutuba,
Leskedelle leinakamber,
Kurbadelle kurtmiskamber;
Sealt saab Viru vihmavarju,
Talurahvas tuulevarju.
Mis jääb üle, jäta jälle,
Jäta jätmed raiskamata,
Jäta riismed rikkumata,
Kõhetumad korjamata:
Et sealt vaesed leidvad varju,
Lesed leinamise paika;
Kellel tuul on teinud toa,
Vesi palke veeretanud,
Rahe katust kallutanud,
Udu teinud uued uksed,
Lumi vikkind valged seinad.
Mis jääb üle, jäta jälle,
Jäta raod raiskamata,
Oksad uhked hukkamata:
Oksadest saab orjakambri,
Raagest vaestel′ rõõmukambri,
Neitsidelle naljakambri,
Lustituba lastelegi!"
Olev oskas, kostis vastu,
Laulis aga ladusasti:
"Küll mina teaksin, mis ma teeksin,
Teaksin, teeksin, vennikene,
Kui oleks meesta meie maalta,
Tugevada teadevalla,
Kes see tamme raiuks maha."
Kaaren kuulis kuuse otsas,
Tarka lindu tähendama:
"Minge meesta otsimaie,
Tugevamat tabamaie,
Võimsat kaugelt kuulamaie,
Kes see tõukaks tamme maha,
Kukutaks tüve kännulta."
Mindi meesta otsimaie,
Tugevamat tabamaie,
Kes see raiuks rajatamme,
Tõukaks maha suure tamme,
Pillutaks ladva pilvesta.
Toodi mehi T u r j a m a a l t a,
Sõnatarku Soomemaalta.
Targad mehed tähendama,
Sõnatargad seletama:
"Kallis Kalevite poega,
Kangemeeste kasvandikku!
Kui sa tahad tõesti minna
Ilma otsa otsimaie,
Kuhu Vanataadi käsi
Taeva servad sõlmitanud,
Maaga kokku kinnitanud,
Laia ääre langutanud,
Pööra põhja piiridelle,
Kääna Põhjanaela kohta,
Vana Vankri valgusella!
Tõukad sina seda teeda,
Rändad põhjaradadelle,
Siis ei püsi puine paati,
Tammetüvest tehtud laeva.
Virmaliste vägev voli
Vehklemisi välgutelles
Paneks paadi põlemaie,
Laevakese lõkendama;
Seal peab laeva rauast soetud,
Paati karrasta painutud,
Teraksesta saama tehtud,
Vanast vasesta valatud."
Kalevite kange poega
Laskis teha kena laeva,
Uhke lodja ehitada,
Mis ei puusta painutatud
Ega luusta ehitatud
Ega vasesta valatud,
Teraksest ei olnud tehtud.
Kalevipoeg, kange meesi,
Laskis lodja valmistada,
Laeva teha hõbedasta,
Kallimasta hõbekarrast,
Õhukestest hõbelaudest.
Laevalagi hõbedasta,
Hõbekarrast laeva põrand,
Laevamastid hõbedasta,
Hõbekeedest laevaköied.
"L e n n u k" pandi laeval′ nimeks,
Et ta lendes lõhkus laineid.
Siisap käskis kuldse kuue
Eneselle kehakatteks,
Käskis laevameestelegi
Tublid riided toimetada:
Hõbekarrast ülemaile,
Rauakarrast rahva′alle,
Vasksest karrast vanemaile,
Teraksesta tarkadelle,
Sest et ilma otsa ligi
Põhjanaela piiridella
Virmaliste vehklemine,
Tulilaste tuiskamine
Rauda ei saaks rikkumaie,
Karrast kuube kulutama.
Kui siis käsku annetie
Kallist laeva koormatada,
Moona viia meeste võrra,
Rohkest′ vara rahva tarvis,
Käskis Kalevite poega
Sõna viia sõpradelle,
Kalli kasuvendadelle,
Teadusida tarkadelle,
Keda kaasa kutsutie,
Abimeesteks arvatie.
Seal ju laulsid ilmatargad,
Ilmatargad, maakavalad
Õnnelaulu hõisatelles,
Et neid kaasa kutsutie,
Abimeesteks arvatie.
Aga kes jäid kutsumata,
Kurba laulu kuulutasid:
"Meie, kullad, kuulasime,
Meie, vaesed, vaatasime,
Kas meid kaasa kutsutakse.
Ei meid hulka hõigatudki
Ega kaasa kaevatudki;
Sundi viidi Suleville,
Armast kutsu Aleville,
Kästi tulla kannupoissi
Teedekäiki toimetama."
Kalevite kange poega
Laskis tulla laevamehi,
Teiste seltsi sõjamehi,
Kolmandama kasumehi,
Perepoegi peenikesi.
Tarkasid veel tahetie,
Sõnamehi sunnitie,
Tuuletarku tarvitati,
Manatarku meelitati
Uku kivil ohverdama,
Teele õnne toimetama.
Kui siis laeva enne koitu,
Paadikene enne päeva,
"Lennuk" lausa valge eella
Vesiteel läks veeremaie,
Lainte kiigul lendamaie,
Keeritati kübaraida,
Lasti laulu ladusasti:
"Peast ma keeritan kübara,
Alta keeritelen laeva;
Sõidan teeda triibulista,
Veeren võõrast vesirada,
Mis ei marjavarrelista,
Hõbelõnga loogelista,
Kuldalõnga keerulista."
Laeva seati lainetelle,
Seati nokal Soome poole,
Põhjapiiri pööruselle,
Vastu Vana Vankerida.
Kalevite kange poega
Istus ise ülemaksi
Targa tüürimehe kõrva,
Sundis sõbrad sõudemaie,
Poisikesed purjetama,
Sellid köisi seadimaie,
Kablukesi kohendama.
Kui siis laeva lustilikult
Lainte kiigul lendamassa,
Hakkas Kalevite poega
Lustilugu lahutama:
"Kehitelen kübarada
Peasta päeva pealikulle,
Kes see litrid lainetelle
Kuldakirja külvanekse,
Et kui laeva lõhub laineid,
Kuldapeenar kerkinekse,
Hõbevagu vahtunekse.
Kehitelen kübarada,
Kummardelles kuude poole,
Teretelles tähtesida,
Kes need kangust kasvatavad,
Teeda meile tähendavad.
Lähme lugu laulemaie,
Vanu sõnu valmistama,
Jõgesida jälgimaie,
Meresida mängimaie,
Kaljusida kündemaie,
Suuri saari sahkamaie,
Mereääri äigamaie,
Kaldaalust koristama,
Kuhu kulda külvatie,
Hõbedada istutati,
Taara tarkust tipitie.
Ükskord, ükskord ilmus ilma,
Ilmus ilma ilusana!
Ükskord, ükskord tehti taevas,
Tehti taevas targalisti,
Tähtedega täpilisti,
Pilvedega pilulisti."
Siisap laulis pikka lugu
Algusilma ilmumisest,
Kuidas kuule kooti koda,
Pesa tehti päikeselle.
"Lennuk" oli laintekiigul
Mõnda päeva purjetanud,
Päeval päikese juhilla,
Öösel tähte õiendusel.
Paati veeres põhja poole,
Ilma otsa ligemalle;
Kaasavõetud keeletarka
Seadis tüürilt laeva sõitu;
See′p see mõistis kõiki sõnu,
Kõiki keelekõlksumisi,
Teadis kuuldud linnukeeled,
Teadis elajate hääled
Targa viisil tähendada.
Soome sortsilaste sunnil
Möllasivad tuulemarud
Vihas vetta vahutama;
Pilvepime peitis päeva,
Peitis uttu päikese,
Kattis kinni taevatähed
Üleüldsalt udusompu,
Kastekarva kuubedesse,
Et ei teadnud tüürimeesi
Ega kippar laeva käiki.
Keeletarka küsimaie
Lindudelt, mis lainetelta
Leidis laeva ligemalta.
Kui ta otsust kätte saanud,
Laskis laulu lõksatelles:
"Veljed noored, vennikesed,
Kallid kangelaste pojad,
Läki võõrast vaatamaie,
Soomest sala sahkamaie,
Nurmedelta noppimaie,
Kanarbikust katkumaie,
Merepõhjast pühkimaie,
Lainte alta laastamaie,
Kivikildest kergitama,
Mägedesta kangutama,
Mis nad sala varjutavad,
Kallimada kuulutavad!
Nurmeilud nuttelevad,
Kanarbikud kaebelevad,
Kaljurünkad karjatavad,
Mereurkad ohkelevad,
Laintekiigud leinelevad,
Kus nad kallist enne kuulnud,
Muistesõnu enne mõistnud."
Lainte kiigul kerkis laeva,
Kerkis vahel kõrge′ elle,
Kippus vahel kukkumaie,
Lainte alla langemaie,
Et ei teadnud tüürimeesi
Ega kippar laeva käiki.
Päike läinud salapeidul
Õhtu hõlma puhkamaie,
Ööde pime ümberringi
Kattis Kalevite laeva.
Seitse ööd ja seitse päeva
Vankus laeva väsimata
Tuulemaru tuisatusel
Laintel kui üks laglekene;
Siisap väsind Soome sortsid
Puhumisel puhkamaie.
Päike pääses paistemaie,
Laia ilma valgustama;
Viimaks hakkas vete veerult
Kallas kaugelt kasvamaie,
Kõrgemaksi kerkimaie.
Keeletarka kuulutama:
"Võõras rand mul, vennikesed."
Kalevite kange poega,
Kui said kalda ligemalle,
Kargas laevalt lainetesse
Usinasti ujumaie,
Kalda poole kiirustama;
Siis ta vedas sõprasida
Laevas köitel kalda′ asse.
See ei olnud Soome serva
Ega tuttav T u r j a randa,
Ei ka enne käidud kohta.
Keeletarka küsimaie:
Kuidas randa kutsutakse?
Linnukesed lõõritasid,
Pääsukesed pajatasid,
Vana vares vastanekse:
"See on lahja L a p u r a n d a,
Kehvaliste kaldakene."
"Lennuk" aeti lahe sisse,
Hõbepaati parve äärde,
Kinnitati kividella,
Vangistati vaiadella,
Et ei paigast pääseneksi
Lainetelle lendamaie.
Kalevite kallis poega
Kutsus juhiks keeletarga,
Sundis seltsiks sõprasida
Võõrast kohta vaatamaie.
Nemad käisid neljakesi
Tüki teeda, marga maada,
Mööda nõmme nõtkutelles,
Mätastikku mütatelles,
Mööda laia lagendikku,
Sammusivad samblasooda,
Kõndisivad kanarbikku
Mööda raatmaa radasida:
Kas ehk kuskil kogemata
Talu silma tõuseneksi.
Mis seal vastu veerenekse,
Silma ette sirgunekse?
Tõusis silma üksik talu,
Peidust väike perekene.
Ukse eessa istus neidu,
Murupingil piigakene,
Kedervarrel keerutelles
Lõuendisi lõngakesi;
Näpud ketra keeritasid,
Suu aga seadis sõnasida,
Laskis lustil laulukesta:
"Oli üksi naine noori,
Lüpsis lehmad koidu eella,
Lüpsis lehmad lepikussa,
Kurnas piima kamberie;
Siis aga karja saatemaie.
Saatis karja kaasikusse,
Lehmad alla lepikusse,
Vasikad põõsa varjule.
Mis ta leidis karjateelta?
Leidis kana karjateelta,
Väikse kuke vainiulta;
Kana siblis siidisida,
Kukke kuldanarmaida.
Noorik kana püüdemaie,
Kukekesta kiusamaie;
Kukke lendas üle metsa,
Üle laia lagendiku,
Kanake sai naise kätte,
Kanti rüpessa koduje.
Särgi rüpes kantud kana,
Põues toodud pojukene
Viidi viljakamberie,
Seati salve serva peale
Kasukanaks kasvamaie,
Vaka alla vajumaie.
Kasvas kana katte alla,
Paisus peidul pojukene,
Kasvas kuu, kasvas kaksi,
Kasvas kortli kolmat kuuda,
Nädala veel neljat kuuda,
Peale paari päevakesta.
Noorik aita vaatamaie:
Mis sest kasukanast kasvab,
Peidus pojukesest paisub?
Kanast kasvas neitsikene,
Kena kuningate tütar.
Käisid neitsil kosilased,
Piigal palju peiukesi,
Viied, kuued viinakruusid,
Seitsesada sõnumida;
Üks oli kuu, teine päeva,
Kolmas - "
-
- "Kalevite poega,
Pikil koivil peiukene!"
Pajatas Kalevipoega
Üle läve astudessa.
Piiga kohkel põgenema,
Hädas appi hüüdemaie.
Tütre pillil tõttas taati
Võõralista vaatamaie,
Mis siin kisa kasvatanud.
Kalevite kallis poega,
Kui oli taati teretanud,
Lapu targaks tunnistanud,
Kohe otsust küsimaie:
"Kukutele, võõras kägu,
Laula, laula, linnukene,
Vasta mulle, kulla venda,
Kust see käiki kohemalta,
Sihil ilma otsa sõuab,
Et ei teisi teeradasid,
Hõbelõngal loogelista,
Kuldalõngal keerulista
Ette tuleks eksitama,
Käigil sammu kinnitama!
Juhata mind joonelt sinna,
Kuhu taevakummikene
Alla serva kinnitanud,
Sinisiidil seinakesi
Lagedalle langutanud,
Kuhu kuu kustunekse,
Päike läheb puhkamaie,
Kui nad seatud vahikorda
Ööl ja päeval lõpetanud!
Kaaren kodus kuuluteli,
Tarka lindu andis teada:
"Kui sa silmad sinivetta,
Laialisi laineida,
Kae, kas kaldal kõrkjaida,
Võhumõõku vete ääres,
Parem jalg seal põrutagu
Kanget kanda vastu kallast:
Siis saab maa sull′ salasuuda,
Varjul hoitud väravada
Laialt lahti tegemaie,
Kust saab ilma otsa kätte."
Juhata mind sinna serva
Kõrkjakalda kihutama!"
Tarka kuulis, kostis vastu:
"Siit ei tõuse teida sulle,
Rändamise radasida
Kusagilta ilma otsa;
Merella ei ole määra,
Lainetelle lõpetusta
Seal, kus Vanaisa tarka
Taeva katust kallutanud,
Räästa maha rajatanud,
Sinisiidil seinakesi
Lagedalle langutanud.
Kes need enne sel on käinud
Tühja tuulta tallamassa,
Saivad Sädemete saarel
Suurest julgusesta surma.
Kodukaarna kuulutused
Tähendavad põrguteeda,
Vanapoisi väravada.
Kui sa käiki kodumaale,
Sõber, soovid toimetada,
Luban sulle lusti pärast
Teedejuhiks kaasa tulla."
Kalevite poega kostis:
"Koju jõuan juhtimata
Tuldud teeda tuttavada.
Võta vaevaks, vennikene,
Vii mind võõra vainudelle,
Ilma otsa ukse ette,
Vanataadi väravasse!"
Lapu tarka küsimaie:
"Mis mull′ palgaks paisatakse,
Veovaevaks visatakse?"
Kalevite poega kostis:
"Mis sa soovid, sõbrakene,
Küsid hinda, kullakene,
Peab sull′ palgaks paisatama,
Veovaevaks visatama.
Võta pooli varandusta,
Küsi kulda kümme kotti,
Hüva hulka hõbedada!
Vii mind aga, vennikene,
Ilma otsa ukse ette,
Vanataadi väravasse!
Mere sügavusemõõdud,
Põrgu piirid pikkusella -
Neida tunnen nööri mööda;
Suure ilma otsaseinad
Tänini veel teademata,
Käsilla mul katsumata."
Lapu tarka laulis vastu:
"Lisa peale lusti pärast,
Pane palgaks peale hinna,
Mis sul kodu kütke′essa
Seina küljes seisenekse!"
Kalevite kallim poega
Tõoteli kõike täita,
Külamehel′ kütkendatud
Ahelate-arvulise
Meeleheaks veel peale panna.
Lapu tarka laulemaie,
V a r r a k nõnda vastamaie:
"Sündku sinu soovimine,
Mingu täide tahtemine.
Sest ei tõusku mulle süüda,
Võõral mingit vastamista,
Kui sa kogemata kurja,
Hädaohtu, äpardusta
Teedekäigist peaksid tundma;
Süü jääb üksi sundijalle,
Vastus nõu võttijalle."
Lapuline võeti laeva,
Viidi Varrak tüürimaie,
Laevasõitu seadimaie.
Lainte kiigul langedessa,
Tuuletiivul tuisatessa
Lõhkus Kalevite laeva
Vahus veele vagusida,
Mitu ööd ja mitu päeva
Põhja poole purjetelles.
Laeva juhtus laintelangul
Kogemata neelukohta,
Võind ei aerud avitada
Ega purjed välja päästa
Kallist laeva vete kurgust;
Neelu kippus neelamaie
Koormat koormakandijaga.
Lapu tarka võttis tündri,
Võttis V a r r a k vaadikese,
Kattis punakaleviga
Väljaspoolse vaadikere,
Punus punapaelasida
Vitsa viisil vaadi ümber.
Köitis teda kütkedega
Laeva külge rippumaie,
Et kui kala silmaks sööki,
Varmalt tuleks võttemaie.
Veesta tuli valaskala
Punast sööki püüdemaie;
Ahmas suhu vaadikese,
Pistis ise punumaie,
Vedas laeva neelust välja,
Päästis paadi põrgusuusta,
Allilma ukse eesta,
Vana vaenu väravasta,
Kuhu mitu enne kukkund,
Hädas mõni äpardanud.
Lainte kiigul langedessa,
Tuuletiivul tuisatessa
Lõhkus Kalevite laeva
Vahus veele vagusida,
Mitu ööd ja mitu päeva
Põhja poole purjetelles.
Kalevite kange poega
Seadis sõnad sõudemaie,
Laskis laulu lõksutelles:
"Nõu ei viska meesi nurka,
Pane mõtteid parte peale;
Äparduste ähvardusi
Laulusõnad lepitamas,
Targad sõnad talitsemas."
Laeva oli lainte lennul,
Vetevooge veeretusel
Palju aega purjetanud
Põhja piiri pöörusella,
Sealap S ä d e m e t e s a a r e
Tulisambad tõusemaie,
Suitsupilved paisumaie.
Kalevipoeg kippumaie
Sädemesaart silmamaie;
V a r r a k vastu vaidlemaie,
Koledat teed keelamaie.
S u l e v i p o e g sõnaldama:
"Laske minda minemaie
Tuliteeda tallamaie,
Suitsulista sammumaie,
Kuhu, kes seal enne käinud,
Nõrgematest palju nõrkend,
Väetid läinud viletsusse!"
Aeti laeva lainetelta
Sädemete saare serva,
Kus see mägi mängis tulda,
Teine suitsu sünniteli,
Kolmas keetis kuuma vetta;
Suland kive sügavusest
Orgu saatsid ojadena.
Sulev sammus suitsu juhil,
Tallas tule tähendusel
Põrgu lee ligemalle,
Imelikku ilmumista
Salalikult silmamaie.
Tulekivi kildusida
Sadas suitsus sagedasti,
Tuiskas aga tuhkadessa
Lumehange lagedalle,
Rohkest′ raatmaa radadelle.
Raudakuube raksatelles
Kippusivad kivitunglad
Sulevida surmamaie.
Õnnetusest hoolimata
Kõndis kangelase poega
Põrgu leeaugu poole,
Kuni kuubi kõrvetelles
Keha kippus küpsetama,
Ripsmekarvad läksid krimpsu,
Kõrbe hiuksed, kulmukarvad.
Sulevipoeg pajatama:
"K u r a t võtku tuleküngast,
Kust ei kasu kellelegi!
Kodu võiks ta rehekütjaks,
Saunameestel küljesoojaks
Mitmes kohas mõnus olla,
Kus üks süld ehk pere kohta
Armu poolest annetakse.
Praegu pole mul paremat:
Pistan piibu põlemaie."
Siisap sammu sulgemaie,
Tuliteelta taganema.
Vaevalt pääses laeva peale
Haigeid külgi arstimaie,
Põlend viga parandama.
Kalevipoeg küsimaie:
"Kas ehk nägid kannupoissi,
Kes sul jälil jooksenekse?"
Sulevipoeg salgamaie;
Teised kadund kannupoissi
Ühel suul hüüdemaie.
Vaata, ilus valge lindu
Laskis maha laeva peale;
Keeletarka kuulamaie,
Kas ehk kadund kannupoissi
Sulgiline silmanenud.
Valge lindu vastamaie:
"Teisel pool jäämägesida,
Lumelisi lagedaida
Kenam kevadine kohta,
Soojem ala suve paika;
Mullas munad keedetakse,
Liivas liha küpsetakse:
Sinna poissi eksinenud
Näkineitsi meelitusel,
Ühtepuhkust iluaega
Õnnelikult elamaie.
Minge teele, mehed targad,
Kannupoiss ei tule kaasa!"
Mehed jõudsid sinna maale,
Kus need kuked sõivad kulda,
Kuked kulda, kanad karda,
Haned haljasta hõbedat,
Vareksed vana vaskeda,
Pesilinnud penningida,
Targad linnud taalerida,
Kus need kasvud kasvasivad,
Kapsad kuuse kõrguseni.
Kalevite kange poega
Sulaseida sundimaie,
Alamaida ajamaie
Võõrast kohta vaatamaie;
Käskis minna keeletarka
Salasõnu seletama,
Linde tarkust lunastama,
Heitis ise laeva peale
Suleviga suikumaie,
Päeva paistel puhkamaie;
Andis käsu Aleville
Vahikorral valvel olla.
Keeletarka kõndimaie,
Sulastega sammumaie
Tüki teeda, marga maada,
Kus ei kuulda linnulaulu
Ega leida loomakesi.
Päike juba veeres looja,
Langes merelainetesse.
Käigist väsind vennikesed
Sirutasid selilie
Põõsa varju puhkamaie.
Teise päeva palistusel
Ärateli enne koitu
Magajaida mehepoegi
Tugevama tütar noori,
Kes see tulnud kapsaaeda
Lehmadelle lehtesida
Kapsa küljest kitkumaie.
Tütar noori võttis mehed,
Pani poisid põlle rüppe,
Kandis neid süles koduje.
Isa kodus küsimaie:
"Mis sa toonud, tütar noori,
Mis sa korjand kapsastesta?"
Piiga põlle raputelles
Puistas mehed põrmandalle:
"Tähendele, taadikene,
Mis ma naljamängitusel
Kapsaaiast koristasin,
Kus nad, kirbud, kuuekesi,
Kastevilul kohmetanud,
Kapsapea all põõnutasid!"
Taati tarka tunnistama
Mõistatusel mehikesi:
"Kes see kõnnib kõrta mööda,
Astub aiaääri mööda,
Piirab pilliroogu mööda?"
Keeletarka kostemaie:
"Mesilane, linnukene,
See′p see kõnnib kõrta mööda,
Astub aiaääri mööda,
Piirab pilliroogu mööda."
Tarka taati tunnistama
Mõistatusel mehikesi:
"Mis sealta jõesta jooneb,
Katsub külakaevudesta,
Kivikildude keskelta?"
Keeletarka kostemaie:
"Vikerkaar jooneb jõesta,
Katsub külakaevudesta,
Kivikildude keskelta."
H i i g l a t a r k a tunnistama:
"Mõistke, mõistke, mehikesed,
Mis tuleb ammudes arusta,
Singudes sinisalusta?"
Keeletarka kostemaie:
"Vihm tuleb ammudes arusta,
Singudes sinisalusta."
Sellest tundis Hiiglatarka
Mõistelikke mehepoegi.
"Pane, piiga, põllerüppe,
Vii nad jälle viibimata
Sinna, kus nad enne seisnud;
Need on pealtmaa naiste pojad,
Kes need käivad tarka teeda,
Õpetusi otsimassa."
Tütar käsku täitenekse:
Kandis võõrad kuuekesi,
Kust neid põlle koristanud.
Keeletarka mõistis kõne,
Hakkas piigat palumaie:
"Vii meid, neitsi, naljapärast
Kanna merekalda′ alle!"
Tütar palveid täite′ essa
Kandis mehed kalda′alle.
Nii kui suitsupilve sammas
Taevakummilt ripakille
Pikkerpillil liikunekse,
Tulda taevast puistanekse,
Tuli Hiigla tütar noori
L e n n u s sammul laeva poole,
Kärinaga merekalda;
Puistas põllest mehepojad
Hõbelaeva serva peale.
Piiga lõõtsuv hingepuhin
Puhus laeva lainetelle
Penikoorma kauguselle.
Imelugu ilmumine
Pani kõiki kohkumaie.
Kalevite kange poega
Pilvepiigat pilkamaie:
"Ole terve, tütarlapsi!
Pesid silmad palumata,
Küllap ise kuivatelles
Pühin piisad palgeilta."
Kalevipoeg andis käsu
Laevapurjed lahutada,
Tahtis kohe kaugemalle
Põhja poole purjetada;
Ehk küll külma väga käre,
Jää seal kattis jälgesida,
Kõrge jää küngastesta
Lõikas "L e n n u k" lustilikult
Purjetelles põhjateeda.
Vaata! virmaliste vaimud
Taeva alla taplusessa
Hõbeoda välgutelles,
Kuldakilpi kõigutelles
Paistsid laeva punetama.
Juba kadus meestel julgus,
Poistel püksid püülimassa.
Aga Kalevite poega
Tulist nalja naerateli:
"Laske virmaliste vehid,
Hõbeoda välgatused,
Kuldakilbi kõigutused
Tulekaarta meile teha,
Kust me valge kumendusel
Kaugemalle näeme käiki!
Kuu ei tahtnud kaasa tulla,
Päike läinud ammu peitu;
Armuanniks pannud U k u
Virmalised vehklemaie."
Viimaks veeres võõras randa,
Tõusis rahvas tundemata
Meie sõpradelle silma;
Poistel poolelt koera kehad,
Pikad penisabad taga,
Tempudesta tondilased,
Näosta nii kui inimesed.
Penisabalised sellid
Kurjast′ vastu kiusamaie,
Tulijaida tonkimaie,
Et ei keegi kallastelle
Saanud laevast sammumaie.
Kalevite kange poega
Kargas laevast kalda′alle
Penilasi pillutama,
Vaenulasi virutama;
Surmas neida sadadena,
Tappis teisi tuhandeida.
Õnnekombel leidis hobu,
Tugevama täkukese,
Kargas kõrvi laudijalle
Sõjateeda sõitemaie,
Penilasi puistamaie.
Võõras väike mehikene
Vaenuköita kinnitama
Ristiks ratsu sammudelle.
Hüva hobu hüpateli
Vaenuköita kohkudessa,
Komisteli kogemata,
Langes laia lagedalle
Surnult maha samblasoosse.
Kalevipoeg kahetselles
Hüva hoosta ohkamaie,
Võrgutajat vandumaie,
Sidujada sajatama.
Siisap võttis suisapäisa,
Tõmbas maasta tüvikuda
Tugevamast tammepuusta,
Miska sooda sahkamaie,
Kuivikuida kündemaie,
Et ei põhja põllukesed
Kasusid peaks kasvatama,
Viljaivi valmistama.
Sealtmaa tarka sõitlemaie,
Künnimeesta keelamaie:
"Miks sa vihas, vennikene,
Kurjas lähed kündemaie,
Meie maada moondamaie,
Samblasooksi sajatama,
Kust ei kallist karjamaada
Ega lastel leivamaada?"
Kalevipoeg kostemaie:
"Vaenuköis mul võtnud hobu,
Suretanud sõidujala,
Enne kui ma tarka teeda
Õnnelikult lõpetanud."
Tarka taati tähendama:
"Kuidas võid sa, kulla venda,
Tarkusteeda toimetada,
Kui sa rahvad raske käega,
Nõuandjad nurmedelta
Eesta ära hävitanud?"
Kalevipoeg kahetsema
Vihastuse vandumista,
Miska surmand sigidused
Põhja põllupeenderalta.
Hüüdis hädas Uku poole:
"Anna kasvu kaladelle,
Sigi Soome silkudelle,
Ülerohkust hüljestelle,
Sulgislinnu sugudelle!
Lase puida lainetelta
Vetel kalda veeretada,
Et nad tulevpõlve tuluks
Kasu saaksid külvamaie!"
Tarka mõistis, kostis vastu:
"Sõber, et sa õnne soovid,
Tahan sulle tõelikult
Hüva nõu ja otsust anda,
Kuidas teed saad kaugemalle."
Kalevite poega kostis:
"Kaaren kodus kuulutanud,
Tarka lindu annud teada:
"Kus sa silmad sinivetta,
Laialisi laineida,
Kalda veeres kõrkijaida,
Võhumõõku vete ääres,
Seal saab varjul hoitud värav
Ilma otsa sulle näitma."
Tarka taati kostis vastu:
"Kaarnalind on kuulutelles
Pettust sulle pajatanud.
Kui sa silmad sinivetta,
Laialisi laineida,
Kalda veeres kõrkijaida,
Võhumõõku vete ääres,
Sealtap leiad salasuuda,
Varjul hoitud väravada,
Mis sind põrgu pettenekse,
Surmasuhu sundinekse."
Kalevite kallis poega
Kodu poole kippumaie,
Sõpradelle sõnaldelles
Laskis laulu ladusasti:
"Lähme, lähme, lustivennad,
Käime, käime, kullakesed!
Lähme jälle lõuna alla,
Käime kiirest′ kodu poole,
Kus meid tundvad kodukoerad,
Tuttavamad teretavad!"
V a r r a k kohe küsimaie:
"Vennike, kes veovaeva,
Palka mull′ saab paiskamaie,
Kui sa kodu poole käänad?"
Kalevite poega kostis:
"Kõik peab sulle keelamata
Palgahinnaks paisatama,
Kuidas kaupa sobitime.
Sa ei ole eksind sammult,
Teelt ma ise taganesin."
Läksid mehed laeva peale
Kodu poole purjetama.
Laintekiigul langedessa,
Tuuletiivul tuisatessa
Lõhkus Kalevite laeva
Vahus veele vagusida.
Paati veeres V i r u poole,
Laeva lustil lõuna alla.
Kalevite kallim poega
Seadis sõnad sõudevalle:
"Ei või tarkust enam tulla,
Mõistust olla meestellagi,
Kui on loodud loomadella.
Tühi tee meil läinud tuulde,
Ilma ots jäi otsimata,
Kätella jäi katsumata.
Laske "L e n n u k" Lalli alla,
L i n d a n i s a lahe peale,
Kuhu O l e v teinud hooned,
Kõrged tornid kasvatanud!"
Keeletarka kostemaie:
"Kes see pärast seda käiki
Tahab minna tallamaie,
Ilma otsa otsimaie,
Toimetagu targemalta
Enne käiki asjad käima:
Pangu andeid kivi peale
Õnneandjale U k u l e,
Viigu värsket vahtidelle,
Ohverdusi hoidjatelle,
Lepitusi lindudelle!"
Kalevipoeg koste′essa
Laulis vastu ladusasti:
"Tulles tõuseb suurem tarkus,
Mis ei minnes mehikesel.
Tuisa tõtsin tühja teeda,
Tuulelista tallamaie,
Läksin lustil lainetelle,
Tahtsin taeva tagaseina
Käsil minna katsumaie,
Ilma otsa otsidelles
Sõrmedella sorkimaie.
Ärgu tehku teised mehed,
Tehku teised naisepojad,
Mis ma tühja olen teinud
Kallist aega kulutelles;
Lootsin kasu kasvamaie,
Pidin kahju kahetsema.
Ei olnud isa õnnistamas,
Eite armul hellitamas,
Sõsaraid ei soovitamas;
Külma kalmu keske′elta,
Sõmerliivade sülesta
Ei saand taati tõusemaie,
Eite armu andemaie.
Kahetsusta, kullad vennad,
Käigist ei või kasvaneda!
Ülemaks kui hõbevara,
Kallimaks kui kullakoormad
Tuleb tarkus tunnistada;
Eks me leidnud eksiteelta,
Valevainu radadelta
Tõelikke tunnistähti,
Et ei suurel ilmal otsa,
T a a r a tarkusel ei rada
Kusagille kinnitatud,
Tõkkeida pole tehtud.
Mis ma muidu võõralt maalta
Kasulikku olen künnud,
Salalista sahkanenud,
Sellest saab elu otsani
Mehel meeles mõtlemista.
Kellel Looja õnneks loonud,
Põue ise peitu pannud,
Vaimu võimel vägevamaks,
Tarkusella terasemaks,
Keharammul kangemaksi
Teiste üle lasknud tõusta,
Veerenegu võõramaale
Suurt maailma silmamaie,
T a a r a tarkust tunnistama,
Jumalikke imeasju
Valvsail silmil vaatamaie!
Aga teised, äbarikud,
Nõdremate naiste pojad,
Jäägu koju kasvamaie,
Oma kopli õitsemaie!"
Lasti "Lennuk" Lalli alla,
L i n d a n i s a lahe peale,
Kuhu O l e v teinud hooned,
Kasvatanud kõrged tornid.
Paati aeti parve äärde,
Laeva kalda ligidalle.
Mehed läksid murudelle,
Veeresivad vainiulle,
Astusivad alla õue.
Lindu laulis lepikusta,
Kägu kuldakuusikusta:
"Omal maal õitseb õnni,
Kodus kasvab kasu parem!
Kodus tundvad õuekoerad,
Tuleb tuttav teretama,
Sugulane soovimaie;
Paistab lahkelt päikene,
Paistvad taevatähekesed."
- "Kalevite poega,
Source Colophon
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, Kalevipoeg (Kuueteistkümnes Lugu), first edition 1857. Digital text from Project Gutenberg eBook #25062. Public domain.
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