The Iron Bridge
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 XVIII picks up the morning after the cauldron-watch of Canto XVII. Where the Härjapõlvelane vanished in blue smoke, Kalevipoeg now finds blue water — the gateway to the underworld. He stamps his heel and the gates of the deep burst open. The descent is a sequence of five trials: thick smoke, absolute darkness, enchanted silver webs, an uncrossable stream, and swarms of gnats — each overcome by the golden bell at a small creature's counsel. He reaches a river flowing with melted tar and burning resin, crossed by a bridge of iron and steel. Sarvik arrays his forces in four groups across the bridge. The battle that follows is the canto's centrepiece: wave after wave of warriors fall like autumn leaves, the bridge sways under the weight of the host, and Kalevipoeg stands unmoved — "like an iron wall, a sturdy oak in the storm-wind, a steadfast cliff against the breakers." He clears the dead into the tar-river, shatters the barricaded gates with three blows, and enters Sarvik's stronghold. Inside he finds two women: the shadow-mother at her spinning wheel, who silently guides him to the strength-drink, and Sarvik's wife at her loom, who tries to trick him into drinking the weakness-water. Behind a hidden door, thirty more warriors attack and are dispatched. Sarvik finally emerges to accuse Kalevipoeg of theft — the wishing-cap, the magic switch, the gold-chests, the sword, the bell. Kalevipoeg answers: come out and fight. He sheathes the sword and pockets the bell. The terrified Sarvik reaches for the strength-drink but in his panic grabs the weakness-water instead. Kalevipoeg drains the right cup. The wrestling match is promised for the next canto.
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 Singer's Prologue
(Lines 1–28)
Northern Eagle, fierce bird,
Lend your wings to the singer!
Oar-strokes for the word-setter,
Lightening for the kantele!
While the storm-wind's driving,
The tempest's raging,
Of Kalev's son's underworld journey,
The sailing of secret ways,
Truthfully I shall tell;
Before my mind-paintings,
Heard word-births,
Vanish into dew-clouds,
Crumble into shadow's lap.
Vanemuine, song-sage,
Let down golden little threads,
Silver little skeins
To the teller's bobbins,
To the proclaimer's spindles,
That in playing the word
I may knot it smoother than silk,
Weave it into gold-lettered cloth!
Endla, maiden so slender,
Lend today to the singer
An illuminating little net,
A clarifying eye-cloth,
That the memories of the underworld
May emerge more beautifully,
May awaken more vividly!
Part Two — Dawn and the Magic Lake
(Lines 29–80)
Night's clouds hem
The mist-nets on the fields of light
When you set foot in the underworld,
At the borders of the deep,
Where by day the sun does not shine,
The moon gives no glow by night,
No star comes to greet you,
No northern lights give light.
From the borders of dawn the gleaming sun,
Hemming upon the clouds,
Reddened their faces;
Bird-tongues from the alder-grove
Hastened to warble,
To carol pleasure-songs,
The cuckoo called from the birch-grove,
The nesting-bird from the bushes:
"Wake, wake, little brother!"
At sunrise he raised his head,
Dear son of Kalev,
Set his body sitting up,
Sprang upright upon his heels,
Combed his hair with his fingers,
Chasing sleep into the forest;
Took a few ladlefuls
Of bird-bait from the broth-pot
To strengthen his sturdy body.
His companions slumbered on,
Three of them in dawn-sleep,
Stretching out their weariness,
The toil of the evening watch.
Kalevipoeg went looking,
Went to see what had happened,
Where in the night the bell-bearer,
The little friend, had vanished.
There, where yesterday in blue smoke
The cloud of the Härjapõlvelane
Had been seen rising skyward,
Today he saw blue water,
Wide-spreading waves
Spread upon the open ground;
He saw upon the bank reeds,
Sweet flag at the water's edge.
Kalevipoeg spoke:
"By chance I find the place,
I reach the borders of the deep,
Whence that wise one knew the way
To guide one to the underworld."
His right foot he struck down
With heavy heel in a crack —
Then the doors of the deep,
The gates kept in shadow,
Burst open wide.
Kalev's mighty son
From the crevice's rim peered
Into the chasm's cave,
Whether perhaps somewhere a walkable
Footpath might be found.
Thick clouds blinded
With smoke the sight of his eyes
Into the cave-throat horribly.
Hot steam rose from below,
Smoke and soot in the man's eyes,
Who walked bent over
The Old Boy's war-path.
Kalev's mighty son,
Blowing smoke from his eyes,
In a foul mood spoke:
"Bah, bah, sooty one!
Would you, roadside wretch,
Blind my eyes with smoke?"
Part Three — The Raven and the Smoke
(Lines 81–121)
The raven sang from the spruce-top,
The wise bird counselled:
"Ring the little bell,
Sound the golden tongue!"
Kalev's mighty son
Understood, obeyed the raven's command,
The wise bird's counsel;
Took the little bell in hand,
Began at once to ring it.
Who has ever seen a marvel's
Appearing more wondrous!
The golden bell's ringing
Scattered the thick smoke-clouds,
Sent them fleeing in the blink of an eye.
More swiftly than the thickest mist
In the sunshine
Falls apart and spreads,
Melted old Sarvik's smoke.
Kalev's mighty son
Set his step to striding,
To wander the heavy road;
With a great man's strides
Distance swiftly vanished.
Part Four — The Mouse and the Darkness
(Lines 122–157)
For a little while light shone
From the sun's radiance
Into the chasm's cave,
Then home-darkness covered,
Night's power ensnared
Kalev's son's journey,
Where he had to go by hand-touch,
By finger-guide stepping.
Whether here dawn was rising
As noon began,
Or whether the tedious night's darkness
Lasted the whole day through,
Of that the watching eye
Could find no true sign.
The little mouse cried out,
Spoke from the darkness:
"Ring the little bell,
Sound the golden tongue!"
Kalev's mighty son
Understood, obeyed the mouse's command,
Took the little bell in hand,
Began at once to ring it.
Who has ever seen a marvel's
Appearing more wondrous!
The golden bell's ringing
Scattered away the darkness.
As the covering night-cloak,
The shadow's wide little carpet,
At the new day's hemming
Quickly vanishes away,
So sank the darkness-shadow.
Kalev's mighty son
Set his steps to striding,
To wander the heavy road;
With a great man's strides
Distance swiftly vanished.
Part Five — The Toad and the Enchanted Webs
(Lines 158–209)
Strangely a light shone,
That was not daylight
Nor the created glow of moons,
That into the mournful alder-grove,
Into the pallid birch-grove,
Is poured in the chill of night.
Behold the wonder-nets,
The needlework skeins,
That here had been laid upon the path
From the finest braid-thread,
From little silver-thread skeins,
A hundredfold bound together,
A thousandfold woven tight.
Kalev's mighty son
Began to tear the fetters,
To shake down the nets.
The more strongly the man
Tore at the cords,
The more abundantly grew,
The more strongly sprang up
A thousand other snares,
Ten thousand fastenings,
So that no step unbound
Could the hero walk.
His strength began to weaken,
His power to grow weary.
Dear son of Kalev
Considered the matter:
"Before, man, I broke walls,
I levered apart cliff-mounds,
I cracked iron chains;
Now I cannot manage joke-skeins,
Trifles from the road."
The warty toad croaked,
Wisely counselled:
"Ring the little bell,
Sound the golden tongue!"
Kalev's mighty son
Understood, obeyed the toad's command;
Took the little bell in hand,
Began at once to ring it.
Who has ever seen a marvel's
Appearing more wondrous!
The golden bell's ringing
Shook down the little nets,
Broke the sorcery-cords
In the blink of an eye before his sight.
Kalev's mighty son
Set his steps to striding,
To wander the heavy road;
With a great man's strides
Distance swiftly vanished.
Part Six — The Crayfish and the Stream
(Lines 210–250)
Kalev's mighty son
Reached the river's bank,
That was not at all wide,
To the eye not at all deep;
Its width was perhaps a couple of spans
Beyond a step's reach.
Kalev wanted fearlessly
To step from bank to bank,
Wanted his step at a bound
To place on the farther bank.
But the bank was farther than the step,
His toes fell into the water,
His heel stuck fast in the muck.
Kalev's mighty son
Tried his step a hundred times,
Raised his foot a thousand times,
Yet the man could not get a step,
His heel upon the bank.
Though the bank was within arm's reach,
Yet the man could not upon the tussocks
Reach the grass above.
Kalevipoeg resting,
In his mind thus thinking:
"Before I got through Lake Peipus
Carrying a load more easily
Than through this little ditch."
The crayfish began to cast,
Wisely spoke from the muck:
"Ring the little bell,
Sound the golden tongue!"
Kalev's mighty son
Understood, obeyed the crayfish's command;
Took the little bell in hand,
Began at once to ring it.
Who has ever seen a marvel's
Appearing more wondrous!
The golden bell's ringing
Carried his foot upon the bank,
His step to dry gravel.
In the blink of an eye the river vanished,
The water drained, the bank disappeared.
Part Seven — The Cricket and the Gnats
(Lines 251–348)
Kalev's mighty son
Set his steps to striding,
To wander the heavy road;
With a great man's strides
Distance swiftly vanished;
His foot went along the hell-road,
His step walked the underworld.
Time's measure had no count,
The day had no boundaries,
For into the depths' lap
The sun could not shine,
The moon could not glow,
No star could tell the time:
Whether here dawn was growing
Or dusk was gleaming,
A deceptive shimmer,
A false brightness
Endured in one manner.
Had mist here woven a cloak,
Dew puffed up clouds,
A light rain made shadow
Over Kalevipoeg's journey?
No — mist had not woven a cloak,
Dew had not puffed up clouds,
No rain had made shadow
Before the strong man's journey.
Families of gnats,
Herds of tiny mosquitoes
Rushed to cover the road,
To cloud the man's eyes.
Kalev's mighty son
Brushed gnats from before him,
Slew mosquitoes by thousands,
Pushed through the swarms,
Thought: "Sometime it must end!"
The man walked faster,
Drove his step more frequently.
The faster the man's walk,
The thicker the swarm swelled;
The more frequent his step,
The more the filth bred.
Now the great herds covered
Kalev's hearing-ears,
By hundreds they fell upon his eyes,
Stormed into his mouth by thousands,
Sifted into his nostrils.
Dear son of Kalev,
His strength already weakening,
Growing weary of futile work,
Resting for a moment,
In his mind thinking:
"Foes I managed to defeat,
Hell-folk to scatter;
But the gnat-nest
Threatens to drain my life,
To take strength from the man."
The cricket from its mound spoke,
Wisely counselled:
"Ring the little bell,
Sound the golden tongue!"
Dear son of Kalev
Understood, obeyed the cricket's command:
Took the little bell in hand,
Began at once to ring it.
Who has ever seen a marvel's
Appearing more wondrous!
The golden bell's ringing
Scattered the gnat-swarms,
Made the tiny mosquito-herds vanish
As though blown away by the wind.
Dear son of Kalev
Sat down upon the grass
To rest a moment,
To refresh his weary strength;
Began to consider the matter,
In his mind thus thinking;
At last from troubling his head
He fortunately found a decision:
"Come what may happen,
Whatever trouble comes,
The dear little helper-bell
I shall hold in my fist.
If wretchedness-nets roll,
Temptation's fetters
Fall about my neck unawares,
Then help in the blink of an eye,
Useful support at every hour."
Then he bound the little bell
With a knot to his little finger,
Took food for sustenance,
To refresh his drained body,
Let a little bread into his bones,
Nodded off for an hour.
Part Eight — Sarvik's Scouts
(Lines 349–377)
Kalev's mighty son
Set his steps to striding,
To wander the heavy road;
With a great man's strides
Distance swiftly vanished.
The man trod the hell-road,
His step walked the underworld.
The underworld's lads,
Old Sarvik's servants,
Heard Kalev's son's approach,
The thundering of the man's stride,
Went secretly to spy,
To view the stranger:
What comes to break the peace,
What threatens to cause harm?
When they had caught sight
Of Kalev's son from afar,
They hastened at wind-speed —
As though fire were in their pockets,
Hornets pressing in their bosoms —
To proclaim the command at home:
"Kalevipoeg, the mighty man,
Rushes to break the peace,
To stir up war-clamour!"
Old Sarvik spoke:
"Send from our warriors
The strongest on the fiery road
To strike the enemy,
To punish Kalevipoeg!"
Part Nine — The Battle on the Iron Bridge
(Lines 378–549)
Kalev's mighty son
Set his steps to striding,
To wander the heavy road;
With a great man's strides
Distance swiftly vanished.
A rooster sang from afar,
The clatter of dogs' barking
Reached Kalev's ear,
As he walked the underworld
On an unknown path.
Before the hell-folk
Caught sight of the newcomer,
A wide river came before him,
Where no water-flow
Was a spring's breast adding
Nor clouds swelling.
The river flowed with melted tar,
The stream poured resin;
From the burning waves
Wafted a fiery stench
In blue smoke into the eyes.
Over the river ran a bridge,
A road made of steel:
The floor laid of iron,
Pillars made of steel.
On the heavy iron paths,
On the road made of steel,
The best men were placed
To receive the enemy,
Where the fiend maliciously
Tried to shatter the underworld.
The underworld's lads
Gathered in herds
At the master's command
To do battle on the field of war.
One troop stood mid-bridge,
A second troop behind the bridge,
A third band at the riverbank,
A fourth a little farther off.
Kalev's mighty son,
Catching sight of the warriors,
Quickened his rapid pace,
Spoke in mockery:
"Do you see what a frog-army
Stands upon the bridge!"
Then he strode closer,
Drew his sword from its sheath,
Stepped a step, stepped a pair,
Slowly toward the bridge,
Set his words to sailing:
"Hurry home, goblins,
Flee, hounds of the deep!
Before I swat you once,
Break you down onto the tussocks
As beak-meat for the ravens,
As fair food for the wolves!"
The lads of the deep spoke:
"Do not boast rashly
Of the day's fortune before evening!
The rooster that crows at dawn
May sigh before nightfall."
Kalev's mighty son,
Untouched by mockery,
Stepped a step, stepped a pair,
Nearer toward the bridge,
To survey the foe.
Archers on the riverbank
Set their bows to the string,
Let their arrows fly,
Fiercely storming;
Slingers sent
Stones in haste
By hundreds riding,
Rolling against the stranger,
Trying to drive Kalev's son
Fleeing from the road.
Spearmen with their spears,
Clubmen with their clubs,
Others behind with battle-axes
Rushed into the fray,
To strike against the foe.
Kalev's mighty son —
He did not fear the warriors,
The pressing of the underworld lads:
He stood like an iron wall,
A sturdy oak in the wind,
A cliff against the breakers.
Then he forced to the edge
The iron blade to dance,
The little sword to play!
Began to strike the foe,
To batter the tormentors,
To thrash the anger-men,
To scatter the lads of the deep.
Where once, whirling,
The anger-iron was flung,
There it birthed death;
Where it dropped a blow,
It stormed men by the dozen
Onto the grass to sleep;
Where it struck most frequently,
There fell by hundreds
Into death's lap on their backs.
New masses of warriors
Stepped into the place
To cover the tracks of harm,
To fill the empty places.
At old Sarvik's compulsion
The lads had to go.
No harm came to the victory-man,
No damage to Kalev,
Who like an iron wall,
A sturdy oak in the storm-wind,
A steadfast cliff against the breakers,
Received the foe.
But when with his strong hand
He set the sword to playing,
The iron blade to dancing,
Then death had no rest,
Blood had no time to congeal.
Where there was no iron brow,
No head made of steel,
Nor hardened neck-sinews,
There men were shown no mercy,
Lads no pause for resting;
The lads of the deep had to
Fall on the iron bridge.
Old Sarvik drove others
To march on the death-road,
Commanded the strongest to go
To punish Kalevipoeg,
To thrash the foe;
Offered wages to the lads,
Blood-price to the victor:
Whoever brings Kalev's son —
Whether alive
Or fallen into the sleep of death —
To him at last.
Treacherous archers,
The most skilled spearmen,
Were pressed together into battle,
Driven into the fray
To torment Kalevipoeg.
The bridge swayed under the host,
Swung under the heavy burden:
For steps by hundreds,
Foot-soles by thousands
Were weighing the iron bridge,
Bending the base-beams.
Kalev's mighty son,
With the golden bell's aid,
In his strength still unwearied,
Did not fear the lads of the deep.
He stood waiting at the bridge's end,
One heel on the bridge, the other on the bank,
He stood like an iron wall,
A sturdy oak in the storm-wind,
A steadfast cliff against the breakers,
Unfalling against the waves.
Kalev's son's mighty hand,
Delighting in the sword's rampage,
Mowed down the wicked,
Scythed them like dew-grass,
Like reeds on the clearing's paths,
Like rushes on the riverbanks,
Falling in swathes.
The sword broke in its raging,
Cut down hundreds,
The golden bell's chime
Pushed down thousands
Into death's lap to sleep.
Like withered leaves
On the autumn wind's ride
Falling from the treetops,
Flying far from the branches,
So the lads of the deep,
Old Sarvik's warriors,
Had to wither on their death-beds.
Part Ten — The Clearing of the Dead and the Gates
(Lines 550–638)
Those who still walked on their feet
Tested the speed of their heels
Fleeing in panic.
Old Sarvik had fire behind him,
A bitter driver in his bag
Setting his trousers ablaze.
Then he tried the warriors,
The fleeing lads,
To gather them together again;
Took the elders for support,
The bravest as a shadow-wall
To defend the homestead;
Made barriers on the road,
Brushwood before the paths,
Threw into the war-gate
The heaviest stone-boulders,
Placed cliff-blocks
As a counter-wall at the gate,
Others as supports in the lane,
So that Kalev's son
Might not reach the courtyard of the deep.
When he had blocked the road,
Secured the passageways,
He chose from the bravest
A hundred champions to do battle,
Who were stronger than bears,
Tempered in the sorcery-sauna,
Empowered by the witch-switch.
Kalev's mighty son —
Unconquered by weariness —
Stood like an iron wall,
A sturdy oak in the storm-wind,
A steadfast cliff against the breakers,
Unfalling against the waves.
Then he began combing the lads,
Scattering the lads of the deep;
He scattered them like gnats
And did not leave a single one
Who might carry command home,
Who might go proclaim the tidings.
In death's quiet shadow-embrace
The warriors slumbered,
The lads of the deep drowsed.
Kalev's mighty son
Sat on the bridge's edge
To rest a moment,
To calm his battle-sweat.
Kalev's mighty son
After resting began
To clear the fallen from the bridge,
What in his rampage
He had scattered to dust;
Then he swept them from the bridge of the deep
Broadly into the stench-waves,
Threw stacks onto the meadows,
Mounds at the riverbank,
The bigger ones into the river-mouth
As monuments to rot.
Then steps to striding,
Toes rolling once more.
With heavy step's wandering
The iron bridge cracked,
The base-beams groaned,
The side-beams swayed.
Kalev walked across the bridge
A span deep in the bloody road,
Reached the farther bank,
Walked from the bank farther on
Along the path in haste
Toward the war-gate,
Where Sarvik had made barriers,
Had built a counter-wall
With cliff-block sturdiness.
Kalev's mighty son
Struck with a thundering blow
Against the war-gate;
Struck one blow, struck a second,
Struck a third blow too
Against the gate of the deep —
To splinters flew the gate-posts,
The supports stormed into the wind,
Fragments flew far and wide.
With his heel he scraped away
The barriers from the road,
The brushwood from before the paths;
He pushed along the lane
With headlong step across the courtyard
Straight to the door.
He cracked once with his fist,
Struck a blow upon the door.
He shook the door-posts loose,
The hinges together with the hinge-bar
With one blow at his feet.
Part Eleven — The Shadow-Mother at the Spinning Wheel
(Lines 639–682)
Kalev's mighty son
Stepped across the threshold,
Set his foot upon the floor.
The corner-stones yielded,
The room-walls staggered,
The chamber-walls swayed,
The roof-beams trembled,
The ceiling threatened to crack.
In the front room sat a little old woman,
The shadow of a pallid woman,
Who, like Linda in her days of mourning,
The faded figure of the old one,
Appeared before the son's eyes.
The old one sat behind the spinning wheel,
Worked the treadle at wind-speed,
Spinning the spindle round;
She teased from the distaff with her fingers
Skeins into the spindle's throat,
Smoothing them into threads of
Golden flax, silver wool,
Dipping her fingers into a cup
On the right side of the spinning-post,
Where the dear life-water,
The mighty strength-water, stood.
On the left side of the spinning-post
Stood another little cup,
There the wilting-water,
The strength-catcher:
Whoever takes from it a tongue-taste
Withers at once with weakness.
The shadow-mother with tender eyes
Guided her son's path
Toward the cup on the right.
Dear son of Kalev
Knew to read the old one's teaching
Without a word being spoken:
He took the golden cup in hand,
Drank of the strength-water
To harden his sturdy body.
Then he took cliff-stones,
Threw them with heavy roaring
Against the secret chamber's wall.
Then the earth-floor gave way,
In white foam a sea rose up!
A spark rose from the depths
Before Kalev's son's eyes,
The chamber-walls broke apart
In fragments upon the floor.
Part Twelve — Sarvik's Wife at the Loom
(Lines 683–756)
Old Sarvik's little wife
Sat behind the chamber-wall,
Her heel worked the loom-treadles,
Her fingers plucked the warp-threads,
Clacking the linen,
Banging the cloth of the deep.
The old woman's keen eye
Saw the golden little bell
On Kalev's son's finger,
Set her words to sailing:
"See, what a lovely jest-bell
Gleams on your finger, friend!
Give me the little trinket,
Make me a gift of the little bell!
I would tie it to the cat's neck
To frighten the mice,
For sport with the weasels."
Kalevipoeg understood at once,
Answered cunningly:
"Before we haggle over the bell
At greater length,
Tell me, dear old woman,
Cluck for me, household hen,
Is the master of the house at home,
The rooster in the chamber?
We have some men's business,
Idle trifles to tend to,
That a little wife cannot fathom
Nor maids concern themselves with."
The old woman answered back:
"The household rooster has flown from home,
The day before yesterday, the old man.
He cannot manage to come
Walking homeward
Before perhaps tomorrow evening,
Or the day after tomorrow morning.
Stay till then, little friend,
Be friendly company for me,
I would prepare a guest-feast,
Cook the choicest broth.
Try first a tongue-taste,
Taste our mead-water!
On the loom-treadle stands a jug —
On the left side the very best."
Kalev's mighty son
Knew the jug's meaning,
That it was the wilting-water,
The strength-catcher;
Therefore he spoke:
"Be well, old woman!
I have no thirst for drink."
Then he began to look around,
To survey the strange place,
Whether perhaps a secret door,
A hidden gate,
Might catch his eye somewhere.
There in the back wall he saw
In the shadow a little door,
Then stepped nearer,
Put his fist to the post,
His fingers to the door-hinge,
Wanted to work the latch.
Before his fingers touched
The latch —
The door sprang with a clatter,
Crashing open of itself.
Part Thirteen — The Ambush Behind the Door
(Lines 757–798)
From behind the door, from the nook,
Came with the rush of wind
Old Sarvik's warriors,
The strongest, to the fray,
Whom the fiend had gathered beforehand,
Had chosen as defenders.
Whoever has chanced on a hunt
To witness the sight
Of how a pack of dogs
Harries the honey-paw,
Wearies the old brother,
Shakes him in fury,
How the long dog-teeth
Bite the forest-son —
The brown one sits in his place,
Sits on a mound on his haunches,
Guards his own tender parts,
Now and then swings
His broad paw with a smack
Into the whelps' skulls.
Where the paw dropped,
Where the blow fell,
Quickly a dog vanished,
Sank, the weakling, without a whimper,
Into death's embrace to sleep.
Whoever has seen that sport,
Has once witnessed that jest,
May perhaps guess the matter,
Interpret the deed itself:
How Kalev drove the hounds of the deep
From his own sides.
Kalev's mighty son —
Where he dropped a blow,
Where the strike pressed down,
A second there was not needed.
The blow buried the man,
The strike made a death-shadow,
Silenced the foe.
After a little sport
The men had their slippers on the shelf;
Thirty fallen bodies
Were all scattered on the floor.
Part Fourteen — Sarvik's Accusation and Kalevipoeg's Answer
(Lines 799–898)
Old Sarvik from behind the back wall
Cried out in desperate urgency:
"Hold fast, boy!
If you, rascal, cannot take a joke,
We shall make the quarrel real;
Let no blame then fall on me,
No blood-answering!
A thief you are, little friend,
A robber pillaging,
Who claws at another's goods,
Who empties another's pockets!
A thief you are, a thief you'll stay,
A robber, a plunderer of folk!
Or will you try to call it lies,
To excuse your thievery?
Have you not with grasping claws
Stolen my goods?
Did you not lately carry off
The dear wishing-cap,
Steal the magic switch,
Carry the hens from my chamber,
The partridges from our room?
Have you not with sharp claws
Torn open my gold-chests,
Destroyed the silver ones?
My most splendid sword
Now gleams in your fist!
Whose golden little bell
Sparkles on your finger?
Are you not, dog, a predator?
Can you perhaps excuse the theft?"
Kalevipoeg understood at once,
Answered cunningly:
"What are you bringing up bygones,
Dredging up the year before last?
Warring with a big mouth,
Jawing with a wide jaw —
That was always held as women's way,
Children's quarrel-settling.
When men had a dispute
And crooked things to straighten,
There was no word-wrestling,
No jaw-clacking:
Strength had to serve in the trial of might
To settle the argument.
Why, wretch, did you flee to the forest,
To the ground-floor hiding-hole,
Before the fight was won?
At dusk's hem you came, hollow one,
To mock men in the forest,
In the shape of the Härjapõlvelane,
To torment over the cooking-pot.
Step out from behind the stove,
Come out of the chamber at once!
Let us go out into the open
To finish the final victory-game
In proper fashion!
For that reason I set my steps
To tread the hell-road,
Left home to walk.
That our right be equal,
Our strength weighed evenly,
I will sheath my sword,
Take the little bell from my hand."
Speaking thus,
He loosed the little bell from its cord,
Tucked it into his pocket to rest,
Pushed the sword into its sheath.
Old Sarvik with fearful step
Came from the chamber, pallid,
Snow-white across the threshold.
From fright the old woman's son's
Wits were in swaddling-clothes,
So he no longer knew the way
Nor understood what he was doing.
The little man meant to take
The strength-refreshing drink
To fortify his body's power;
But his hand unwittingly,
Straying in fright,
Went to the other jug,
Where the strength-weakener,
The wilting-water was,
That makes sense thinner,
Hides the mind from the man's head.
Kalev's mighty son,
Perceiving the situation,
Immediately drained the other jug
To wet his dried-out throat.
The mighty empowering-water,
The body-strength refresher,
Blazed like a flame of fire,
Setting the waves of life ablaze.
Let the next stage of wrestling
Be for the next song's telling,
For the next spindle's turning,
For today the bridge-war
On Kalevipoeg's underworld journey
Has consumed thread enough,
Has wearied the spinning-spindles.
Colophon
Translated from the Estonian of Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's Kalevipoeg (1857) as preserved in Project Gutenberg (#25062). The eighteenth of twenty cantos. Approximately 898 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 singer's invocation to three figures — the Northern Eagle (for wings), Vanemuine the song-god (for golden threads), and Endla the lake-maiden (for an illuminating net). The five bell-trials, each with the same ritual formula — "Ring the little bell, sound the golden tongue!" — given by a raven, a mouse, a toad, a crayfish, and a cricket. Each trial overcomes a different obstacle: smoke, darkness, enchanted silver webs, an uncrossable stream, and swarms of gnats. The golden bell is the canto's true hero — Canto XVII's prize from the Härjapõlvelane now proves its worth five times over, and Kalevipoeg's decision to bind it to his finger is the canto's turning point. The river of melted tar and the iron bridge recall the crossing-trials of Norse and Finnish underworld traditions. The battle itself uses the great refrain — "He stood like an iron wall, a sturdy oak in the storm-wind, a steadfast cliff against the breakers" — four times, the repetition mirroring the four-fold cauldron-watch of Canto XVII. The shadow-mother at the spinning wheel, silently guiding her son to the right cup, is the canto's most tender moment — Linda's ghost, still protecting the boy she raised. Sarvik's wife is her dark mirror: the same hospitality, the same cup offered, but from the wrong side. The bear-and-dogs simile for the ambush is pure folk-poetry — the broad paw, the whelps' skulls, the whimperless sinking. And Sarvik's panicked drink-mistake: the Horned One who governed the dead for centuries, undone by his own terror, reaching for the wrong jug while his wits were "in swaddling-clothes." The canto ends mid-action, the spinning metaphor looping back: this song's thread is spent, the next spindle waits.
Scribed by Tuuli (Tulku Uralic Alpha, Life 27) for the New Tianmu Anglican Church, March 2026.
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Source Text: Kalevipoeg — Kaheksateistkümnes Lugu
Estonian text of Kalevipoeg Canto XVIII, from the 1857 first edition of Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, as preserved in Project Gutenberg (#25062). Approximately 898 verse lines in literary Estonian regivärss.
Põhjakotkas, kurja lindu,
Laena tiibu laulikulle!
Sõudeid sõnaseadijalle
Kergituseks kandelille!
Miska tuule tuisatusel,
Marumängi möllamisel
Kalevite põrguskäiki,
Salateede sõudemista
Tõelikult tähendelen;
Enne kui mul meelemaalid,
Kuuldud sõnasünnitused
Kastepilvisse kaovad,
Varjurüppe varisevad.
V a n e m u i n e, laulutarka,
Lase kuldalõngakesi,
Hõbedasi heidekesi
Pajataja poolidelle,
Kuulutaja keradelle,
Miska sõna mängitelles
Siledamaks siidiks sõlmin,
Kuldakirjal kangaks koon!
Endla, piiga peenikene,
Laena täna laulikulle
Valgustavat võrgukesta,
Seletavat silmarätti,
Miska põrgu mälestused
Ilusamaks ilmuksivad,
Elavamaks ärkaksivad!
Ööde pilved palistavad
Uduvõrku valgusväljad,
Kui sa jala allailma
Põrgu piiridelle paned,
Kus ei päeval paista päike,
Kuu ei anna öösel kuma,
Täht ei tule teretama,
Virmalised valgust andma.
Koidu piirilt läikiv päike
Palistelles pilvedelle
Puneteli palgeida;
Linnukeeled lepikusta
Tõttasivad trallitama,
Lustilugu lõõritama,
Kägu kukkus kaasikusta,
Pesilindu põõsastikust:
"Virgu, virgu, vennikene!"
Päevatõusul tõstis peada
Kallis Kalevite poega,
Ajas keha istukille,
Kargas püsti kandadelle,
Suges hiukseid sõrmedella,
Hurjutelles unda metsa;
Võttis mõne kulbi võrra
Leemepajast linnupetet
Kange keha karastuseks.
Seltsimehed suikusivad
Kolmekesi koiduunda,
Venitasid väsimusta,
Õhtust valvamise vaeva.
Kalevipoeg vaatamaie,
Sündind lugu silmamaie,
Kuhu öösel kellakandja
Vennikene oli vajund.
Seal, kus eile sinisuitsul
Härjapõlvelase pilve
Taeva näinud tõusevada,
Silmas täna sinivetta,
Laialisi laineida
Lagedalle lahutatud,
Nägi kaldal kõrkjaida,
Võhumõõku vete ääres.
Kalevipoeg pajatama:
"Kogemata leian koha,
Pääsen põrgu piiridelle,
Kust see tarka teadis teeda
Allailma juhatada."
Parem jalga põruteli
Rasket kanda raksatille, -
Siisap sügavuse uksed,
Varjul hoietud väravad
Lahtiseksi lõhkesivad.
Kalevite kange poega
Prao servalt sihtimaie
Kuristiku koopa′asse,
Kas ehk kuskilt käidavada
Jalarada leidunekse?
Paksud pilved pimestasid
Suitsul silma vaatamise
Koopakurku koledasti.
Palav auru tõusis põhjast,
Suits ja nõgi mehe silma,
Kes see küürus kõndinekse
Vanapoisi vaenuteeda.
Kalevite kange poega
Suitsu silmist puhutelles
Pahal tujul pajatama:
"Toho, toho, tahmalane!
Kas sa tahad, teedeäärne,
Suitsus silmi sõgestada?"
Kaaren laulis kuuseladvast,
Tarka lindu tähendeli:
"Kõlistele kellukesta,
Kuulutele kuldakeelta!"
Kalevite kange poega
Mõistis, täitis kaarna käsku,
Targa linnu tähendusta;
Võttis kätte kellukese,
Hakkas kohe helistama.
Kes see ime ilmumista
Naljakamat enne näinud!
Kuldakellukese kõlin
Puistas paksud suitsupilved
Silmapilgul põgenema.
Usinam kui paksem udu
Päikese paistusella
Laialisti langenekse,
Sulas Sarvik-taadi suitsu.
Kalevite kange poega
Seadis sammu sõudemaie,
Rasket teeda rändamaie;
Suure mehe sammudella
Kaugus kiiresti kadunes.
Veidi aega paistis valgus
Päikese paistuselta
Kuristiku koopa′asse,
Pärast kattis kotispime,
Võrguteli ööde voli
Kalevite poja käiki,
Kus ta pidi käsikatsel,
Sõrmejuhil sammumaie.
Kas siin koitu kerkinekse
Lõunaaega alustelles,
Ehk kas igav ööde pime
Kogu päeva kestenekse,
Sest ei saanud vaat′ja silma
Tõelikku tunnistähte.
Hiirekene hüüdemaie,
Pimedusest pajatama:
"Kõlistele kellukesta,
Kuulutele kuldakeelta!"
Kalevite kange poega
Mõistis, täitis hiire käsku,
Võttis kätte kellukese,
Hakkas kohe helistama.
Kes see ime ilmumista
Naljakamat enne näinud!
Kuldakellukese kõlin
Puistas ära pimeduse.
Nii kui kattev öödekuubi,
Varju laia vaibakene
Uue päeva palistusel
Kiirest′ ära kadunekse,
Vajus pimedusevari.
Kalevite kange poega
Seadis sammud sõudemaie,
Rasket teeda rändamaie;
Suure mehe sammudella
Kaugus kiiresti kadunes.
Võõrastavalt paistis valgus,
Mis ei olnud päevapaiste
Ega loodud kuude kuma,
Mis see leinal lepikusse,
Kahvatanud kaasikusse
Ööde vilul valatakse.
Vaata imevõrkusida,
Õmbeliku heidekesi,
Mis siin teele olid tehtud
Peenemasta poordikarrast,
Hõbekarra heidekestest
Sajakordselt kokku seotud,
Tuhatkordselt kokku kootud.
Kalevite kange poega
Kütkeida katkendama,
Võrku maha varistama.
Mida rammukamalt meesi
Köiekesi katkendamas,
Seda rohkemalta sigis,
Seda kangemalta kasvas
Tuhat teisi tõkkeida,
Kümme tuhat kinnitusta,
Et ei sammu sidumata
Kangelane võinud käia.
Võimus kippus väsimaie,
Tugevus ju tüdimaie.
Kallis Kalevite poega
Asja ise arvamaie:
"Enne, meesi, murdsin seinad,
Kangutasin kaljukünkad,
Raksasin raudahelad;
Nüüd ei jaksa naljaheideid,
Tühist teelta toimetada."
Kärnakonna krooksumaie,
Targalikult tähendama:
"Kõlistele kellukesta,
Kuulutele kuldakeelta!"
Kalevite kange poega
Mõistis, täitis konna käsku;
Võttis kätte kellukese,
Hakkas kohe helistama.
Kes see ime ilmumista
Naljakamat enne näinud!
Kuldakellukese kõlin
Varisteli võrgukesed,
Lõhkus nõianöörikesed
Silmapilgul silma eesta.
Kalevite kange poega
Seadis sammud sõudemaie,
Rasket teeda rändamaie;
Suure mehe sammudella
Kaugus kiiresti kadunes.
Kalevite kange poega
Jõudis jõe kalda′ alle,
Mis ei olnud mitte laia,
Silmanähes mitte sügav;
Laius võis ehk paari vaksa
Üle sammu ulatada.
Kalev tahtis kartemata
Kaldast kalda astuneda,
Tahtis sammu tuisatille
Panna teise kalda peale.
Aga kallas sammust kaugem,
Varbad vette viskanekse,
Kanda kõntsa kinnitie.
Kalevite kange poega
Katsus sammu sada korda,
Tõstis jalga tuhat korda,
Siiski mees ei saanud sammu,
Jalakanda kalda peale.
Ehk küll kallas käega katsu,
Siiski mees ei mätastelle
Võinud minna muru peale.
Kalevipoeg puhkamaie,
Meeles nõnda mõtlemaie:
"Pääsin enne Peipsist läbi
Koormat kandes kergemasti
Kui siin virtsasoonekesest."
Vähki hakkas viskamaie,
Kõntsast targalt kõnelema:
"Kõlistele kellukesta,
Kuulutele kuldakeelta!"
Kalevite kange poega
Mõistis, täitis vähi käsku;
Võttis kätte kellukese,
Hakkas kohe helistama.
Kes see ime ilmumista
Naljakamat enne näinud!
Kuldakellukese kõlin
Kandis jala kalda peale,
Sammu kuiva sõmeralle.
Silmapilgul kadus jõgi,
Valgus vesi, kadus kallas.
Kalevite kange poega
Seadis sammud sõudemaie,
Rasket teeda rändamaie;
Suure mehe sammudella
Kaugus kiiresti kadunes;
Jalg käis mööda põrguteeda,
Sammu astus altailma.
Aja mõõdul polnud arvu,
Polnud päeval piirikesi,
Sest et sügavuse sülle
Päike saa ei paistemaie,
Kuu ei valgust kumamaie,
Täht ei aega tunnistama:
Kas siin koitu kasvamassa
Ehk kas eha helendamas,
Pettelikku paistekene,
Valelikku valgekene
Ühel viisil vältanekse.
Kas siin udu kudund kuube,
Kaste pilvi paisutanud,
Vihmakene teinud varju
Kalevipoja käigile?
Ei siin kudund udu kuube,
Paisutanud kaste pilvi,
Teinud vihmakene varju
Kange mehe käigi ette.
Pihulaste perekonnad,
Väikse sääsekese karjad
Kipuvad teed kattemaie,
Mehe silma segamaie.
Kalevite kange poega
Puistab eesta pihulasi,
Surmab sääski tuhandena,
Poeb parvekestest läbi,
Mõtleb: "Ükskord tuleb otsa!"
Kõnnib meesi kiiremasti,
Sõuab sammu sagedamast.
Mida kiirem mehe kõndi,
Seda paksem paisub parvi;
Mida sagedam tal sammu,
Seda rohkem sigib roistu.
Juba katvad suured karjad
Kalevi kõrvakuulemeid,
Sadadena langeb silmi,
Tuiskab suhu tuhandeida,
Sõelub ninasõõrmetesse.
Kalevite kallis poega
Võimul juba väsimaie,
Tühjal tööl tüdinema,
Puhukeseks puhkamaie,
Meeles ise mõtlemaie:
"Vaenulasi jõudsin võita,
Põrgulasi pillutada;
Aga pihulasepesa
Kipub elu kurnamaie,
Võimust mehelt võttemaie."
Sirtsu mättalt sõnaldama,
Targalikult tähendama:
"Kõlistele kellukesta,
Kuulutele kuldakeelta!"
Kalevite kallis poega
Mõistis, täitis sirtsu käsku:
Võttis kätte kellukese,
Hakkas kohe helistama.
Kes see ime ilmumista
Naljakamat enne näinud!
Kuldakellukese kõlin
Puistas pihulaste parved,
Kaotas väiksed sääsekarjad
Kui oleks tuulde tuisatud.
Kalevite kallis poega
Istus maha muru peale
Puhukeseks puhkamaie,
Väsind võimu karastama;
Hakkas asju arvamaie,
Meeles nõnda mõtlemaie;
Viimaks pea vaevamisel
Õnnelikult leidis otsust:
"Saagu mis ehk sündimaie,
Tüli ette tulemaie,
Kallist abikellukesta
Tahan pihus ma pidada.
Veereb viletsuse võrku,
Kiusatuse kütkendusi
Kogemata kaela peale,
Siisap abi silmapilgul,
Tulus tugi igal tunnil."
Siis ta köitis kellukese
Sõlmil väikse sõrme külge,
Võttis toitu toetuseks,
Kurnand keha karastuseks,
Laskis pisut leiba luusse,
Tunnikeseks tukkunekse.
Kalevite kange poega
Seadis sammud sõudemaie,
Rasket teeda rändamaie;
Suure mehe sammudella
Kaugus kiiresti kadunes.
Meesi tallas põrguteeda,
Sammu astus allailma.
Põrgulase poisikesed,
Sarviku-taadi sulased,
Kuulsid Kalevite käiki,
Mehe sammumüdinada,
Läksid sala luurimaie,
Võõralikku vaatamaie:
Mis siin rahu rikkumaie,
Kahju kipub kasvatama?
Kui nad Kalevite poega
Saanud kaugelt silmamaie,
Tõttasivad tuulekiirul -
Kui oleks tuli tasku′ussa,
Parmu põues pakitamas -
Käsku koju kuulutama:
"Kalevipoeg, kange meesi,
Ruttab rahu rikkumaie,
Sõjakära sünnitama!"
Sarvik-taati sõnaldama:
"Saatke meie sõjameestest
Tugevamad tulist teele
Vaenulasta virutama,
Kalevipoega karistama!"
Kalevite kange poega
Seadis sammud sõudemaie,
Rasket teeda rändamaie;
Suure mehe sammudella
Kaugus kiiresti kadunes.
Kukke laulis kauge′elta,
Koerte haukumise kärin
Kostis Kaleville kõrva,
Kui ta astus altailma
Tundemata teederada.
Enne veel kui põrgupere
Tulijalle tõusis silma,
Jõudis vastu laia jõgi,
Kus ei vetevoolamista
Lätte rind ei lisamassa
Ega pilvi paisutamas.
Jõgi voolas sulatõrva,
Oja vaikuda valasi;
Põlevailta laineilta
Lehviteli tulist lõhna
Sinisuitsul silmadesse.
Üle jõe jooksis silda,
Teraksesta tehtud tänav:
Põhi rauast rajatatud,
Teraksesta tehtud tulbad.
Raske raua radadelle,
Teraksesta tehtud teele
Pandi paremaida mehi
Vaenlast vastu võttemaie,
Kus see kuri kiuselikult
Põrgut kippus pillutama.
Põrgulase poisikesed
Kogusivad karjakaupa
Peremehe käsu peale
Vaenuväljal võitlemaie.
Seltsi seisis keset silda,
Teine seltsi silla taga,
Kolmas kari kalda ääres,
Neljas natuke kaugemal.
Kalevite kange poega
Sõjamehi silmatessa
Kinniteli kiiret käiki,
Pilkamisel pajatama:
"Kas sa näed, mis konnakarja
Silla pealla seisenekse!"
Siisap sammul sagamaie,
Tõmbas mõõga tupe seesta,
Astus sammu, astus paari
Pikkamisi silla poole,
Seadis sõnad sõudemaie:
"Tõtke koju, kollilased,
Põgenege, põrgukoerad!
Enne, kui teid äiman korra,
Murran maha mätastelle
Nokakatkeks kaarnatelle,
Hüvaks roaks huntidelle!"
Põrgupoisid pajatama:
"Ära hõiska hoopelikult
Enne õhtut päeva õnne!
Koidul laulja kiidukukke
Ehk saab õhtul ohkamaie."
Kalevite kange poega
Pilkamisest puutumata
Astus sammu, astus paari
Ligemalle silla poole
Vaenumehi vaatamaie.
Ammukütid kalda ääres
Seadvad vibud vinnaskille,
Laskvad nooled lendamaie,
Tulisasti tuiskamaie;
Lingulaskjad läkitavad
Kivisida kiirustelles
Sadadena sõitemaie,
Võõra vastu veeremaie,
Püüdvad Kalevite poega
Teelta pakku pillutada.
Otsamehed odadega,
Nuiamehed nuiadega,
Teised taga tapritega
Tungisivad taplusesse,
Vaenlast vastu virutama.
Kalevite kange poega,
See ei kartnud sõjalaste,
Põrgupoege pakitusi:
Seisis kui see raudaseina,
Tugev tammi tuule seessa,
Kalju marumurde vastu.
Siisap sundis servitie
Raudatera tantsimaie,
Mõõgakese mängimaie!
Hakkas vaenlast virutama,
Kiusajaida kolkimaie,
Vihamehi vemmeldama,
Põrgupoegi pillutama.
Kuhu korra keeritelles
Viharauda viskanekse,
Sinna surma sünniteli;
Kuhu vopsu kukuteli,
Tuiskas mehi tosinalla
Muru peale magamaie;
Kuhu salvas sagedamast,
Sinna langes sadasida
Surma sülle sellikesi.
Uued sõjameeste hulgad
Astusivad asemelle
Kahju jälgi kattemaie,
Tühje paiku täitemaie.
Sarvik-taadi sunnitusel
Pidid poisid minemaie.
Sest ei viga võidumehel,
Sest ei kahju Kaleville,
Kes see kui see raudaseina,
Tugev tammi tuuletuisul,
Kindel kalju marumurdel
Vaenlast vastu võttemassa.
Kui ta aga kange käega
Mõõga pani mängimaie,
Rauatera tantsimaie,
Siis ei olnud surmal suiku,
Verel hangumise aega.
Kus ei olnud raudakulmu,
Teraksesta tehtud päida
Ega kardseid kaelasooni,
Seal ei antud meestel armu,
Poistel puhkamise püsi;
Põrgupoisikesed pidid
Raudasillal raugemaie.
Sarvik-taati sunnib teisi
Surmateele sammumaie,
Käsib minna kangemaida
Kalevipoega karistama,
Vaenumeesta vemmeldama;
Pakub palka poistelegi,
Verehinda võitijalle:
Kes see Kalevite poja -
Olgu kas ehk elusalta
Ehk kas surma suikunulta -
Tema kätte viimaks tooksi.
Arulised ammukütid,
Osavamad odamehed
Seltsis sõtta sunnitie,
Taplusesse toimetati
Kalevipoega kiusamaie.
Silda vankus väe alla,
Kõikus raske koorma alla:
Sest et sammud sadadena,
Jalatallad tuhandena
Raudasilda raskendamas,
Aluspalke painutamas.
Kalevite kange poega
Kuldakellukese abil
Võimusel veel väsimata,
Põrgu poegasid ei pelga.
Seisab ootes silla otsas,
Kanda sillal, teine kaldal,
Seisab kui see raudaseina,
Tugev tammi tuuletuisul,
Kindel kalju marumurdel
Langemata lainte vastu.
Kalevite kange käsi,
Mõnus mõõka möllamisel
Niidab maha nurjatumaid,
Kargutab kui kasteheina,
Roogu raatmaa radadelle,
Kõrkjaid jõekallastelle
Kaarekaupa kolletama.
Mõõka murrab mässatessa,
Sureteleb sadasida,
Kuldakellukese helin
Tõukab maha tuhandeida
Surma sülle suikumaie.
Kui need kolletanud lehed
Sügisesel tuulesõidul
Ladvult maha langenevad,
Oksilt laiali lendavad,
Nõnda peavad põrgupojad,
Sarvik-taadi sõjalased
Kooljasängi kolletama.
Kes veel jalul kõndisivad,
Katsusivad kande kiirust
Paguurka põgenedes.
Sarvik-taadil tuli taga,
Kibe kihutaja kotis
Paneb püksid püülimaie.
Siisap katsub sõjamehi,
Põgenejaid poisikesi
Kokku jällegi koguda;
Võtab toeksi vanemaida,
Vahvamaida varjuseinaks
Kodumaja kaitsemaie;
Teeb teele tõkkeida,
Risu ette radadelle,
Viskab vainuväravasse
Raskemaida kivirahne,
Paneb kaljupakkusida
Vastuseinaks väravalle,
Teisi toeksi tänavalle,
Et ei Kalevite poega
Põrgu õue peale pääseks.
Kui ta teeda takistanud,
Käigikohti kinnitanud,
Valitses siis vahvamatest
Sada selli sõdimaie,
Kes need kangemad kui karud,
Sortsisaunas karastatud,
Nõiavihtel võimustatud.
Kalevite kange poega -
Väsimusest võitemata -
Seisab kui see raudaseina,
Tugev tammi tuuletuisul,
Kindel kalju marumurdel
Langemata lainte vastu.
Siisap poisse sugemaie,
Põrgupoegi pillutama;
Puistab neid kui pihulasi
Ega jäta ainukesta,
Kes see käsku kannaks koju,
Kurja läheks kuulutama.
Surma vaikses varjukaisus
Sõjalased suikunevad,
Põrgupojad põõnutavad.
Kalevite kange poega
Istub silla serva peale
Puhukeseks puhkamaie,
Vaenuhigi vaigistama.
Kalevite kange poega
Hakkas peale puhkamista
Surnuid sillalt koristama,
Mis ta mässamisel maha
Põrmuks oli pillutanud;
Puistas neid siis põrgusillalt
Laialt lõhnalainetesse,
Viskas virnad luhtadelle,
Künkakesed jõekalda,
Suuremaida jõesuhu
Mälestuseks mädanema.
Siisap sammud sõudemaie,
Varbad jälle veeremaie.
Raske sammu rändamisel
Raudasilda raksateli,
Aluspalgid paukusivad,
Küljepalgid kõikusivad.
Kalev kõndis üle silla
Vaksa kõrgelt verist teeda,
Pääses teise kalda peale,
Kõndis kaldalt kaugemalle
Rada mööda rutatessa
Vastu vainuväravada,
Kuhu Sarvik teinud tõkkeid,
Valmistanud vastuseina
Kaljupaku kindlusella.
Kalevite kange poega
Paneb põrutelles paugu
Vastu vainuväravada;
Prantsab paugu, prantsab teise,
Prantsab kolmandagi paugu
Vastu põrguväravada, -
Puruks lendsid sambapakud,
Toed tuulde tuiskasivad,
Killud läksid kauge′elle.
Jalakannal koristeleb
Tehtud tõkkeid tee pealta,
Risud eesta radadelta;
Tungib mööda tänavada
Suisa sammul üle õue
Otsekohe ukse ette.
Raksab korra rusikaga,
Paneb paugu ukse pihta.
Puistab uksepiitadega,
Sangad tükis sagaraga
Ühel vopsul jalge ette.
Kalevite kange poega
Laseb sammu üle läve,
Paneb jala põrmandalle.
Nurgakivid nõtkatasid,
Toaseinad tuikusivad,
Kambriseinad kõikusivad,
Katusvarred vankusivad,
Lagi kippus lõhkemaie.
Eestoas istus eidekene,
Kahvatanud naise vari,
Mis kui Linda leinapõlves,
Kolletanud eide kuju
Poja silma paistanekse.
Eite istus voki taga,
Tallas ratast tuulekiirul
Ketra ümber keerutama;
Sorkis koonlast sõrmedella
Heidekesi värtna kurku,
Lihitelles lõngadeksi
Kuldalinu, hõbevillu,
Kastis sõrmi kausikesse
Paremal pool vokisambas,
Kus see kallis elumärga,
Vägev võimuvesi seisis.
Pahemal pool vokisambas
Seisis teine kausikene,
Seal see närtsimise märga,
Võimuse kinnivõttija:
Kes sest võtab keelekastet,
Närtsib kohe nõtrusella.
Varjueite heldel silmal
Tähendeleb poja teeda
Paremal käel kausi poole.
Kalevite kallis poega
Oskab eide õpetusta
Sõnumata seletada:
Võtab kätte kuldakausi,
Rüüpab tugevusemärga
Kange keha karastuseks.
Siisap võtab kaljukive,
Viskab raske vurinaga
Salakambri seina vastu.
Sestap põrus maapõhja,
Valges vahus kerkis meri!
Säde tõusis sügavusest
Kalevite poja silma,
Kambriseinad katkesivad
Puruks maha põrmandalle.
Sarvik-taadi memmekene
Istus kambriseina taga,
Kanda tallas kangasjalgu,
Näpud niisi nikutasid
Lõuendida lõksutelles,
Põrgukangast paugutelles.
Eidekese osav silma
Nägi kuldakellukesta
Kalevite poja sõrmes,
Seadis sõnad sõudemaie:
"Näe, mis kena naljakella
Sõbral läigib sõrme küljes!
Anna arvu-asjakene,
Kingi mulle kellukene!
Köidaksin ta kassi kaela
Hirmutuseks hiiredelle,
Naljatuseks nirkidelle."
Kalevipoeg mõistis kohe,
Kostis vastu kavalasti:
"Enne, kui me kellakaupa
Pikemalta pajatame,
Kõnele mul, kulla eite,
Kõõrutele, kodukana,
Kas on kodu peretaati,
Kukekene kamberissa.
Meil on mõnda meesteasja,
Tükki tühja talitada,
Mis ei mõista memmekene
Ega puutu piigadesse."
Vanaeite kostis vastu:
"Kodunt lennand perekukke,
Toonaeile taadikene.
Vist ei jõua varemini
Kodu poole kõndimaie
Kui ehk homme õhtu′ulla,
Ülehomme hommikulla.
Viibid seni, vennikene,
Sõbralikult seltsiks mulle,
Valmistaksin võõraspidu,
Keedaks kallimada keedust.
Katsu enne keelekastet,
Maitse meie mõdumärga!
Kangasjalul seisab kruusi
Pahemal pool kõige parem."
Kalevite kange poega
Teadis kruusi tähendusta,
Mis see närtsimise märga,
Võimuse kinnivõttija;
Sellepärast sõnaldama:
"Ole terve, eidekene!
Janu mul ei ole juua."
Siisap hakkas silmamaie,
Võõrast paika vaatamaie,
Kas ehk salauksekesta,
Varjulista väravada
Kuskilt silma kukkunekse.
Seal ta nägi tagaseinas
Varjul väikse uksekese,
Läks siis sammu ligemalle,
Pistis pihu piida külge,
Sõrmed uksesagarasse,
Tahtis linki takistada.
Enne veel kui näpud linki
Kalevipojal puutusid,
Kargas uksi kärinaga
Laksatelles ise lahti.
Ukse tagant urka′asta
Tulid tuuletuhinaga
Sarvik-taadi sõjalaste
Tugevamad tapluselle,
Keda kuri enne kogund,
Varjajaksi valitsenud.
Kes see juhtund jahikorral
Sündimista silmamaie,
Kuidas koerakeste karja
Mesikäppa kimbutavad,
Vana venda väsitavad,
Vihatujul vintsutavad,
Kuidas pikad koerahambad
Palupoega puretavad?
Tõmmu poega istub paigal,
Istub künkal kükakili,
Kaitseb oma kellukesi,
Vahevahel vanguteleb
Laikäpp käppa laksatades
Krantsikeste kukkelasse.
Kuhu käppa kukuteli,
Vopsukesta viskanekse,
Kaob kiirest′ koerukene,
Vajub, väeti, vingumata
Surma kaissu suikumaie.
Kes see seda mängi silmand,
Naljakada korra näinud,
Teab ehk asja arvaneda,
Tegu ise tähendada:
Kuidas Kalev põrgukoeri
Enda kallalt kihutanud.
Kalevite kange poega
Kuhu matsu kukutanud,
Vopsukese vajutanud,
Teista seal ei olnud tarvis.
Matsu mattis mehe maha,
Vopsu tegi surmavarju,
Vaigisteli vaenumehe.
Natukese nalja pärast
Olid meestel tossud õrrel,
Kolmekümne koolja kehad
Põrmandalle kõik puistatud.
Sarvik-taati tagaseinast
Hädapüsil hüüdemaie:
"Pea kinni, poisikene!
Kui sa, jamps, ei oska nalja,
Teeme tüli tõelikuks;
Sest ei tõusku mulle süüda,
Mitte verevastamista!
Varas oled, vennikene,
Oled röövel riisumaie,
Kes sa võõra vara käppad,
Teise taskud tühjendeled!
Varas oled, vargaks jääd sa,
Röövliks, rahva riisujaksi!
Ehk kas püüad valeks panna,
Vargatöösid vabandada?
Kas sa pole kiskjail küüsil
Minu vara varastanud?
Kas sa viimati ei viinud
Kalli soovikaabukese,
Varastanud nõiavitsa,
Kannud kanad kamberista,
Tedrekesed meie toasta?
Kas sa pole pikil küüsil
Kiskund minu kullakirstud,
Hõbedased hävitanud?
Minu mõnusambi mõõka
Pihus praegu paistelekse!
Kelle kuldakellukene
Sinu sõrmes sätendab?
Kas sa, koer, ei ole kiskja,
Võid ehk vargust vabandada?"
Kalevipoeg mõistis kohe,
Kostis vastu kavalasti:
"Mis sa mullust mulle meelde,
Toonamullust tuled tooma?
Suure suu sõdimised,
Laia lõuge lõugutused
Peeti vanast′ naiste viisiks.
Laste tülilepitajaks.
Tuli meestel tülitsusel
Kõverusi kohendada,
Seal ei olnud sõnasolki,
Lõualuie lõksutusi:
Kangus pidi rammukatsel
Vaidlemista vahendama.
Miks sa, vedel, läksid metsa,
Murupõhja pagu-urka
Enne võitlemise võitu?
Õhtuhõlmal tulid, õõnes,
Metsas mehi narrimaie,
Härjapõlvelase kujul
Keedupada kiusamaie.
Astu välja ahju tagant,
Käi sa kohe kamberista!
Lähme välja lagedalle
Viimatista võidumängi
Õigel kombel lõpetama!
Sellepärast seadsin sammud
Põrguteele tallamaie,
Läksin kodunt kõndimaie.
Et meil õigus ühetasa,
Kangus kaaluks ühevõrra,
Tahan mõõga pista tuppe,
Võtta käesta kellukese."
Sedaviisi sõnaldelles
Päästis kellukese paelust,
Pistis tasku puhkamaie,
Tõukas mõõga tupe sisse.
Sarvik-taati argsel sammul
Tuli kambrist kahvatanud,
Lumivalge üle läve.
Ehmatusest eidepoja
Meelemõistus mähkmetessa,
Et ei enam tunnud teeda
Ega teadnud, mis ta tegi.
Mehikene mõtles märga
Võimukarastavat võtta
Keharammu kinnituseks;
Aga käsi kogemata
Ehmatusel eksiteele
Läinud teise kruusi külge,
Kus see rammuraugendaja,
Närtsimisemärga oli,
Mis teeb aru harvemaksi,
Peidab meele mehe peasta.
Kalevite kange poega
Asjalugu arvamaie,
Kallas kohe teise kruusi
Kuivetanud kurgu kasteks.
Vägev võimustusemärga,
Keharammu karastaja,
Lehvitas kui tuleleeki
Elulained lõkendama.
Jäägu võitlemise järku
Teise laulu lõksatuseks,
Teise värtna veeretuseks,
Sest et täna sillasõda
Kalevite põrguskäigil
Ketrust küllalt kulutanud,
Vokivärtnaid väsitanud.
Source Colophon
Estonian text of the Kalevipoeg (Son of Kalev), Canto XVIII, by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803–1882). First published 1857–1861. This text is from the Project Gutenberg edition (#25062), which preserves the 1857 first edition. The Kalevipoeg is in the public domain.
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