Rune XXVIII-a

MOTHER'S COUNSEL. Ahti, hero of the Islands, Wild magician, Lemminkainen, Also known as Kaukomieli, Hastened from the great carousal, From the banquet-halls of Louhi, From the ever-darksome Northland, From the dismal Sariola. Stormful strode he from the mansion, Hastened like the smoke of battle, From the court-yard of Pohyola, Left his crimes and misdemeanors In the halls of ancient Louhi. Then he looked in all directions, Seeking for his tethered courser, Anxious looked in field and stable, But he did not find his racer; Found a black thing in the fallow, Proved to be a clump of willows. Who will well advise the hero, Who will give him wise directions, Guide the wizard out of trouble, Give his hero-locks protection, Keep his magic head from danger From the warriors of Northland? Noise is beard within the village, And a din from other homesteads, From the battle-hosts of Louhi, Streaming from the doors and window, Of the homesteads of Pohyola. Thereupon young Lemminkainen, Handsome Islander and hero, Changing both his form and features, Clad himself in other raiment, Changing to another body, Quick became a mighty eagle, Soared aloft on wings of magic, Tried to fly to highest heaven, But the moonlight burned his temples, And the sunshine singed his feathers. Then entreating, Lemminkainen, Island-hero, turned to Ukko, This the prayer that Ahti uttered: "Ukko, God of love and mercy, Thou the Wisdom of the heavens, Wise Director of the lightning, Thou the Author of the thunder, Thou the Guide of all the cloudlets, Give to me thy cloak of vapor, Throw a silver cloud around me, That I may in its protection Hasten to my native country, To my mother's Island-dwelling, Fly to her that waits my coming, With a mother's grave forebodings." Farther, farther, Lemminkainen Flew and soared on eagle-pinions, Looked about him, backwards, forwards, Spied a gray-hawk soaring near him, In his eyes the fire of splendor, Like the eyes of Pohyalanders, Like the eyes of Pohya's spearmen, And the gray-hawk thus addressed him: "Ho! There! hero, Lemminkainen, Art thou thinking of our combat With the hero-heads of Northland?" Thus the Islander made answer, These the words of Kaukomieli: "O thou gray-hawk, bird of beauty, Fly direct to Sariola, Fly as fast as wings can bear thee; When thou hast arrived in safety, On the plains of darksome Northland, Tell the archers and the spearmen, They will never catch the eagle, In his journey from Pohyola, To his Island-borne and fortress." Then the Ahti-eagle hastened Straightway to his mother's cottage, In his face the look of trouble, In his heart the pangs of sorrow. Ahti's mother ran to meet him, When she spied him in the pathway, Walking toward her island-dwelling; These the words the mother uttered: "Of my sons thou art the bravest, Art the strongest of my children; Wherefore then comes thine annoyance, On returning from Pohyola? Wert thou worsted at the banquet, At the feast and great carousal?