Kaleva

A translation of Kaleva

The renowned king Kaleva
wished to propose
to the peerless bride of the Mountain.

The coal-haired maiden of Hiisi
wove a net from her hair,
the upper threads from the blinks of her eye,
the lower threads from the batting of her lashes,
set snares across the road,
captured the great hero.

All the kingdom lamented:
“Long has Kaleva been missing.”
They searched for him. –
The rooster at the church crowed:
“Long has Kaleva lain
on a bed in the mountain of Hiisi,
trapped in net of strong blood;
he cannot escape without help.”

Saint Peter was walking
with the Lord Jesus;
hearing the rooster crow,
he said to the good Lord:
“Kaleva has been lost a long time,
please help the mindless man.”

The Lord knocked with his staff
on the rock of Hiisi,
waking the renowned king.
“Did I hear a cattle bell
from the hill of my home?”

The cunning one of the Mountain spoke:
“You heard the neighing of the stallion of Hiisi
from the alleys of my father.”

The Lord knocked on the rock of Hiisi
for the second time,
and the renowned king asked:
“Did I hear the morning bell
from the clearing of the monastery?”

The maiden of Meteli said:
“You heard the barking of the dog of Hiisi
from the courts of my mother.”

The Lord knocked on the rock of Hiisi
for the third time;
the renowned king got up
and said: “Farewell, lady,
I hear the bell of the Lord
ringing in the lands and the hills.”

The Lord Jesus said to him:
“How will you atone for your sins?”

The sinful man spoke:
“I will travel to the Holy Land, I think,
wash myself in the river Jordan.”

The renowned king Kaleva
wore the cross on his chest,
travelled to the Holy Land,
to the vortices of the holy river;
stallions pawed, hooves thundered,
plumes shook, the moon shone.

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