Maidens Bathing in the Sea

A translation of Merenkylpijä-neidot

What is that swish of geese
at the bend of the White Sea river?

Three maidens of Hiisi
left their feathers on a rock
and went bathing in the sea;
they arrive at sunset,
disappear at dawn.

Lippo the fowler,
watching from behind a coloured rock,
saw the fairest of all wings.

Already dawn was painting the clouds red.

The maidens rose from the sea,
two of them found their wings;
the third sought hers, to no avail.

She began crying.

Lippo the unctuous suitor spoke:
“You can have your feathers back
if you kiss me.”

The lovely maiden of frost said:
“The moment I kiss you
is the moment your eyes go dark.”

The ruddy fellow jeered:
“Let my eyes go dark
when you call me your darling.”

Already dawn was painting the mountains red.

“The moment I call you my darling
is the moment you have a change of heart.”

“Let me have a change of heart
when you hold me as your little bird.”

“The moment I hold you as my little bird
is the moment smile is wiped off your face.”

“Let smile be wiped off my face
when we hold hands.”

As dawn painted the fir trees red,
the maiden despaired:
“Let me have my feathers back
or my father will scold me!”

“When will you be mine?”

“At the break of dawn.”

The sun raised its head.
The shiny-scaled one got her clothing,
kissed the man
with a beak of bird-bone,
a bloodless marine mouth:
smile was wiped off his face, his eyes went dark,
his dear life left him,
the young man had a change of heart.

The maiden took flight
at the dawn of a summer’s day.

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