d and ill as they come to us--it is not for us to say what we
would wish. Let us be thankful that even a part of the Sampo floated
hither,' he added, smiling.

There was a few moments' silence, and then Mimi asked what Wainamoinen
had done about his lost kantele, so Father Mikko went on.

[Illustration]

THE BIRTH OF THE SECOND KANTELE

When the heroes had returned home, and found the fragments of the Sampo
on the shore, they wished to make merry over the good fortune which even
these fragments were sure to bring, but Wainamoinen could not give them
music, since the wondrous kantele had been lost in the sea. Then he bade
Ilmarinen make a huge rake with copper teeth a hundred fathoms long and
the handle a thousand fathoms, and when the rake was ready, Wainamoinen
took it, and sailing out over the sea in a magic vessel that needed
neither sails nor oars to move it, he raked over the whole bottom of the
ocean. But he only raked up shells and seaweed, and found no trace of
the kantele.

Then Wainamoinen returned sadly home, saying: 'Never again shall I pour
forth floods of music to the people of Kalevala from the magic strings
of my kantele.' And driven on by his grief he left his house and went
far off into the forest. As he wandered there he heard the birch-tree
lamenting, and Wainamoinen asked the tree why it was unhappy when it had
such lovely silver leaves and tassels. To this the birch-tree replied:
'Thou thinkest that I am always happy, and that my leaves and tassels
must always be whispering joy. But, alas! I am so weak and feeble, and
must always stand alone without a word of sympathy. Others rejoice at
the coming of the spring, but I am robbed of bark and tassels and tender
twigs, and am cut up for firewood, and then in the winter time the frost
and the cold biting winds kill my young shoots and strip me of my silver
leaves and leave me cold and naked.'

While the birch-tree was speaking, Wainamoinen's face began to brighten,
and he finally exclaimed: 'Weep no more, good birch-tree, for I will
turn thy grief into joy and make thee sing the most marvellous songs.'
Having said this he set to work to make a new kantele, taking birch-wood
for the framework. At length the frame was all ready, but he did not
know of what to make the pegs. Suddenly he came upon a great oak-tree on
which grew golden-coloured acorns, and on each acorn sat a sacred
cuckoo singing its melody. So Wainamoinen took a piece of the