om her soft locks hair she gave him,
And she gave him five and six hairs,
Seven the hairs she gave unto him,
That he thus might form his harp-strings,
For the tones of lasting pleasure. 230

Now the harp at last was finished,
And the aged Vaeinaemoeinen
On a rock his seat selected,
Near the steps, upon a stone bench.

In his hands the harp then taking,
Very near he felt his pleasure,
And the frame he turned to heaven,
On his knees the knob then propping,
All the strings he put in order,
Fit to make melodious music. 240
When he had the strings adjusted,
Then the instrument was ready;
Underneath his hands he placed it,
And across his knees he laid it,
With his ten nails did he play it,
And he let five active fingers
Draw the tunes from out the harp-strings,
Making most delightful music.

When the aged Vaeinaemoeinen
Thus upon his harp was playing, 250
Fine his hands, his fingers tender,
And his fingers curving outwards,
Then rang out the wood so speckled,
Sang the sapling green full loudly,
Loudly called the golden cuckoo,
And rejoiced the hair of maiden.

Thus played Vaeinaemoeinen's fingers,
And the harp-strings loud resounded,
Mountains shook and plains resounded,
All the rocky hills resounded, 260
In the waves the stones were rocking,
In the water moved the gravel,
And the pine-trees were rejoicing,
On the heath the stumps were skipping.

All of Kaleva's step-daughters,
All the fair ones flocked together,
And in streams they rushed together,
Like a river in its flowing.
Merry laughed the younger women,
And the mothers all were joyful, 270
As they heard the music playing,
And they wondered at their pleasure.

Likewise many men were present,
In their hands their caps all holding,
All the old dames in the party
To their sides their hands were holding,
And the maidens' eyes shed tear-drops,
On the ground the boys were kneeling,
To the kantele all listening,
And they wondered at their pleasure. 280
With one voice they all were singing,
With one tongue they all repeated:
"Never have we heard aforetime,
Heard before such charming music,
In the course of all our lifetime,
When t