The Hero of Esthonia | Page 4

p. 301) to show the manner in which
Kenealy has used it in the lighter parts of his work; but in some of the
darker passages it shows itself as a versatile metre of great power in
English:--
"We have come, enchanting ladyes, To sojourn awhile, and revel In
these bowers, far outshining The six heavens of Mohammed, Or the
sunbright spheres of Vishnu, Or the Gardens of Adonis, Or the
viewless bowers of Irim, Or the fine Mosaic mythus, Or the fair Elysian
flower-land, Or the clashing halls of Odin, Or the cyclop-orbs of
Brahma, Or the marble realms of Siva, Or the grandly proud Walhalla."
I do not find this metre used in either of the two cognate poems, Faust
and Festus.
To return to the Kalevipoeg, the poem consists of twenty cantos and
about 19,000 verses. Some of the legends are found also in the
Kalevala, and the giant-hero whose life and adventures form its subject
is evidently the same as the Kullervo of the Kalevala, as will be seen in
our notes on various passages in the poem.
Of the other heroes of the Kalevala, besides an occasional reference to
Vanemuine and Ilmarine (Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen), we find no
trace; but three heroes, apparently cousins of the Kalevipoeg, appear
suddenly in the poem. These are usually called by their patronymics,
Alevide, Sulevide, and Olevide, but sometimes simply Alev, Sulev, and
Olev.
[Footnote 1: This is specially noticeable in the manner in which the
story of the Great Oak Tree is scattered in disjointed fragments through
three cantos; and in the unsuccessful result of the Kalevide's voyage,
when he reaches his goal after his return by a land journey.]

FOLK-TALES IN PROSE
The most important collection of Esthonian prose tales was edited by
Kreutzwald, and was published by the Finnish Literary Society at
Helsingfors in 1866, under the title of Eestirahwa Ennemuistesed jutud,
and has since been reprinted at Dorpat. In 1869 the same Society
published a useful little Esthonian-Finnish glossary to the volume. A
good German translation of many of these tales, by F. Löwe, appeared
at Halle in 1869, under the title of Ehstnische Märchen, with notes by
various contributors; and M. Dido, who has lately translated two or
three of the tales into French, and given more or less detailed notices of
the others, mentions that they have also been translated into Russian.
Other collections of Esthonian tales have since been published; and
Harry Jannsen has published a selection in German under the title of
Märchen und Sagen des estnischen Volkes (Dorpat, 1881; Riga, 1888).
Some of his tales are taken from Kreutzwald, but I have not seen the
Esthonian originals of the others. Many of the longer and more
interesting tales in those collections I have given in full; others are
more or less abridged, or simply noticed, and some few unimportant
tales towards the end of Kreutzwald's collection have been passed over
altogether.
One of Kreutzwald's longer tales, which I thought too unlike the others
to be noticed in the body of the work, is, "How Seven Tailors went to
war in Turkey." Their names were, "First-man, One-strong, Two-strong,
Three-strong, Four-strong, Five-strong, and Last-man;" and the story
gives a comic account of their poltrooneries.
Other tales relate to a plot against a chaste wife; a girl who clears
herself from scandal by lifting and hurling a huge stone; &c.

BALLADS AND OTHER SHORT POEMS
The plan of the present work did not allow of many short poetical
pieces being included; nevertheless, two of the best of the numerous

songs and ballads interspersed through the Kalevipoeg have been given,
and two other specimens from Neus' Ehstnische Volkslieder (Revel,
1850-1852) and Kreutzwald and Neus' Mythische und Magische Lieder
der Ehsten (St. Petersburg, 1854). More poetical specimens were
thought unnecessary, because many of the principal ballads in the
former work will be found translated in Latham's "Nationalities of
Europe," 1863.

PASTOR HURT'S COLLECTIONS
In recent years enormous collections of Esthonian folk-lore have been
formed by Pastor Jacob Hurt and his coadjutors.
"Three volumes of these collections were edited by Hurt in 1875, 1876,
and 1886, under the title of Vana Kannel, the 'Old Harp;' and other
collections were published by several of his colleagues. In 1888 Hurt
made a renewed appeal to the Esthonians to collect their old songs, and
fresh contributions came pouring in from all quarters.
"Special attention was called to Pastor Hurt's work at the Congress of
Folk-lorists in Paris by Henry Carnoy.
"According to the latest intelligence which I have received from Dr.
Krohn, Pastor Hurt has received contributions from 633 different
folk-tale collectors in the last three and a half years. Most of these
contributors are simple peasants; some are schoolmasters, but only a
few are students or highly educated