Tower of Iron Will

I will write a thing and

Declare what I have done

I have read the Kalevala

49 cantos I have read

50 was the number of the cantos

My Mother spoke a thing and declared thus

“You cannot read the Kalevala” she said

“Such a reading is not for you.

Read the books of your home.

Not old tales of northern lands.”

I replied to her and spoke thus, I said

“I will read the Kalevala,

The great epic of Finland.

I will read the words off the pages,

Read the pages out of the book.”

I read one page, I read two pages.

I read steady old Vainamoinen

Old man of calm waters.

I read wanton Lemminkainen

Him the Fair Farmind.

I read the forging of the Sampo

By the smith Ilmarinen

The everlasting craftsman.

All the way to Marjatta

And the birth of her child

My Mother put this into words and spoke thus,

She declared, she chatted.

“I have spotted a fraud!

You have not read all these pages”

I answered her and spoke thus,

“Oh, woe is me, a luckless boy,

I read 67 pages and gave up.

I got as far as young Joukahainen

Shooting Vainamoinen’s horse.

Then I downloaded the book from Audible.

Based on oral tradition it was,

So an audio book seemed appropriate.

Read by the translator, Keith Bosley,

It is not bad if Medieval lit you enjoy

Or are curious about Tolkien’s influences.”