1833.]
Poetry of the Esquimaux.
59
Now hath he gone—and ere the sacred feast
Again invites to his returning blaze,
I'll sing the deeds of Karalit[1] at least,
If thou inspire and these repeat my lays.
That so the memory long may be increased,
Of giant conquerors in the olden days;
Who in their Kaiaks[2] o'er the Kraken's froth,
Flew, and o'ercame the sea-snake in his wrath.
Who met the bearded Auaks,[3] and defied
Their tusks, and smote with never-failing lance
Neitsek and Neitsersoak,[4] that in their pride
Deemed the whole ocean their inheritance,
Till the whole ocean with their blood was dyed—
O'er the heaven-spanning ice-bridge dared advance,
And now have joined the Gods in mimic wars,
Or drive the devious foot-ball mid the stars.
Again invites to his returning blaze,
I'll sing the deeds of Karalit[1] at least,
If thou inspire and these repeat my lays.
That so the memory long may be increased,
Of giant conquerors in the olden days;
Who in their Kaiaks[2] o'er the Kraken's froth,
Flew, and o'ercame the sea-snake in his wrath.
Who met the bearded Auaks,[3] and defied
Their tusks, and smote with never-failing lance
Neitsek and Neitsersoak,[4] that in their pride
Deemed the whole ocean their inheritance,
Till the whole ocean with their blood was dyed—
O'er the heaven-spanning ice-bridge dared advance,
And now have joined the Gods in mimic wars,
Or drive the devious foot-ball mid the stars.
*******
From the brazen kettle bring
Water, while its praise we sing.
Water, pure, and clear, and cold,
Beverage of the Gods of old.
Shining in the upper sky,
See the pure white masses lie!
See the glory round them blending!
See the sparkling stream descending!
While in brightness to the shore,
Comes the current we adore.
Fill the skins, the kettle fill,
Let me sing and let me swill,
Till the heat within me raging,
Dieth with its blest assuaging.
Colder make***
Water, while its praise we sing.
Water, pure, and clear, and cold,
Beverage of the Gods of old.
Shining in the upper sky,
See the pure white masses lie!
See the glory round them blending!
See the sparkling stream descending!
While in brightness to the shore,
Comes the current we adore.
Fill the skins, the kettle fill,
Let me sing and let me swill,
Till the heat within me raging,
Dieth with its blest assuaging.
Colder make***
- ↑ Karalit; a name given to themselves by the Esquimaux.
- ↑ Kaiak; the smaller boat of the men of Greenland, "sharp at head and stern just like a weaver's shuttle, scarce a foot and a half brood in the broadest middle port, and hardly a foot deep."
- ↑ Auak; the sea-cow or walrus. "On both its lips, and on each side of its nose, is a kind of skin, a hand's-breadth, stuck with a plantation of bristles, that are a good span long and as thick as a straw; they are like a three-stranded cord, pellucid, and give the animal a majestic though a grim aspect."—Crantz's History of Greenland.
- ↑ Neitsek and Neitsersoak; two kinds of seals, the latter the largest.
