| |
| FORTH upon the Gitche Gumee, | |
| On the shining Big-Sea-Water, | |
| With his fishing-line of cedar, | |
| Of the twisted bark of cedar, | |
| Forth to catch the sturgeon Nahma, | 5 |
| Mishe-Nahma, King of Fishes, | |
| In his birch canoe exulting | |
| All alone went Hiawatha. | |
| Through the clear, transparent water | |
| He could see the fishes swimming | 10 |
| Far down in the depths below him; | |
| See the yellow perch, the Sahwa, | |
| Like a sunbeam in the water, | |
| See the Shawgashee, the craw-fish, | |
| Like a spider on the bottom, | 15 |
| On the white and sandy bottom. | |
| At the stern sat Hiawatha, | |
| With his fishing-line of cedar; | |
| In his plumes the breeze of morning | |
| Played as in the hemlock branches; | 20 |
| On the bows, with tail erected, | |
| Sat the squirrel, Adjidaumo; | |
| In his fur the breeze of morning | |
| Played as in the prairie grasses. | |
| On the white sand of the bottom | 25 |
| Lay the monster Mishe-Nahma, | |
| Lay the sturgeon, King of Fishes; | |
| Through his gills he breathed the water, | |
| With his fins he fanned and winnowed, | |
| With his tail he swept the sand-floor. | 30 |
| There he lay in all his armor; | |
| On each side a shield to guard him, | |
| Plates of bone upon his forehead, | |
| Down his sides and back and shoulders | |
| Plates of bone with spines projecting! | 35 |
| Painted was he with his war-paints, | |
| Stripes of yellow, red, and azure, | |
| Spots of brown and spots of sable; | |
| And he lay there on the bottom, | |
| Fanning with his fins of purple, | 40 |
| As above him Hiawatha | |
| In his birch canoe came sailing, | |
| With his fishing-line of cedar. | |
| “Take my bait,” cried Hiawatha, | |
| Down into the depths beneath him, | 45 |
| “Take my bait, O Sturgeon, Nahma! | |
| Come up from below the water, | |
| Let us see which is the stronger!” | |
| And he dropped his line of cedar | |
| Through the clear, transparent water, | 50 |
| Waited vainly for an answer, | |
| Long sat waiting for an answer, | |
| And repeating loud and louder, | |
| “Take my bait, O King of Fishes!” | |
| Quiet lay the sturgeon, Nahma, | 55 |
| Fanning slowly in the water, | |
| Looking up at Hiawatha, | |
| Listening to his call and clamor, | |
| His unnecessary tumult, | |
| Till he wearied of the shouting; | 60 |
| And he said to the Kenozha, | |
| To the pike, the Maskenozha, | |
| “Take the bait of this rude fellow, | |
| Break the line of Hiawatha!” | |
| In his fingers Hiawatha | 65 |
| Felt the loose line jerk and tighten; | |
| As he drew it in, it tugged so | |
| That the birch canoe stood endwise, | |
| Like a birch log in the water, | |
| With the squirrel, Adjidaumo, | 70 |
| Perched and frisking on the summit. | |
| Full of scorn was Hiawatha | |
| When he saw the fish rise upward, | |
| Saw the pike, the Maskenozha, | |
| Coming nearer, nearer to him, | 75 |
| And he shouted through the water, | |
| “Esa! esa! shame upon you! | |
| You are but the pike, Kenozha, | |
| You are not the fish I wanted, | |
| You are not the King of Fishes!” | 80 |
| Reeling downward to the bottom | |
| Sank the pike in great confusion, | |
| And the mighty sturgeon, Nahma, | |
| Said to Ugudwash, the sun-fish, | |
| To the bream, with scales of crimson, | 85 |
| “Take the bait of this great boaster, | |
| Break the line of Hiawatha!” | |
| Slowly upward, wavering, gleaming, | |
| Rose the Ugudwash, the sun-fish, | |
| Seized the line of Hiawatha, | 90 |
| Swung with all his weight upon it, | |
| Made a whirlpool in the water, | |
| Whirled the birch canoe in circles, | |
| Round and round in gurgling eddies, | |
| Till the circles in the water | 95 |
| Reached the far-off sandy beaches, | |
| Till the water-flags and rushes | |
| Nodded on the distant margins. | |
| But when Hiawatha saw him | |
| Slowly rising through the water, | 100 |
| Lifting up his disk refulgent, | |
| Loud he shouted in derision, | |
| “Esa! esa! shame upon you! | |
| You are Ugudwash, the sun-fish, | |
| You are not the fish I wanted, | 105 |
| You are not the King of Fishes!” | |
| Slowly downward, wavering, gleaming, | |
| Sank the Ugudwash, the sun-fish, | |
| And again the sturgeon, Nahma, | |
| Heard the shout of Hiawatha, | 110 |
| Heard his challenge of defiance, | |
| The unnecessary tumult, | |
| Ringing far across the water. | |
| From the white sand of the bottom | |
| Up he rose with angry gesture, | 115 |
| Quivering in each nerve and fibre, | |
| Clashing all his plates of armor, | |
| Gleaming bright with all his war-paint; | |
| In his wrath he darted upward, | |
| Flashing leaped into the sunshine, | 120 |
| Opened his great jaws, and swallowed | |
| Both canoe and Hiawatha. | |
| Down into that darksome cavern | |
| Plunged the headlong Hiawatha, | |
| As a log on some black river | 125 |
| Shoots and plunges down the rapids, | |
| Found himself in utter darkness, | |
| Groped about in helpless wonder, | |
| Till he felt a great heart beating, | |
| Throbbing in that utter darkness. | 130 |
| And he smote it in his anger, | |
| With his fist, the heart of Nahma, | |
| Felt the mighty King of Fishes | |
| Shudder through each nerve and fibre, | |
| Heard the water gurgle round him | 135 |
| As he leaped and staggered through it, | |
| Sick at heart, and faint and weary. | |
| Crosswise then did Hiawatha | |
| Drag his birch-canoe for safety, | |
| Lest from out the jaws of Nahma, | 140 |
| In the turmoil and confusion, | |
| Forth he might be hurled and perish. | |
| And the squirrel, Adjidaumo, | |
| Frisked and chattered very gayly, | |
| Toiled and tugged with Hiawatha | 145 |
| Till the labor was completed. | |
| Then said Hiawatha to him, | |
| “O my little friend, the squirrel, | |
| Bravely have you toiled to help me; | |
| Take the thanks of Hiawatha, | 150 |
| And the name which now he gives you; | |
| For hereafter and forever | |
| Boys shall call you Adjidaumo, | |
| Tail-in-air the boys shall call you!” | |
| And again the sturgeon, Nahma, | 155 |
| Gasped and quivered in the water, | |
| Then was still, and drifted landward | |
| Till he grated on the pebbles, | |
| Till the listening Hiawatha | |
| Heard him grate upon the margin, | 160 |
| Felt him strand upon the pebbles, | |
| Knew that Nahma, King of Fishes, | |
| Lay there dead upon the margin. | |
| Then he heard a clang and flapping, | |
| As of many wings assembling, | 165 |
| Heard a screaming and confusion, | |
| As of birds of prey contending, | |
| Saw a gleam of light above him, | |
| Shining through the ribs of Nahma, | |
| Saw the glittering eyes of sea-gulls, | 170 |
| Of Kayoshk, the sea-gulls, peering, | |
| Gazing at him through the opening, | |
| Heard them saying to each other, | |
| “’T is our brother, Hiawatha!” | |
| And he shouted from below them, | 175 |
| Cried exulting from the caverns: | |
| “O ye sea-gulls! O my brothers! | |
| I have slain the sturgeon, Nahma; | |
| Make the rifts a little larger, | |
| With your claws the openings widen, | 180 |
| Set me free from this dark prison, | |
| And henceforward and forever | |
| Men shall speak of your achievements, | |
| Calling you Kayoshk, the sea-gulls, | |
| Yes, Kayoshk, the Noble Scratchers!” | 185 |
| And the wild and clamorous sea-gulls | |
| Toiled with beak and claws together, | |
| Made the rifts and openings wider | |
| In the mighty ribs of Nahma, | |
| And from peril and from prison, | 190 |
| From the body of the sturgeon, | |
| From the peril of the water, | |
| They released my Hiawatha. | |
| He was standing near his wigwam, | |
| On the margin of the water, | 195 |
| And he called to old Nokomis, | |
| Called and beckoned to Nokomis, | |
| Pointed to the sturgeon, Nahma, | |
| Lying lifeless on the pebbles, | |
| With the sea-gulls feeding on him. | 200 |
| “I have slain the Mishe-Nahma, | |
| Slain the King of Fishes!” said he; | |
| “Look! the sea-gulls feed upon him, | |
| Yes, my friends Kayoshk, the sea-gulls, | |
| Drive them not away, Nokomis, | 205 |
| They have saved me from great peril | |
| In the body of the sturgeon, | |
| Wait until their meal is ended, | |
| Till their craws are full with feasting, | |
| Till they homeward fly, at sunset, | 210 |
| To their nests among the marshes; | |
| Then bring all your pots and kettles, | |
| And make oil for as in Winter.” | |
| And she waited till the sun set, | |
| Till the pallid moon, the Night-sun, | 215 |
| Rose above the tranquil water, | |
| Till Kayoshk, the sated sea-gulls, | |
| From their banquet rose with clamor, | |
| And across the fiery sunset | |
| Winged their way to far-off islands, | 220 |
| To their nests among the rushes. | |
| To his sleep went Hiawatha, | |
| And Nokomis to her labor, | |
| Toiling patient in the moonlight, | |
| Till the sun and moon changed places, | 225 |
| Till the sky was red with sunrise, | |
| And Kayoshk, the hungry sea-gulls, | |
| Came back from the reedy islands, | |
| Clamorous for their morning banquet. | |
| Three whole days and nights alternate | 230 |
| Old Nokomis and the sea-gulls | |
| Stripped the oily flesh of Nahma, | |
| Till the waves washed through the rib-bones, | |
| Till the sea-gulls came no longer, | |
| And upon the sands lay nothing | 235 |
| But the skeleton of Nahma. | |
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