imagination sails

junk by Lydia Marano


Wood was lacking for the shipwright,
Timber for another vessel,
But he got a bit of wood,
Found a few chips for his purpose,
Just five fragments of a distaff
And six splinters of a spindle.

And from these he built a vessel,
Carved himself another craft;
Built the vessel by sheer magic,
Made it with his wizard knowledge:
One stroke, and one side was ready,
Two strokes, and two sides were ready,
Three strokes, and the boat was finished.

Then he launched it on the water,
Let it down upon the billows.
To the boat he said: "Go now,
Be a bubble on the water,
Water lily on the billows.
Eagle, let me have three feathers;
Eagle three, the raven two
To protect the little boat,
Bulwark for the feeble vessel."

~excerpt from Runo 29 of THE KALEVALA, EPIC OF THE FINNISH PEOPLE, translated by Eino Friberg




Please note: The artist of the above magical painting and I are NOT the same Lydia. I only wish I could paint like she does!




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