🧚 Opening, part 13

Now it came to pass in the morning, That old Dame Kâkâgûch, The meddling and spying Crow, Observed that meat was drying In the smoke of the Master’s wigwam.1 This news she spread abroad, Adding that trouble was coming, For the Master must have returned.2

Then a great fear came upon them, They sat every man in his wigwam, Waiting for death in silence For they knew the Master had come.3 But when he had slain Winpe And saw them sitting in silence, Frightened like so many rabbits Before a hungry wild-cat, He laughed aloud and forgave them; For he was noble and generous, And cared for no small foe.4 And as they were very hungry, For he had come in a time When all of them were starving.5 He fed them all with venison; So sorrow left the wigwams.6 But as they had left him of old, He left them in turn and departed.7 Ere they had known his power, They had left him alone to die; Now that they knew his power, They feared they should die without him.8 But he left them to go their path And turned his steps toward others.9 Then, having made a canoe, The Master and his mother, Dame Bear, and Marten, his brother, Went forth on a mighty river Which was in its beginning Both broad and beautiful.10 So they sailed away down the stream Till they came to mighty cliffs Which ever grew higher and closer, Till they met in an arch overhead, But the river ran on beneath them, And ever far underground, Deep into earth and deeper, Till it dashed into roaring rapids Among rocks and wild ravines; Then under cataracts, So horrible that death Seemed to come and go as they darted With every plunge and motion Headlong in their canoe.11

But the Master with silent soul Ever sang the songs of magic.]12

Narrower grew the water, More dreadful still the current, And fear came over the mother And then on the brother Marten, Till of that fear they died.13 But the Master with silent soul Ever sang the songs of magic, The awful incantations, Till he had passed the darkness And came again into sunlight, The bright and beautiful day.14

He found upon the bank A lonely deserted wigwam, Therein he carried the dead, And, laying them down, he said: “_Nemchaase!15 _” that is, “Arise!”16 And behold they both arose, And thought they had only slept.17 Then the Master found by this trial He had gained his greatest power.18 L.19

FOOTNOTES:20

[42] The old people say that seven beasts stole Kulóskap’s family from him and that he followed them to Newfoundland.21

VIII22

HOW THE MASTER FOUND THE SUMMER23

[_Passamaquoddy_]24

_Piche pamaosoinnoak wiwikitopʾnik Mequatoekak ospassio.25 _[43]26

In the long time ago, When people ever lived In the red morning light Or ever the day of man had come; Before the sun had risen And ere the Eastern land Was peopled as to-day, Kulóskap, the great lord, Went far into the North Where all was snow and ice.27

He came to a great lodge Wherein he found a giant, Truly a wondrous one The greatest of his race, For he was Winter.28 When The Indian god came in, He sat in silence down; Then gave as welcoming A pipe unto his guest; And as they smoked, the host Told stories to the chief-- Tales of the olden time, In the old giant tongue.29 A charm was in the words, The enchantment of the frost, And so the giant talked on, Freezing with every word, Until Kulóskap fell Into a sleep like death.30 Six months he silent lay, Even as the bear or toad Lies quietly till spring:31

Then, when the charm was gone, The Indian god awoke, Woke with his might renewed.32 Homeward he turned his way Unto the glowing South.33 At every step his foot Met with the growing grass, Warm breezes greeted him, And many a forest flower Rose up and talked in song.34

He came into a dell Deep in the greenwood shade, Where many little fays, Fair little sun-ray elves, Were dancing in their joy.35 And their sweet fairy queen, Bright Summer, led the round-- Summer most beautiful Of beings ever born.36 He caught fair Summer up, And, by a crafty trick, He kept her as his own; For, as he fled away, And as the elves pursued, He let behind him trail A long and slender cord Cut from a moose-hide.37 All Pulled gayly at the end; But as he ran, he let The cord run out, and they Were ever left behind, Because by magic power The moose-cord had no end!38 Even so the Lord escaped The Fairies of the Light, The Ladies of the Dawn!39

Again as he returned He came unto the lodge Where grim old Winter lay, Who gayly welcomed him, Hoping to freeze the god Again into sleep, and hold Him very sternly there, Forever in his power.40 But hidden in his breast Kulóskap held the charm Of a great victory, For he had Summer there; Even as now to you I sing the summer song!41

They sat them down and smoked.42 This time the Master told Tales of the ancient time In the old giant tongue Once spoken by the gods-- Magic and wonder tales.43 This time he had the power; His spell was mightiest, And his strange wizardry The stronger of the two.44 Ere long the hut grew warm And then down Winter’s cheeks, His cheeks of hard gray stone, The melting ice-drops ran, Till he and all his home Fell down, and in a flood As water rushed away Adown between the rocks Into the roaring sea!45

Then everything awoke.46 The seeds and wildflowers grew.47 The snow in rivers ran Bearing away the leaves Left from the Fall before; The fairies all came out And then Kulóskap turned Again unto the South, Leaving his captive there; Summer was in the land.48 L.49

FOOTNOTES:50

[43] Long ago people used to live in the red light of morning.51

IX52

HOW KULÓSKAP LEFT THE WORLD53

[_Passamaquoddy and Micmac_]54

_Yut negum tan Kulóskap Udelinaktamnes uskitkamigw.55 _[44]56

When the great Kulóskap, The Lord of Beasts and Men, By power, for all his people And for the world, had subdued All of the evil things Which cursed the early time, Giants and sorcerers, Witches and devils dire, Fiends and every horror, All were silenced then.57 The ice-hearted Kiwakʿw Wandered no longer free In the green wilderness, And the mighty bird Kullû, Great as a hundred eagles, No longer scared the Indian As it spread its mighty wings Like a cloud ’twixt earth and the sun. Evil beasts, devils and serpents Were found no more in the land, And the world at last knew peace; For the Master had taught to man All that should make him happy; But all were in turn ungrateful, And, while they feared the Master, Grew every day more wicked, Forgetting him in their hearts; And sin roared in the land.58

Now when the ways of men And of beasts became so evil, So false, proud and ferocious, Kulóskap as their lord Was angered at their sin, Yet bore it as a god Till all his love was gone; As oil spreads over the sea Till all is thinned away.59 Then he sent messengers forth Inviting all to a feast, The richest ever known By the great Lake Minas shore, On the silver water’s edge; And all the beasts of the wood, The fathers of all the tribes, Came to the feast in state, Came at the call, to revel; But the Lord had little to say.60 Solemn and grim was the banquet, All knew that the chief was going, And knew, too, why he would leave them.61