--- title: The Unfinished Boat — The Sampo: A Wonder Tale of the Old North · full text with trees · page 2 description: The Unfinished Boat, «The Sampo: A Wonder Tale of the Old North» by James Baldwin: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Never were two pledged lovers more stanch and true than the ancient Minstrel and the youthful Smith, and their affection for each o --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66819/13/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [The Sampo: A Wonder Tale of the Old No…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66819/) / The Unfinished Boat # The Unfinished Boat · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66819/13/) **2** “Why so rough, good Sampsa?” asked the tree, bowing its head and bending before the little master.[74](../../74/ "tree and pragmatics") “Friend pine tree,” he answered, “how will your trunk do for boat timber?[75](../../75/ "tree and pragmatics") The prince of minstrels, Wainamoinen, has sent me to find some for the magic vessel he is building.”[76](../../76/ "tree and pragmatics") “My trunk is not fit for such use,” said the pine tree, speaking loudly.[77](../../77/ "tree and pragmatics") “My wood is knotty, gnarly, scraggy, hard to fashion in any manner.[78](../../78/ "tree and pragmatics") It is brittle, unsmooth, easily split and broken.[79](../../79/ "tree and pragmatics") It would make but a poor boat.”[80](../../80/ "tree and pragmatics") “It would make good beams and a fine mast,” said Sampsa.[81](../../81/ "tree and pragmatics") “But very unlucky, very unlucky,” answered the pine.[82](../../82/ "tree and pragmatics") “Three times this summer a crow has sat on one of my branches, croaking misfortune and foretelling disaster.”[83](../../83/ "tree and pragmatics") “Then fare you well, my evergreen friend,” said the dwarf, kindly; “I will look elsewhere for my boat timber;” and again he shouldered his axe and resumed his walk through the forest.[84](../../84/ "tree and pragmatics") It was noon and the sun shone hot on land and sea when he came to a giant oak tree on the summit of a green hill.[85](../../85/ "tree and pragmatics") This oak tree had long been the monarch of the woods.[86](../../86/ "tree and pragmatics") Its branches reached out on every side nine fathoms from the trunk, and its topmost twigs seemed to brush the sky.[87](../../87/ "tree and pragmatics") “Good-morning, friendly oak tree!” said Sampsa; and a tremor of joy ran through every leaf and branch as the noble tree answered, “Good-morning, master!”[88](../../88/ "tree and pragmatics") “Our friend, the Minstrel, is building a boat,” said the dwarf.[89](../../89/ "tree and pragmatics") “He wants good timber with which to make the beams and the keel and the boards for the hull.[90](../../90/ "tree and pragmatics") He would have it broad and high and very swift.[91](../../91/ "tree and pragmatics") He would have it beautiful and graceful and strong.[92](../../92/ "tree and pragmatics") But as yet he has found no wood that is fit.”[93](../../93/ "tree and pragmatics") Then from every leaf of the great tree there came a sound of music, a song of joy; and the acorn-bearer answered, “O master, I will gladly give him of my wood.[94](../../94/ "tree and pragmatics") It is tough and stout and free from knots and worm holes.[95](../../95/ "tree and pragmatics") The grain of it is straight, and no other wood can equal it for withstanding the weather and the salt sea-water.”[96](../../96/ "tree and pragmatics") “That is good,” said the dwarf; “but what omens of good or evil are yours?”[97](../../97/ "tree and pragmatics") “Omens of good fortune are written on my branches,” said the oak.[98](../../98/ "tree and pragmatics") “Three times this summer a cuckoo has rested on my topmost bough.[99](../../99/ "tree and pragmatics") On every clear day, sunbeams have danced among my leaves.[100](../../100/ "tree and pragmatics") On every clear night, the silver moon has looked down and smiled upon me.[101](../../101/ "tree and pragmatics") And so I pray you to take me for the Minstrel’s magic vessel.[102](../../102/ "tree and pragmatics") I long—oh, I long! to float on the blue-backed sea, to carry treasures from land to land, to fight with the storm and conquer the waves.”[103](../../103/ "tree and pragmatics") Forthwith, the earth man smote the oak with his magic axe, and the tree uttered a cry of joy as it fell prone upon the earth.[104](../../104/ "tree and pragmatics") Then with skill and great patience Sampsa hewed and cleaved and shaped it into beams and boards, more in number than he could reckon.[105](../../105/ "tree and pragmatics") He planed them, he sawed them, he fashioned them with infinite care until each was of the proper length and thickness.[106](../../106/ "tree and pragmatics") And when, at last, all were finished, he carried them out of the forest, one by one, and laid them on the beach where the Minstrel had directed.[107](../../107/ "tree and pragmatics") “Behold, O singer of songs!” he said.[108](../../108/ "tree and pragmatics") “Here is the wood for your magic boat.[109](../../109/ "tree and pragmatics") These are for the beams, these for the keel, and these for the well-shaped hull.[110](../../110/ "tree and pragmatics") May the fairy ship float lightly upon the waves and bear you whithersoever you desire to go\![111](../../111/ "tree and pragmatics") May it be a joy to the sea and a wonder to all the world!”[112](../../112/ "tree and pragmatics") The Minstrel thanked him and then began to chant the magic spells by which to put the beams and boards in their places.[113](../../113/ "tree and pragmatics") These, one after the other he sang, and he recited the runes whereby to shape the whole into a stanch and swift-sailing vessel.[114](../../114/ "tree and pragmatics") With one song the keel was fashioned; with a second the gunwales were laid; with a third the boat’s ribs were fastened in their places; with a fourth the rudder was hung at the stern.[115](../../115/ "tree and pragmatics") No hammer was used, no axe nor mallet; but every nail and spoke and bolt was driven by a word of magic from the lips of the prince of minstrels.[116](../../116/ "tree and pragmatics") At length every spell was recited, every rune was sung, every magic word was spoken, and the wonderful vessel was completed—all except the nailing down of three long boards at the bottom of the hull.[117](../../117/ "tree and pragmatics") The Minstrel stood aghast—without three words more his boat could not be launched; it could not be made water-tight; it would never skim the foam-capped waves of the northern seas.[118](../../118/ "tree and pragmatics") He stroked his chin, he tapped his forehead with his forefinger; no word of magic, not even the shortest, could he call to memory.[119](../../119/ "tree and pragmatics") “How unlucky I am!” he cried.[120](../../120/ "tree and pragmatics") “Misfortune follows me, and all my wisdom is in vain.[121](../../121/ "tree and pragmatics") Never can my task be finished unless I can find the three words of power that are lacking.[122](../../122/ "tree and pragmatics") My plans will fail utterly.”[123](../../123/ "tree and pragmatics") He sat down upon the white sand and pondered upon the troubles that confronted him.[124](../../124/ "tree and pragmatics") For five summer days he sat there—yes, for six long days he tarried by the shore not knowing what to do.[125](../../125/ "tree and pragmatics") And the little ripples on the beach laughed at him, and the sea birds flapped their wings in his face, and he felt himself to be helpless.[126](../../126/ "tree and pragmatics") On the seventh day a white swan flew down as though inspecting his boat, a gray goose made its nest under the well-hung rudder, and a flock of swallows sat twittering upon the gunwales.[127](../../127/ "tree and pragmatics") “Ah\![128](../../128/ "tree and pragmatics") Perhaps the words that I need so badly have been stolen by some of these birds.[129](../../129/ "tree and pragmatics") Perhaps they are concealed in the head of a swan, in the brain of a goose, or under the tongue of a swallow.[130](../../130/ "tree and pragmatics") I will examine into this matter and see.”[131](../../131/ "tree and pragmatics") The next day, therefore, he took his bow and arrows and went hunting.[132](../../132/ "tree and pragmatics") He slew a whole flock of swans; he killed great numbers of geese; and hundreds of swallows fell, pierced by his unerring weapons.[133](../../133/ "tree and pragmatics") But in the brains of all these creatures he found not a single word, nor yet so much as the half of one; and under the tongues of the swallows, there was nothing uncommon.[134](../../134/ "tree and pragmatics") The Minstrel was not wholly discouraged.[135](../../135/ "tree and pragmatics") “Perhaps the missing words are beneath the tongue of some four-footed animal,” he said.[136](../../136/ "tree and pragmatics") “Perhaps a squirrel, perhaps a summer reindeer, or perhaps a gray and skulking wolf is hiding the precious secrets in its throat or between its jaws.[137](../../137/ "tree and pragmatics") I will search and find out if this be true.”[138](../../138/ "tree and pragmatics") So, for nine days—yes, for ten days of terror—he went stalking hither and thither through the woodlands and the meadows and the boggy thickets, shooting every timid creature that his eyes could see.[139](../../139/ "tree and pragmatics") He slew an army of squirrels; he killed a field full of reindeer; he slaughtered gray wolves without number.[140](../../140/ "tree and pragmatics") Cruelly, as one devoid of pity, he filled the forest with sorrow and death.[141](../../141/ "tree and pragmatics") He found strange words in plenty, groans and shrieks and cries of pain, but among them all there was not one syllable of magic.[142](../../142/ "tree and pragmatics") At length he ceased his bloody work, he laid his weapons down, grief overcame him, and sorrow for the destruction he had wrought.[143](../../143/ "tree and pragmatics") All night long he sat on the sand beside his unfinished boat and bemoaned his evil fortune.[144](../../144/ "tree and pragmatics") All day he wept—but his mind was strong within him, and he would not give up his undertaking.[145](../../145/ "tree and pragmatics") On the second day, as the sun rose red above the hilltops, a raven flew croaking among the trees.[146](../../146/ "tree and pragmatics") “Caw! caw! caw!” cried the bird of ill-omen.[147](../../147/ "tree and pragmatics") “Stop your cawing\![148](../../148/ "tree and pragmatics") Stop your crying!” shouted the Minstrel, full of anger.[149](../../149/ "tree and pragmatics") “Did Tuoni send you hither to taunt me?[150](../../150/ "tree and pragmatics") Begone\![151](../../151/ "tree and pragmatics") Return, I say, to your master, Tuoni!”[152](../../152/ "tree and pragmatics") The bird flapped its wings, and Wainamoinen heard from far in the forest the echo of his words, “Tuoni\![153](../../153/ "tree and pragmatics") Tuoni!”[154](../../154/ "tree and pragmatics") Then a strange thought came into his mind.[155](../../155/ "tree and pragmatics") He leaped to his feet, he clapped his hands, he shouted his oft-repeated maxim: “None but cowards say, ‘I dare not!’”[156](../../156/ "tree and pragmatics") “You speak truly,” said a voice beside him—it was the voice of Sampsa, the little man of the woods: “You speak truly; and since you are not a coward, what will you next dare to do?”[157](../../157/ "tree and pragmatics") “Far away, on the world’s edge,” answered the Minstrel, “there is a land of silence and fear, the Land of Shades, the kingdom of Tuoni.[158](../../158/ "tree and pragmatics") Many men have travelled thither—heroes not a few, woodsmen, fishermen, even fair women and tender children—but never has any one returned to tell of that land.[159](../../159/ "tree and pragmatics") All things that are lost, all things that are forgotten, are stored away there; they lie in King Tuoni’s treasure house waiting for the day when all things will be remembered.[160](../../160/ "tree and pragmatics") The three magic words that I desire are hidden there—the raven, Tuoni’s bird, has reminded me of it by his croaking.”[161](../../161/ "tree and pragmatics") “And will you dare to go thither and get them?” asked the dwarf.[162](../../162/ "tree and pragmatics") “I will dare,” answered the Minstrel.[163](../../163/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66819/13/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66819/13/) - next →: [The Land of Tuonela](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66819/14/) - ↑ back to [The Sampo: A Wonder Tale of the Old North](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66819/)