Temka Vegtamchik'a

My first attempt, a gift for Volchik.

Primitive and clumsy, but I can still forgive myself due to inexperience.

Loyal, ancient Gaut,
Glorious ash of the sword,
He came to the shore
Of the land of ships,
Took golden nets,
Took silver nets,
Took iron nets
And cast them into the waves.

Once he pulls the nets -
He only gathers silt.
The second time he pulls -
He pulls out seaweed.
The third time he pulls.
His catch is meager -
Only one fish
He extracts from the nets.

That fish is not beautiful -
It does not shine with scales,
It tastes unpleasant,
It is not suitable for soup.
But the fish has a gift,
A wondrous ability -
It emits
A human voice.

And the fish said:
You, ancient Gaut,
Glorious ash of the sword,
Who caught me.
Listen to the little fish,
Hear the daughter of the sea,
The one who is called
The Fish of Heroes.

Your old friend,
Imaris, howled at the moon,
He arranged a great
Feast in the forests.
He called the animals of the land,
He called the birds from the wind,
He called the fish of the oceans,
He called you too.

Ancient Gaut
Released the fish back
Into the edge of the island,
Sat in thought
On a coastal stone.
He thought - he shouldn't
Go to the feast,
Without a gift.

He thought for a long time,
He pondered for a long time.
Finally, he stood up,
And went down the road.
Whether it was long or short,
Ancient Gaut walked,
And the path led him
To a crossroads.

He chose the first path,
Leading to the mountains.
One day passes, two days pass,
He comes to a castle.
He knows the castle:
His father's daughter,
The granddaughter of his grandfather,
His sister lives here.

The glorious ash of the sword
Asks for help,
He is looking for a gift,
Worthy of a friend.
His sister went into the castle,
And soon returned,
Holding in her hands
A golden tray.

On the tray lies
A wondrous marvel,
A magical stone,
Burning with fire.
Runes are inscribed
On the jewel,
The sun of homes
Is emitted by the mountain.

He chose the second path,
Leading to the forests.
One day passes, two days pass,
He comes to a house.
He knows the house:
A wonderful master,
A wizard of trees
Lives in this house.

The glorious ash of the sword
Asks for help,
He is looking for a gift,
Worthy of a friend.
The master went into the house,
And soon returned,
Holding in his hands
A silver tray.

On the tray lies
A wondrous marvel,
A wooden totem,
Possessing a voice.
Runes are inscribed
On the base,
Suttung's honey
Delights the ear.

Now the third path,
Leading to the valleys.
One day passes, two days pass,
He comes to a hut.
A familiar hut:
A simple Bond,
A guardian of plants
Lives here.

The glorious ash of the sword
Asks for help,
He is looking for a gift,
Worthy of a friend.
Bond went into the house,
He returned not soon,
He brought only threads,
That his wife was spinning.

The ash of the sword
Took Bond's threads,
Said a word,
And waved his hand.
Those threads became
A wondrous necklace,
Promising protection
To its owner.

He took the jewel,
He took the totem,
He took the necklace
And went to the feast
To the ancient forests,
Where his friend is waiting,
An old friend,
Imaris, howled at the moon.

The feast was glorious.
His ancient forest
Will never forget,
How they feasted,
How they rejoiced,
How much they drank,
How many speeches they made,
At the feast of the moon howler.

But now the wonderful
Feast is over.
Ancient Gaut
Went into the open field,
Found a large stone,
And carved runes on it,
The ones you read,
Chance traveler.
____________________
Explanations:
Ancient Gaut - "...Odin rose, ancient Gaut..."; "...Odin said: "My name is Vegtam, I am Valta's son..." - excerpts from the song "The Dreams of Baldr", the Elder Edda.
Kennings and heiti:
Ash of the sword - warrior
Land of ships - sea
Howled - wolf
Sun of homes - fire
Suttung's honey - poetry