Kalevala rune-o-meter Rosa tribute

[Geir Hasnes]

The Kalevala story largely appeals to me because the thrills are real and we have no way of figuring out what will happen in the next panel or the next page or the next episode. Whatever Don may say, this is for real! This is truly epic!

The rune-o-meter is very simple in Kalevala, just a meter of 2 x 8 syllables per line, and the syllables alternate stressed - unstressed.

A Finn will find it easier to rhyme in this meter because Finnish always has the stress on the first syllable and the words are structured with endings instead of the use of pronouns. Some words may combine syllables, like 'niemi' which will be two syllables in the meter.

In English a rune-o-meter would go like:

Kalevala! What a story! Hey, Don Rosa, please continue!
We adore you and your stories, cannot have enough of comics,
cannot live without the Duck tales, cannot wait until next issue,
cannot sleep unless you draw more, will accept your drawings only.

Life is shallow for a Duck fan, looking back to golden ages,
when Carl Barks invented Duckburg, filled it with his feathered creatures,
drew and told us wild adventures, made us laugh and made us shiver,
filled our lives with joy and terror, never ceased to entertain us.

Yes, we love reprinted stories. Yes, it's great to have Barks albums.
It is not enough, however. Our weekly should be flowing,
should be ripe with thrills and humour. That occurs so very seldom!
Only Rosa makes me burst out, makes me pant, ignites my laughter.

Please, our hero, story-teller, Ilmarinen of the comics, 
you, the gifted sage of Duckburg, be like Vainamoinen to us!
Sing yet more, forge bits together, grind your never-ending Sampo!
Add your brilliant epic wonders to the Duckburg Kalevala!

Geir Hasnes