A Christmas poem? How about two ! To wish our readers a “Merry Christmas to all et Bonne Année à tous!” One is two centuries old and the second a contemporary piece that shares the same rhythm.
The first is the famous Christmas poem thought to be written by Clement Clarke Moore « Twas the Night Before Christmas ». Moore was a 19th century American writer and scholar and is mostly remembered for his Christmas poem which was originally title « A Visit from Saint Nicholas » which legend says he wrote on Christmas Eve in 1822 during a sleigh ride home from Greenwich Village (imagine riding in a sleigh in New York city!) after buying a turkey for his family (no doubt fresh from the farm). The poem is known for having defined our now timeless image of Santa Claus and for naming the eight reindeer! It was published (in English only and anonymously) the first time on December 23, 1823 by a New York newspaper, The Sentinel, one of the first daily newspapers in the United States which makes this Christmas poem a classic. Since then, the poem has been reprinted, translated into innumerable languages and circulated throughout the world. There have been many parodies of the famous Twas the Night Before Christmas including one sent on Christmas Eve to the Apollo 8 astronauts on their way to orbit the moon. Here we present a bilingual version. For our bilingual readers, we found a creative version mixing French and English : The beginning of each line is in English and the end is in French. This version of the historic Christmas poem is by Léonce Gallant who was probably an Acadian from New Brunswick Canada.
T’was the Night d’avant Noël
T’was the night before Christmas et dans tout le logis
Not a creature was stirring, même pas une souris.
The stockings were hung le long d’la cheminée
In hopes that St. Nicholas ne va pas oublier.
The children were nestled dans leurs petits lits
While visions of sugar plums excitent l’appétit.
And mama in her kerchief et moi dans ma jaquette
Had just settled down dans la grande couchette,
When out on the lawn j’entendis un vacarme,
I sprang out of bed pour sonner l’alarme.
Away to the window je me dépêchai,
Tore open the shutter et le rideau je haussai.
The moon on the breast de la neige toute blanche
Gave a luster of midday et une couleur étrange.
When, to my wondering grands yeux, j’aperçus
But a miniature sleigh et les rennes bien connus.
With a little old driver qui crie et appelle
I knew in a moment que c’était le Père Noël.
More rapid than eagles sont ses animaux,
And he whistled and shouted, les nommant par leur nom.
Now, Dasher! Now Dancer! Allez-y tout de suite
On Comet! On Cupid! Il faut aller vite.
To the top of the porch au haut du grand mur
Now dash away, dash away, par dessus la clôture.
As dry leaves that before une tempête en automne
When they meet an obstacle en l’air tourbillonnent,
So up to the housetop, son attelage l’amène
With a sleigh full of toys et le bonhomme lui-même.
And then in a twinkle, j’entendis sur le toit
The prancing and pawing des sabots sur le bois.
As I drew in my head afin de me tourner,
Down the chimney St Nicholas se laissa glisser.
He was dressed all in fur de la tête au pieds,
And his clothes were tarnished par la suie de la cheminée.
A bundle of toys juché sur son dos
And he looked like a peddlar avec tous ses cadeaux.
His eyes how they twinkle, ils brillent et ils luisent,
His cheeks are like roses, son nez comme une cerise.
His drole little mouth et son sourire qui plaît,
And the beard on his chin était blanche comme du lait.
The stump of a pipe placé entre ses dents
And the smoke it encircled sa tête joliment.
He had a broad face, une panse bien taillée
That shook when he laughed comme un bol de gelée.
He was chubby and plump, un nain plein de joie
And I laughed when I saw him, tout ça malgré moi.
A wink from his eye, un mouvement de tête
Soon gave me to know que de craindre était bête.
He spoke not a word et avec toute vitesse
He filled all the stockings, puis tourna d’un geste.
And laying his finger sur le bout de son nez
And giving a nod, il commença à monter.
He sprang to his sleigh, s’empara des cordons
And away they all flew, comme le duvet d’un chardon.
But I heard him exclaim d’une voix très douce :
“Merry Christmas to all et Bonne Année à tous!”
Clement C. Moore et/and Léonce Gallant
See what is going on at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room for Christmas
The second Christmas poem is by Karen A. VandenBos who, as she says, was born on a warm July morn in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has a PhD in Holistic Health and can often be found unleashing her imagination in online writing groups. Her writing has been published in several poetry reviews and journals.
The Gift of Believing
Copyright 2022 Karen A. Vandenbos
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