Clement Clarke Moore – A Visit from St. Nicholas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blixen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

moore-a-visit-from-saint-nicholas-bookcover

Prevod na srpski

Deda Mrazova poseta

Bilo je Badnje veče, kad se širom kuće
Niko živi micao nije, pa čak ni miš;
Čarape su kraj dimnjaka pažljivo okačene bile,
U nadi da Deda Mraz uskoro doći će;
Deca su u svojim krevetima bila ušuškana;
Dok su im vizije šećerlema plesale u mislima;
A mama sa svojom maramom, i ja sa kapicom,
Taman smo se udobno smestili za dugu zimsku dremku,
Kad napolju na travnjaku nastade takva strka,
Da sam skočio iz kreveta da vidim šta se dešava.
Na putu do prozora kao munja sam leteo,
Prozorske kapke otvorio i prozor podigao.
Mesec na grudima novonapadalog snega,
Davao je podnevni sjaj stvarima ispod njega,
Kad se pred mojim razrogačenim očima pojavilo
Ništa drugo do minijaturne saonice i osam majušnih irvasa,
Sa malenim starim vozačem, tako živahnim i hitrim,
U momentu sam shvatio da to mora da je Deda Mraz.
Od orlova brže, njegovi irvasi stigoše,
A on je zviždao i vikao i po imenu ih dozivao:
“Sad, Dešer! sad, Denser! sad Pranser i Viksen!
Idemo, Kometo! idemo, Kupidone, idemo Donder i Bliksen!
Na vrh trema! Na vrh zida!
Sad odjurite! odjurite! svi odjurite!”
Kao što lišće pred divlji uragan leti,
Kad naiđu na prepreku, u nebo se vinu;
I tako do krova kuće irvasi odleteše
Sa saonicama punim igračaka i Deda Mrazom takođe—
A onda, u tren oka, na krovu sam čuo,
Propinjanje i udaranje svakog malog kopita.
Dok sam stvarao sliku u glavi i dok sam se okretao,
Niz dimnjak uskoči Deda Mraz.
Bio je sav u krznu, od glave do pete,
A odeća mu sva pepelom i čađu umrljana;
Na ramenu mu zavežljaj igračaka,
I izgledao je kao torbar dok je svoj svežanj otvarao.
Njegove oči – kako su sjale! rupice na obrazima, tako vesele!
Njegovi obrazi kao ruže, njegov nos kao trešnja!
Njegova smešna mala usta kao zapeti luk,
A njegova brada bela kao sneg;
U zubima je čvrsto držao lulu,
A dim mu je kao venac okruživao glavu;
Imao je široko lice i mali okrugli stomačić
Koji se tresao kada se smejao, kao zdela puna želea.
Bio je bucmast i punačak, pravi dobri stari vilenjak,
A ja sam se smejao kad sam ga video, nisam se suzdržati mogao;
Kako je namignuo i glavu nakrivio
Da nemam čega da se plašim na znanje mi stavio;
Ni reči nije progovorio, već se na posao bacio,
I sve čarape napunio; a onda se naglo okrenuo,
I stavivši prst kraj nosa,
I klimnuvši glavom, uz dimnjak se popeo;
Do svojih je saonica skoknuo, svom timu zazviždao,
I svi odleteše kao paperje čkalja.
Ali čuo sam ga kako uzvikuje dok je nestajao iz vidokruga —
“Srećan Božić svima, i laku vam noć!”

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