A VISIT FROM SAINT VASILIS

by Rob Lopresti

In honor of the season I am going to steal a page from my friend Peter Berryman. In this case I have taken the most famous poem about Christmas and run it through the Babelfish Translation service..Each verse went through one language, which is indicated, and then back into English. Enjoy, and have a merry one.

’T was the night before Christmas, when all by the house
not a creature stirred up, not even a mouse.
Bottoms were hung by the chimney carefully,
In the hopes which the Nicholas saint soon would be there. (FRENCH)

The nestled children were all snug in their beds,
While vision of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘ kerchief, and I in my end,
Had just settled down law has length winter’ s nap; (SPANISH)

When for it are in the lawn if it raised such clinked,
I jumped of the bed to see what it was the substance.
Moved away to the window I flied I eat a flash,
Tore open the obturators and played the band above. (PORTUGUESE)

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
has given the lustro of the noon to the objects here under,
When, what to mine to wonder eyes it would have to appear,
But one slips to miniatura and reindeer much small eight,
With an old little one driver, thus lively and quickly,
I have known in a moment that it must be Saint Nick. (ITALIAN)

More rapidly than eagles coursers passed they are,
and he whistled, and shouted, and called them name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Thunder and Blitzen!
To the upper part of the portico! to the upper part of the wall!
Now hyphen gone! hyphen gone! storm gone all! (DUTCH)

As land leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they are met with a obstacle, you place in the sky,
Thus up to home-top coursers they flew,
With the total of sledges of games, and Saint Vasilis also. (GREEK)

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
Ace I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Saint Nicholas come con with to bound. (SPANISH)

It was dressed all in the fur, from its head to its foot,
and its clothes were clouded all with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys, which it had back hurled on its,
and it looked like a Hausierer, who opens straight its sentence. (GERMAN)

Its eyes – how they scintillated! its small cavities how much merry!
Its cheeks were like the pinks, its nose like a cherry!
Its small funny mouth was elaborate like an arc,
And beard it of its chin was as white as snow. (FRENCH)

The mutilation of pipe kept tight in his teeth,
And the smoke this encircled his head as a hoop.
Had a wide person and a small round abdomen,
This shook, when it laughed, as bowlful her gelatins. (GREEK)

He was chubby and chubby, correctly very old eleven,
and I laughed then I him, in spite of me saw.
Wink of its eye and a turn of its head,
gave me shortly to I know nothing to fear had. (DUTCH)

He spoke not a word, but went straight to its work,
and filled all socks; then turned with a jerk,
and its finger even effect of its nose putting,
and a head nodding, up giving the fire-place, he rose. (GERMAN)

It has jumped to its slips, to its square it has given I hiss,
and via all they have flown like the low of a wild thistle.
I have felt but it exclaim, era has guided from sight,
“Been born them happy to all and to all l’ good night!” (ITALIAN)