Feast To Celebrate Yuletide
© Surazeus
2018 12 13
Sweet children of my children, with clear eyes,
come close, while I sit in this rocking chair,
and gather around my feet by the hearth
so you can drink cider while keeping warm,
then listen to my tale of long ago
when kind Nicholas visited our home.
When I was twelve, some fifty years ago,
my whole clan lived in one large hall of wood,
that resembles great Valhalla of Odin,
at the foot of the mountain by the lake
where we tended herds of cows in lush meadows,
providing milk and beef for market towns.
I remember playing by the sparkling lake
game of King and Rebel with several siblings
when snow began to fall from silver skies,
so we huddled in wood hall with supplies
of wood for fire and food to eat for months
as fierce blizzard covered our world in snow.
Snow covered our wood hall up to the roof,
sealing shut doors and windows with thick fluff,
so we lived cooped inside for forty days
till we burned all the wood in warming fires
and consumed our stores of beef and dried fruit,
thus we began to starve in the cold gloom.
Drifting in strange dreams induced by fierce hunger,
we started going mad in our wood coffin,
and lost all hope we would see light again,
when we heard bells jingling one starry night,
and down the chimney, wearing long read cape,
came kind Nicholas with bags full of food.
Landing with hard thud of thick leather boots,
Nicholas appeared in hour of despair,
bringing wood to light fire that warmed our hearts,
and bags of meat, vegetables, herbs, and fruits,
so we prepared rich feast to eat for weeks,
and sang joyful songs of thanks to his love.
We feasted on beef steaks and apple pies,
and drank sweet cider spiced with cinnamon,
then, after singing for hours with delight,
we thanked our savior for bringing us food,
kind Nicholas, brother of our grandfather,
who thought to bring us food in the snow storm.
Then laughing as his eyes sparkled with joy
Nicholas gave everyone gifts he made,
cooking pans, kitchen utensils, warm clothes,
candles, quills, paper to write, books to read,
and wood toys of horses, wagons, and boats,
and pairs of leather boots for everyone.
Nicholas feasted with us for three days,
then climbed back up the chimney to the roof
where his silver sleigh, pulled by four reindeer,
shimmered in sunlight on the melting snow,
so we sang, Merry Yuletide, Nicholas,
as he drove his sleigh into swirling mist.
So that is how kind Nicholas appeared
on mid-winter night in long silver sleigh
heaped with leather bags of presents and food,
and came down the chimney into our hall
so we could feast to celebrate Yuletide,
and that is why we all feast here tonight.
© Surazeus
2018 12 13
Sweet children of my children, with clear eyes,
come close, while I sit in this rocking chair,
and gather around my feet by the hearth
so you can drink cider while keeping warm,
then listen to my tale of long ago
when kind Nicholas visited our home.
When I was twelve, some fifty years ago,
my whole clan lived in one large hall of wood,
that resembles great Valhalla of Odin,
at the foot of the mountain by the lake
where we tended herds of cows in lush meadows,
providing milk and beef for market towns.
I remember playing by the sparkling lake
game of King and Rebel with several siblings
when snow began to fall from silver skies,
so we huddled in wood hall with supplies
of wood for fire and food to eat for months
as fierce blizzard covered our world in snow.
Snow covered our wood hall up to the roof,
sealing shut doors and windows with thick fluff,
so we lived cooped inside for forty days
till we burned all the wood in warming fires
and consumed our stores of beef and dried fruit,
thus we began to starve in the cold gloom.
Drifting in strange dreams induced by fierce hunger,
we started going mad in our wood coffin,
and lost all hope we would see light again,
when we heard bells jingling one starry night,
and down the chimney, wearing long read cape,
came kind Nicholas with bags full of food.
Landing with hard thud of thick leather boots,
Nicholas appeared in hour of despair,
bringing wood to light fire that warmed our hearts,
and bags of meat, vegetables, herbs, and fruits,
so we prepared rich feast to eat for weeks,
and sang joyful songs of thanks to his love.
We feasted on beef steaks and apple pies,
and drank sweet cider spiced with cinnamon,
then, after singing for hours with delight,
we thanked our savior for bringing us food,
kind Nicholas, brother of our grandfather,
who thought to bring us food in the snow storm.
Then laughing as his eyes sparkled with joy
Nicholas gave everyone gifts he made,
cooking pans, kitchen utensils, warm clothes,
candles, quills, paper to write, books to read,
and wood toys of horses, wagons, and boats,
and pairs of leather boots for everyone.
Nicholas feasted with us for three days,
then climbed back up the chimney to the roof
where his silver sleigh, pulled by four reindeer,
shimmered in sunlight on the melting snow,
so we sang, Merry Yuletide, Nicholas,
as he drove his sleigh into swirling mist.
So that is how kind Nicholas appeared
on mid-winter night in long silver sleigh
heaped with leather bags of presents and food,
and came down the chimney into our hall
so we could feast to celebrate Yuletide,
and that is why we all feast here tonight.
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