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Santa's Grand Tour by Marlies Klein |
Translation completed on Dec
24, 2006 by
Peter Czukor
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Please write your comments into Marlies Klein's Guestbook. |
Adaptação en Portugues de Angelo Barbosa Pereira:: |
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Original version in German: |
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Download: |
This story for printing (pdf, 8 MB) |
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Snowflakes dance 'round in the air, |
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In the heavenly airport, balloon
after balloon. One right after another, and soon you can see how far up in the clouds they go, and the Earth fades away so far down below.
There goes a white balloon up in the sky, He lived, once, St. Nick, a long time ago, |
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The big white balloon flies hither
and yon with the wind, through the clouds, and beyond; In the basket is Santa, in his red suit, his donkey peers over the edge and is mute.
Quite some time he peers into the depths below; |
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There the mountaintops sparkle so
white under the rays of morning sunlight, and quietly nestled among rocks, ice, and snow lies the big pond, way down below. |
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He spent a long time in his balloon
in the sky, watching from his basket as the clouds rolled on by. O'er cities and hamlets our Santa flew, castles and churches, he saw them all, too. From on high, he lost track of time's rapid flight, but looked down and said, "Soon the time will be right!" |
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Misty-eyed, Santa bent down for a
look |
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In the distance, a lake seems to glow,
the meadows and rooftops all white with snow. He looks at the compass, then the clock to be sure, twenty minutes to go before Winterthur. Finally their house in the wood becomes clear, Santa stays in the house when he comes here each year. |
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While Santa rested and put up his
feet the donkey stretched out close to the heat, Outside it's becoming night, The sky's adorned with brilliant starlight. The forest woman knocks: "It's time to go. Hurry now, there's no time to be slow!"
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Now Santa and donkey go out into the winter forest's lovely view Thick flakes fall gently in the night Coat, beard and fur all turning white, squirrels run about and can be seen, darting through the evergreen. |
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All the animals that Santa sees line the route among the trees, and the little fawns all came too, they also want to have a good view of pious St. Nick, who searches his sack and offers the creatures a little snack. |
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Looking out at the forest, from his room Peter says to his sister: "Hark, he's coming soon." Underfoot from outside comes a crunching sound, Mother hears the steps, too, and with a bound hurries to the window and cries with great cheer, "Look, look, everyone: Santa Claus is here!" |
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Inside the house, in the warm sitting
room the little boy trembles in his gloom back against the wall he tries to stand but Santa goes and takes his hand and with smiling face and full of joy asks him if he's been a good boy? "Oh no,
Santa Claus will surely find out," |
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And old St. Nick says,
"No, I cannot |
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Now Santa observes how the tears of the child |
Then his face lit up. "You know,"
said he, "I hear that once you saved a bee which was drowning in a cup. Snails in the road, you always pick up and bring them safe to a grassy spot. You tend the neighbor's cow a lot, you scatter seed for the poor little birds and in the kitchen heed your mother's words. You treat your picture books with care and iron handkerchiefs without compare."
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Now they both can smile and relax. Then Santa shakes his bag of sweet snacks and pours them out in the middle of the floor for the dear, bad boy to collect goodies galore. Gingerbread, apples, and nuts quite a few; chocolate coins, and round almond cakes too rolling under bench and cabinet under the chair and table set. And then Peter, thinking of the Advent Book, recites a poem with a cheerful look.
Mother smiles, filled with joy, |
"But now I must move on again around the world to other children; be good, be kind, to the Spirit stay true, until next year, when I'll come back to you!"
Mother closes the shutters up tight, |
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Three days later, it seemed to come
too soon, Santa climbs up into the white balloon, |
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This picture book has been viewed
times since November 21, 2006, by
people .
PS. I still have many pictures painted by Marlies Klein. If you would like to buy one, please come and visit me in Maur, Switzerland. Reinhard