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Die Weihnachtsmaus - The Christmas Mouse
SIZE: 15 in. x 22 in. - 38 x 56 cm (half sheet)
PAPER: SAUNDERS WATERFORD ROUGH 638 g/m² - 300 lbs
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH extra fine watercolors
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH extra fine watercolors
2020 © ISABELLA KRAMER
a midnight window
the quite sorting of gifts
by mice for Christmas
©Alan Summers
(Lagan Online, Small Words: Haiku, Limmerick, and Palindromes) Northern Ireland, 2017
"Santa Hats" is a new challenge at Jean Haines's Online Art School www.watercolourinspiration.com and since my early childhood, I love the poem
" Die Weihanchtsmaus" by James Krüss.
Die Weihnachtsmaus ist sonderbar - sogar für die Gelehrten.
Denn einmal nur im ganzen Jahr entdeckt man ihre Fährten.
Mit Fallen und mit Rattengift kann man die Maus nicht fangen.
Sie ist, was diesen Punkt betrifft, noch nie ins Garn gegangen.
Das ganze Jahr macht diese Maus den Menschen keine Plage.
Doch plötzlich aus dem Loch heraus kriecht sie am Weihnachtstage.
Zum Beispiel war vom Festgebäck, das Mutter gut verborgen,
mit einem mal das Beste weg am ersten Weihnachtsmorgen.
Da sagte jeder rundheraus: Ich hab´ es nicht genommen!
Es war bestimmt die Weihnachtsmaus, die über Nacht gekommen.
Ein andres Mal verschwand sogar das Marzipan von Peter;
Was seltsam und erstaunlich war, denn niemand fand es später.
Der Christian rief rundheraus: ich hab es nicht genommen!
Es war bestimmt die Weihnachtsmaus, die über Nacht gekommen!
Ein drittes Mal verschwand vom Baum, an dem die Kugeln hingen,
ein Weihnachtsmann aus Eierschaum nebst andren leck`ren Dingen.
Die Nelly sagte rundheraus: Ich habe nichts genommen!
Es war bestimmt die Weihnachtsmaus, die über Nacht gekommen!
Und Ernst und Hans und der Papa, die riefen: welche Plage!
Die böse Maus ist wieder da, und just am Feiertage!
Nur Mutter sprach kein Klagewort. Sie sagte unumwunden:
Sind erst die Süßigkeiten fort, ist auch die Maus verschwunden!
Und wirklich wahr: Die Maus blieb weg, sobald der Baum geleert war,
sobald das letzte Festgebäck gegessen und verzehrt war.
Sagt jemand nun, bei ihm zu Haus, bei Fränzchen oder Lieschen,
da gäb es keine Weihnachtsmaus, dann zweifle ich ein bisschen!
Doch sag ich nichts, was jemand kränkt! Das könnte euch so passen!
Was man von Weihnachtsmäusen denkt, bleibt jedem überlassen.
©James Krüss
and a lovely translation by Anonymus
The Christmas mouse is rare I hear, the learned do agree.
For only once upon the year its tracks we come to see.
Neither traps nor well-spread bait will catch the clever mouse.
A skein of yarn won’t suffocate, Though spread throughout the house.
Throughout the year the mouse we say is a friend to humankind.
But it leaves its hole on Christmas day to put us in a bind.
It came to pass that from the Christmas cake that Mother had stashed away,
The very best part of all she’d baked was gone on Christmas day.
Then everyone proclaimed aloud: “I’m not the one who took it!
Last night, I'm sure, both sly and proud 'twas the Christmas mouse who snook it.”
Another time the marzipan of Peter's disappeared.
Surprisingly and without plan It never reappeared.
Then Christian shouted out aloud: “I’m not the one who took it!
Last night, I'm sure, both sly and proud ‘twas the Christmas mouse who snook it.”
A third time from the Christmas tree holding festive decorations
A meringue Santa seemed to flee with other delectations.
Then Nelly shouted out aloud: “I’m not the one who took it!
Last night, I'm sure, both sly and proud ‘twas the Christmas mouse who snook it.”
And Ernst and Hans and Dad all shouted “What a plague this holiday!”
“The evil mouse is back!” they pouted, “and right on Christmas day!”
Only Mother did not make a complaint, but spoke out clear and true:
“Once the sweets have been displaced, the mouse will depart too."
And lo, when the sweets were eaten and the tree laid bare,
they looked about perplexed and beaten: The mouse just wasn’t there.
So when they say that at Fränzchen’s house And also at dear Liesl’s
There really is no Christmas mouse - I do doubt that a little.
But I’m not one to author slights even if you might groan,
Whate’er you think of Christmas mice is up to you alone.
For only once upon the year its tracks we come to see.
Neither traps nor well-spread bait will catch the clever mouse.
A skein of yarn won’t suffocate, Though spread throughout the house.
Throughout the year the mouse we say is a friend to humankind.
But it leaves its hole on Christmas day to put us in a bind.
It came to pass that from the Christmas cake that Mother had stashed away,
The very best part of all she’d baked was gone on Christmas day.
Then everyone proclaimed aloud: “I’m not the one who took it!
Last night, I'm sure, both sly and proud 'twas the Christmas mouse who snook it.”
Another time the marzipan of Peter's disappeared.
Surprisingly and without plan It never reappeared.
Then Christian shouted out aloud: “I’m not the one who took it!
Last night, I'm sure, both sly and proud ‘twas the Christmas mouse who snook it.”
A third time from the Christmas tree holding festive decorations
A meringue Santa seemed to flee with other delectations.
Then Nelly shouted out aloud: “I’m not the one who took it!
Last night, I'm sure, both sly and proud ‘twas the Christmas mouse who snook it.”
And Ernst and Hans and Dad all shouted “What a plague this holiday!”
“The evil mouse is back!” they pouted, “and right on Christmas day!”
Only Mother did not make a complaint, but spoke out clear and true:
“Once the sweets have been displaced, the mouse will depart too."
And lo, when the sweets were eaten and the tree laid bare,
they looked about perplexed and beaten: The mouse just wasn’t there.
So when they say that at Fränzchen’s house And also at dear Liesl’s
There really is no Christmas mouse - I do doubt that a little.
But I’m not one to author slights even if you might groan,
Whate’er you think of Christmas mice is up to you alone.
.
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