Un conte de noël

C'est en 1822 que Clement Clarke Moore, un pasteur Americain, publie pour la première fois anonymement son poème A Visit from St Nicholas dans la revue Sentinel, de New York. Le vieux personnage barbu distribue des cadeaux aux enfants sages, et, ô magie, survole les villages endormis sous la neige dans un traineau volant tiré par des rennes : Le père Noël était né. Le texte a enflammé l'imaginaire collectif, et très vite, on le lit à voix haute au coin du feu dans les maisonnées anglo-saxonnes la nuit de Noël. La fin du premier vers, "the night before Christmas", remplace le titre original, et cette histoire devient un classique de la littérature jeunesse, avec des illustrations originales de Thomas Nast :

Voici le poème original, dont vous trouverez une traduction française ici.

'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 down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the 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 the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little, old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it 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 Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With a 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 bowlful 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 stocking; 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

 Vous pouvez trouver ce livre en français sous plusieurs traductions, et par différents illustrateurs : La Belle Nuit de Noël, La Nuit avant Noël, La Magie de Noël.

MERCI (encore !) à la bibliothèque Faidherbe pour sa belle exposition au 3ème étage sur le poème de Clement Toole et les oeuvres qui en sont inspirées. A voir jusqu'au 12 janvier.

Comments

[Evie]

Oui, le poème est magnifique ! Il est malheureusement difficile de trouver un livre avec la traduction fidèle de cet ouvrage... Celui que j'ai acheté m'a déçue car le texte n'est pas respecté !

dommage

[vincent21]

j'apprécie beaucoup le poème de Moore (que j'ai découvert il y a peu de temps), je le trouve vraiment dans l'esprit de noël

Disney a adapté ce poème en 1933 dans un cartoon Silly Symphonies, The Night Before Christmas (L’Arbre de Noël) qui est vraiment réussi et qui s'inspire de l'histoire "Twas the Night Before Christmas" http://tresorsdisney.blogspot.fr/2013/12/the-night-before-christmas-larbre-de.html