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01-03-2012, 11:11 AM | #1 |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
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Father Christmas Letters: 1938
The picture that goes with the 1938 Christmas letter is incomplete - appropriately, it's titled "Setting Out". It's a line drawing (coloured pencil) of Father Christmas in the sleigh, pulled by two reindeer. In the letter, he writes that he did not have time to draw a big picture and is therefore sending some rhymes instead.
The letter is addressed to "Priscilla and all others at your house", so by this time, she must be the only one who still corresponds with FC. Christopher is mentioned, with hopes that he is better, so apparently he was ill. His present is mentioned - a book about astronomy and telescopes. We know Tolkien had some interest in astronomy, and apparently the children did as well. Priscilla's bears are mentioned, several of them by name - they number 60 or more! The poem itself is written by Father Christmas with some additions and interruptions by the North Polar Bear and Ilbereth. This is no great literary poetry, but simple rhymes, not even necessarily accurate ones. It's meant to be fun, with word playing such as "You're half past nine", meaning Priscilla's age, interrupted by Ilbereth with "She is not a clock!" NPB calls Ilbereth "thinuous" instead of "fatuous", as he is thin, not fat. The letter is embellished and some of its letters illuminated. I haven't been able to find an image of the one page that is reproduced in my book, so I hope those of you who have it will comment!
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
01-05-2012, 01:32 PM | #2 | ||
A Voice That Gainsayeth
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In that far land beyond the Sea
Posts: 7,431
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Quote:
Quote:
Question: I assume it is so also in the original, but let me just ask - does the PB also make grammatical mistakes in English? (If so, could you give an example?)
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"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories |
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01-06-2012, 07:13 AM | #3 | |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
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Yes, the PB does make spelling and grammar mistakes. Let me look up a few examples:
Quote:
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
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01-08-2012, 11:20 AM | #4 |
Banshee of Camelot
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 5,830
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I absolutetly adore FC's poem! It's so funny with all those additions by the squabbling PB and Ilbereth!
Perhaps this is no "literary poetry", but I actually think it is much more deserving of the title "poem" than modern so-called poems which don't rhyme, have no rythm at all and are in reality just prose, written in short lines!! (a propos funny poems, I am a bit reminded of Christian Morgenstern...don't know if you know him, Esty)
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Yes! "wish-fulfilment dreams" we spin to cheat our timid hearts, and ugly Fact defeat! Last edited by Guinevere; 01-08-2012 at 03:54 PM. Reason: got a word wrong.I meant squabble, not quibble |
01-08-2012, 01:10 PM | #5 | |
A Voice That Gainsayeth
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In that far land beyond the Sea
Posts: 7,431
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Thanks for the examples, Esty! Anyway I think I will make it one of my objectives to get some English (and most of all, complete) edition of FC...
Quote:
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"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories |
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01-08-2012, 03:49 PM | #6 |
Banshee of Camelot
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 5,830
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I scanned the facsimile of the poem and try to give a link to it (with the help of my husband & son) I hope this works, I think you have to click on it to enlarge it.
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Yes! "wish-fulfilment dreams" we spin to cheat our timid hearts, and ugly Fact defeat! |
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