Poetry Monday :: Festive Traditions

   Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings and Diane of On the Border are taking turns supplying us with a topic for this weekly endeavour. They also both write wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious or simply honestly well written verse. Go and read.
  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey is taking a break due to her husband's health issue. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers their way.
 
  I have something to ask of you: If you read this and the poetry of others, would you please leave a comment. Half - if not more - the fun of these challenges is receiving the responses of others.

  Our Christmas traditions mostly begin on Christmas evening.
  I have written - and grumbled - extensively about our Advent Window, the Jesse Tree and rants about non-Christmassy celebrations, santas and more. I do not feel up to putting all this into poems.
  I am taking my refuge to publishing older works. Going back to before the Internet was a thing and I sat late evenings and well into the night writing for myself.
  Way back then I discovered a Dutch nun from Zusters van de Goddelijke Voorzienigheid - Sisters of the Divine Providence, and translated several many of her poems; and I even had one or two of them pringted in a small Cattholic magazine. I think no harm will be done in publishing them here. Her book was called Een mens van vier seizoenen - A Human of Four Seasons. With the subtitle: Bloemlezing uit: gedichten, brieven en het dagboek van: Zuster Antoine Frayman.  Samengesteld en uitgegeven na haar overlijden 1979 - Selections from her poems, letters and diary of sr. Antouíne Frayman. Edited and published after her death 1979).
Oops, but I did not think this through. Of course I translated the poems into Danish! Urgh. I like the poems very much, so here ywe go. Dutch original and Danish translation. 2nd Sunday of Advent.

  2de Zondag van de Advent

Zonne - Zonne - klare Bronne
Van het Goddelijk Lichtfestijn.
Maged reine - Gij zo kleine,
Mocht Gods eigen Moeder zijn.
Blauw zijn onze Adventsdagen
Omdat zij Uwe weelde dragen.
Donker wel, door onze schuld
Maar door U in 't blauw gehuld.
U alleen was altijd trouw,
Reine - sterke - lieve Vrouw.
O, ons hart dat kan weer zingen,
Van de allerschoonste dingen.
Van Uw reine heerlijkheid,
Troost en hoop van al wie strijdt.
Klare Zonne - reine Bronne.
Vol van Leven - Licht en Pracht,
Gij de Wone van Gods Zone
Hebt Hem ons zo graag gebracht.
O, Uw troostend, lichtend leven
Kan alleen maar schoonheid geven,
Maak ons allen vol van 't Licht;
Dat tintelt op Uw aangezicht.
Moeder, Moeder, wil ons dragen
Met Uw Jezus in deez' dagen.
Laat ons hart in 't Uwe zijn
Op het komend Kerstfestijn.

  2. Søndag i advent
Kilde ren er du, vor moder,
for Guds søn - vort lys og broder -
Jomfru milde, Åndens kar.
Dystre er vor adventsdage,
hvis du ind hos os vil drage.
Bli'r de blå som Himlen klar.

Vore hjerter atter nynner
på det skønne, du forkynder,
fuld af liv, af lys og pragt.
Du, som lever ved Guds trone,
din sang har den rette tone,
lær vort hjerte himmel-takt.

Du, som verdens frelser bærer,
os du også gerne nærer
med din tro i adventstid.
Lad vort hjerte som dit brænde,
lær os glædens fest at kende,
Julens gæst du bringe hid.


Next Mondays theme: Houses out of Gingerbread