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The Bier Of Precentor A. Reitan (1872)
By Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson
(See Note 56)
With smiles his soft eyes ever gleamed,
When God and country thinking;
With endless joy, his soul, it seemed,
Faith, fatherland, was linking.
His word, his song,
Like springs flowed strong;
They fruitful made the valley long,
And quickened all there drinking.
Poor people and poor homes among
In wintry region saddest,
In Sunday's choir he always sung,
Of all the world the gladdest:
"The axis stout
It turns about,
Falls not the poorest home without,
For thus, O God, Thou badest."
With sickness came a heavy year
And put to proof his singing,
While helpless children standing near
His trust to test were bringing.
But glad the more,
As soft notes soar
When winds o'er hidden harp-strings pour,
His song his soul was winging.
His life foretold us that erelong
With faith in God unshaken
Shall all our nation stand in song,
And church, home, school, awaken,
In Norway's song,
In gladness' song,
In glory of the Lord's own song,
From life's low squalor taken.
Fair fatherland, do not forget,
The children of his bower!
He, poor as is the rosebush, yet
Gave gladness till death's hour -
With failure's smart
Let not depart
From this thy soil so glad a heart, -
His garden, let it flower!
Extra Info:
TRANSLATED FROM THE NORWEGIAN IN THE ORIGINAL METERS BY ARTHUR HUBBELL PALMER
Professor of the German Language and Literature In Yale University
Note 56.
AT THE BIER OF PRECENTOR A. REITAN. Anders Jörgensen Reitan, a
peasant, was born July 26, 1826, and died August 30, 1872. After
attending the Teachers' Seminary, he took up this calling, and in
1853 became precentor (and teacher) in Kvikne, Björnson's
birthplace. He remained in this position the rest of his life,
making himself, by his influence at meetings, through lectures, and
in visits from farm to farm, a pioneer in popular enlightenment, an
important bearer of culture. He was a member of the Storting for the
term 1871-73, but was seriously ill a large part of the session of
1871, and in April, 1872, received leave of absence. He died in
Christiania.
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