Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Germany: Vols. XVII–XVIII. 1876–79.
Christkindlein
By Friedrich Rückert (17881866)H
Its fairy footsteps flew!
And on its soft and childish brow
How delicate the hue!
And stirs its infant smile;
The merry bells their chime repeat;
The child stands still the while.
Then marks the Christian dome;
The stranger child, in stranger land,
Feels now as if at home.
Its face with gladness beams:
It frolics in the blaze around,
Which from each window gleams.
Reflected from the trees;
And from the branches, green and tall,
The glittering gifts it sees.
The charm of social love;—
O, what a joyous festival!
’T is sanctioned from above.
“Where is my taper’s light?
And why no evergreen been hung
With toys for me to-night?
Of holy love for me;
A mother’s kind and tender hand
Once decked my Christmas-tree.
Of those light tapers, do!
And, children, I can feel the plays;
O, let me play with you!
I want the love of home;
O, let me in your playful joy,
Forget I have to roam!”
It strikes at every gate;
In every window earnest gazed,
Then mid the snow it sate.
I ’ve none to love me now!
Hast thou forgot my tree to send,
With lights on every bough?”
Yet press the little cloak;
Then on its breast in meekness crossed,
A sigh the silence broke.
Around its silken hair;
Its pretty eyes, so clear and blue,
Alone defied the air.
A shining light he held;
The accents fell so sweet and mild,
All music they excelled.
And once a child like thee;
When all forget, thou need’st not plead,—
I will adorn thy tree.
My aid is everywhere;
Thy Christmas-tree, my precious flower,
Here, in the open air,
Which caught thy infant eye.”
The stranger child looks up, and sees,
Far, in the deep blue sky,
The branches hang their light;
The child, with soul all music, sung,
“My tree indeed is bright!”
The infant closed its eyes,
And troops of radiant angels seem
Descending from the skies,
With Jesus it shall live;
It finds a home and treasure there
Sweeter than earth can give.