Lögberg-Heimskringla - 14.06.1991, Blaðsíða 6

6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 14. júní 1991
K.N. — the Genf e and the Compassionate
by Paul A. Sigurdson
Several months ago, I published the
translation of a short poem which I
found unnamed at the very front of
K.N.’sbook. Atthattime I mustconfess
that I didn’t know it was a fragment of
a longer poem. Herewith I offer you the
entire poem, with my apologies.
K.N. worte it for Rosa’s son-in-law
who had pre-deceased her.
To Rósa Sigurðardóttir
on her 90th Birthday
i
Perhaps I could, inspired,
Make effort here today,
Compose a little poem,
For him who’s passed away.
II
I know he would have liked to visit you,
Just to remember you this special day,
Amid the sweet tranquility of eve,
Compose for you a simple loving lay.
But none of us can stymie fate’s desire,
And so for him I fondly stroke the lyre.
This heartfelt wish I offer in his name,
And for his wife too lying at his side,
That God who made of him a worthy
man,
With you in strength and peace will
ever bide;
And may you wait your end with mel-
lowed pleasure,
For you have strived and tasted well
life’s measure.
Sodream aboutyourlovelyislandfjord,
Your childhood haunts upon the up-
land run,
For nowhere do the colors of the land
Shine fairer in the glory of God’s sun.
Where shepherds halloo down the
mountain passes,
As their sheep gather in the valley
grasses.
To Rev. K.K. Olafsson
Yea, cruel death has thievedyour home,
Now weighed with grief and rue;
My heart is also sorrow-lade,
It reaches out to you.
Hands of Mercy
When I was bleeding sorely used,
Your hands showed mercy’s care;
You bound my wound in softest silk,
And healed it instant there.
May the Redeemer all your days,
Assuage each hurt distressing;
And heal your every stinging pain,
Filling your heart with blessing.
'-&■ '-&■
K.N. — the Guest
It was a warm sunny aftemoon in
May. I was enjoying a cup of coffee at
the local café with a few friends when
the invasion occurred. A pleasant inva-
sion: three Icelandic women from North
Dakota, K.N.’s country.
As we chatted the talk soon turned
to the poet. Eventually I was politely
informed that I probably had made a
mistake in one of my previous articles.
I had stated that the poem “The Birth-
day Verse” had been written to my
maternal grandmother, Petrina
Guðnadóttir, later Mrs. Jon Thorlakson
who was brother to the famous Rev.
Paul (Páll). The case was convincing,
especially when I leamed that the re-
cipient of the poem was seated beside
me, quietly sipping her coffee as her
daughter held court.
Now who are these ladies who de-
scended upon me to dare to question
the mighty writer? Well, here are their
names: Petrina Gestson, formerly
Johnson, sister of the late Bjorgvin
Johnson, barber and painter — and by
the way, a very close friend of K.N.;
Petrina’s married daughter, Betty Craig,
and her first cousin, Norma Nason.
Between the mother and daughter
team I got the whole story, and I now
pass it on to you, bloodied and repent-
ant but not unbowed.
As you know K.N. was for many
years the local gravedigger, and it so
happened that the Gestson home was
only a stone’s throw away from the
cemetery. Often duringhis diggings K.N.
would drop in to have a cup of coffee —
he loved kaffi and molar — and spend
a few minutes chatting with the family.
On one of Petrina’s birthdays, K.N.
arrived with a poem he had dedicated
to her. It was typical of the man to do
some small deed to add warmth and
beauty in a modest way to any occa-
sion.
So I had written about the wrong
Petra. How did I make the mistake?
Well, as I was going through my copy of
K.N.’s works I noticed a notation in the
margin beside the said poem. It was in
my aunt Grace’s handwriting. Oddly
enough, Grace had married Petrina
Johnson’s brother, whom I mentioned
above, had mothered two boys, but
then had divorced him. Scandalous in
those days, and especially so for aunt
Grace because she was by reputation a
very devout person.
The notation states that K.N. wrote
it for her mother, Petra. Why she made
this claim I’ll never know. Quite possi-
bly she assumed it because K.N. was
also a good friend of my matemal grand-
mother, Petrina.
Before I leave this subject I must tell
you an anecdote about K.N. which was
related by my guests.
Once when he was on a visit,
Petrina’s daughter, Betty, then a child
of four or five, decided to show him her
most prized possession, a quarter which
she had somehow come by. Betty, sit-
ting opposite me admitted she could
not recall how. Because she considered
it a treasure — and it was for a child in
the depression — she had set it on a
fancy plate and stored it in the cabinet.
Now, to show off to her guest, she
brought it out for him. The poet then
dug into his trousers for a second quar-
ter and presented it to her.
Needless to say, the child was over-
whelmed and delighted. However, her
high spirits soon evaporated. After K.N.
had left, her mother gave her a sound
scolding, one she yet remembers. We
must realize that in those hard days
money was a serious business. It was
not to be toyed with. Betty in her inno-
cence just couldn’t comprehend the
connotations attached to it. But the
story does show us, what a thoughtful
and generous man the poet was.
Now, lest I disappoint you, by not
closing with another of K.N.’s verses,
read on:
K.N. had recently published a book
of his works and he makes sport of
himself in this ditty.
Advertisement
Firewood sells cheaper now,
Finest stuff by measure;
If my booklet kindles well,
I’ll soon have gained my treasure.
Here’s my ad to valley folk,
----“Tis the truth, I’m telling —
Woodlot merchants have it now;
It is theirs for selling.”
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