Jón á Bægisá - 01.04.1997, Side 3

Franklín Johnson
My Forefathers
They came from the shores of the saga-land
In search of a better life.
In the bogs and fens of a foreign strand,
Their fate was hardship and strife.
Yet the spirit of old, intense and bold,
Emerged their guiding star.
The wintry cold, their weal did mold,
In wond’rous strength from afar.
Their latent talents have left no mark,
They lay in fetters athirst -
For their daily needs from dawn till dark,
Were deemed priorities first.
No indulgence in vain, nor ulterior gain,
Their aims were steadfast and true.
An Eddic refrain they will ever remain,
Etched in a golden hue.
And though they have passed from our path today,
Passed to the vast unknown -
Their legacies still, are lighting the way,
Their labours to pyramids grown.
Some drafted their might, and drank at night,
Draughts of the Mimir’s ale,
Their endeavours a bright, a beckoning light,
A beacon that weathered the gale.
Höfundur kvæðisins, Franklín Johnson (Jónsson), er fæddur á Odda
í Manitoba 26. desember 1919. Foreldrar hans voru Guðmundur
Magnús Jónsson frá Hlíð á Vatnsnesi í Vestur-Húnavatnssýslu, sem
fluttist til Kanada árið 1900, og María Einarsdóttir frá Hríshóli í
Reykhólasveit, sem fór vestur árið 1913. Franklín var bóndi í Kanada
til ársins 1995. Hann kom til íslands í fyrsta skipti 1992 en fluttist
hingað 1995 og er nú íslenskur ríkisborgari.
fán á Jföapdiá - HVAT? TALA THU ISLENZKU?
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