The Dutch celebrate Saint Nicholas' Eve at December 5.
Some years ago I was looking for a translation of a traditional Dutch
Saint Nicholas song, to share with North American colleagues. For most songs I could not find a
satisfactory translation. Available
translations made poor English, didn't rhyme, could not be sung, lacked the
right atmosphere or were inaccurate. I
decided to translate a few songs myself. To assist in singing, I have included sound samples from Jan Wolters' Free Saint Nicholas Songs with each translation.
Saint Nicholas is a legendary figure, a product of our collective
imagination. He roots into pagan times
but over the centuries he picked up new elements during early Christianity,
the Spanish rule over the Low Countries, and the
industrial revolution.
The Netherlands have a recurring debate about the political correctness
of Saint Nicholas. His pedagogic views
are outdated and he is accompanied by black servants, the so-called Black Petes. Could these people be slaves? Could we be celebrating the return of a slave
owner? Shouldn't we change the
appearance of Saint Nicholas' companions to avoid such connotations? - Zwarte Pieten
I take the following position: The mentioned sentiments are sincere, but
Saint Nicholas is a mythological character and will be what we believe him to
be. The same holds for the Black
Petes. We may portray them as confederates from the Spanish Reconquista, we may identify them with the black ravens
that went with Wodan, or we may attribute their color to their habit to climb
up and down the chimneys. Saint Nicholas
and the Black Petes are not for real, so there is no absolute truth. We are free to decide ourselves. Break free and go enjoy the
ancient songs ...
Saint Nicholas is celebrated in many forms all around the world, each version having its own favorite songs. Doug Anderson’s website The Hymns and Carols of Christmas includes (references to) an impressive number of translations of these traditional songs.
If you have questions or comments, you may leave me a message, mail me at rtlam@zeelandnet.nl or contact me through my page at LinkedIn.
Ruben 't Lam - Nederlandse Sinterklaasliedjes vertaald in het Engels - Sint Nicolaas
Copyright © 2013 by Ruben 't Lam, all rights reserved. The translated texts in this blog may be freely shared among individuals, but may not be republished in any medium without my express written consent.
Saint Nicholas is celebrated in many forms all around the world, each version having its own favorite songs. Doug Anderson’s website The Hymns and Carols of Christmas includes (references to) an impressive number of translations of these traditional songs.
If you have questions or comments, you may leave me a message, mail me at rtlam@zeelandnet.nl or contact me through my page at LinkedIn.
Ruben 't Lam - Nederlandse Sinterklaasliedjes vertaald in het Engels - Sint Nicolaas
Copyright © 2013 by Ruben 't Lam, all rights reserved. The translated texts in this blog may be freely shared among individuals, but may not be republished in any medium without my express written consent.
