Thursday, June 25, 2020

A Father's Day memory for Poetry Friday Round-Up


I hope you had a good Father's Day. Ours was complicated by both house system and car system breakdowns. Oh well... We still got to see most of our family, and we were thankful that everyone is well. And... we met the new puppies!

 

Evie, above, and Moose, to the right. Both are
Australian sheep dogs.


Grandpuppies!  Aren't they CUTE!!!






Since then I've been thinking about my dad, and about poetry that was shared in our family. A sweet little nursery rhyme/finger play came to mind, and I would like to share it with you.

 My father's side of the family was Norwegian, and Daddy had a little nursery rhyme/finger play that he would play with us in Norwegian.  When I looked for the Norwegian version of this rhyme, it became obvious to me that Daddy was a using  a blend of Norwegian and English. Nonetheless, I loved Daddy's version, especially because the third line sounded so funny to me.

Knocke på dør

Peek in
Snu på knobbin
Gå bayne in


Here's an English version with actions:

Knock at the door (knock on the child's forehead)
Peek in (carefully lift child's eyelid for a peek)
Turn the knob (gentle, playful twist of the nose)
Go inside (walk fingers into the mouth)
(Obviously not up to Covid norms. Historical reference only.)
Here's me next to Daddy.

I was delighted to find an English version of this rhyme in a Nursery Rhyme book some time back, but I have since lost track of it. If you know of any print versions or other oral versions, please share.
Here's one on YouTube with an added verse: Knock at the Door.

As I was searching for information on this Norwegian rhyme, I came across the poem below which Norwegians consider their best poem over the ages.  It speaks of a beautiful dream. I especially like the last line, and thought it a good ending for today's post.


Norwegian state broadcaster NRK recently asked its listeners/viewers to select "Norway's finest poem through the ages".
The winner was the poem "Det er den draumen" ("It was a dream") by the poet Olav H.Hauge (1908-1994) .
Here follows a translation into English of the poem, which was first published in 1966.


It Was a Dream
We all carry with us this dream:
that something wonderful will happen,
that it must happen -
that time will open,
that the heart will open,
that doors will open,
that cliffs will be opened,
that springs will well forth,
that the dream will be opened,
- that we one peaceful morning will glide in -
onto a bay we had not been aware of.
-Author Olav H.Hauge

Translated for The Norway Post by Rolleiv Solholm, Chief Editor. To be honest, I'm confused by this translation. The verb "to be" is used in the present tense in the title, so I would think it should be: It Is a Dream. But.. I dare not override his translation. Maybe he had his reasons.
Thanks for reading a bit about my heritage. I'd love for you to share something of yours in the comment section.


It is my pleasure to host the Poetry Friday gathering today. Please leave your links in the comment section and I will round them up as I can during the day.

1. Little Willow posts an Emily Dickinson poem at https://slayground.livejournal.com/906899.html

2. Molly Hogan shares some recent poems at https://nixthecomfortzone.com/2020/06/25/pf-dark-thoughts-and-the-danger-of-denial/

3. Laura Purdy Salas shares her haiku at https://laurasalas.com/poems-for-teachers/morning-haiku-poetry-princesses-poetry-friday/

4. Michelle Kogan shares her susurrus poem at https://moreart4all.wordpress.com/2020/06/25/poetry-friday-sounds-of-susurrus-and-giraffes/

5. Janice Scully juxtaposes the ideas of injustice and susurrus at Salt City Verse.

6. Carol Varsalona wrote about a relaxing walk near the ocean at https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2020/06/wonderment.html

7. Kathryn Apel loves poetry swaps at https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/poetry-swap-from-jone-ruth

8. Linda Baie updates us and shares some Ogden Nash laughs at https://www.teacherdance.org/2020/06/poetry-friday-musings-on-our-world.html

9. Linda Mitchell shares prompts at https://awordedgewiselindamitchell.blogspot.com/

10. Check out Matt Forrest Esenwine's video for CLiF at https://wp.me/p2DEY3-2tU

11. Charles Waters makes a children's poetry submission  announcement at https://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/blog

12. Tricia wrote a triolet that combines both woods and susurrus at https://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-sisters-go-into-woods.html

13. Mary Lee Hahn tells history via cottonwood at http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-sand-creek-cottonwoods.html

14. Irene Latham calls for submissions at   https://irenelatham.blogspot.com/

15. Irene shares a poem from her red collection at https://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2020/06/artspeak-red-girl-who-reads-poem.html

16. Margaret Simon shares poetry swaps and two drafts at https://reflectionsontheteche.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-prompts-gifts-and-poems/

17. Elaine Magliari posts a poem by her granddaughter at http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2020/06/my-cat-rudy.html

18. SaraLewisHolmes shares a mouthwatering poem at https://saralewisholmes.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-susurrus-of-heated-talk.html?showComment=1593182902342#c8147522597988482233

19. Liz Scanlon Garton retells an old favorite at https://lizgartonscanlon.com/2020/06/poetry-project-june-2020/

20. Rose Cappelli writes about a treasure from nature at https://imaginethepossibilitiesblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-a-small-miracle/comment-page-1/#comment-9894

21. AmyVanDerwater shares a poem about a concert to plants at http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2020/06/gran-teatre-del-liceu.html

22. Joyce Ray shares her poem of Covid's passing at https://joyceray.blogspot.com/2020/06/after-edna-st-vincent-millay.html

23. Ruth posts about the desert of quarantine at https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-deserts.html

24. Tanita Davis writes of the welcome woods at http://tanitasdavis.com/wp/?p=10474

25. Carol shares a chartreuse poem at http://theapplesinmyorchard.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-chartreuse-another-color-poem/

26. Susan Bruck shares poems and insight into parenting at https://www.soulblossomliving.com/the-conscious-parenting-journey-in-poetry/

27. Fran Haley shares her echo line poem at https://litbitsandpieces.com/2020/06/23/im-the-one-who-leaps/

28.  Find a poem of summer memories at https://mhshee1104.wordpress.com/2020/06/28/childhood/

33 comments:

  1. Glad your family is well, and hello to the cute puppies! I shared some Emily Dickinson at my blog, Bildungsroman: https://slayground.livejournal.com/906899.html

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  2. What a delightful nursery rhyme/finger play and such a sweet memory. I love the picture you shared of you and your father! Thanks also for sharing Hauge's poem and for hosting this week. I'm in with some grim poems that reflect my concern about recent news/events. https://nixthecomfortzone.com/2020/06/25/pf-dark-thoughts-and-the-danger-of-denial/

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  3. Puppies! So cute. Glad you were able to see most of your family, despite issues. I'm in with a haiku about the woods and an invitation to join in: https://laurasalas.com/poems-for-teachers/morning-haiku-poetry-princesses-poetry-friday/ Thanks for hosting :>)

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  4. What a lovely and calming post Karen. Your puppies are adorable! I like the silly nursery rhyme, especially your Daddy's version–and great pic of your family! "It Was a Dream" is such a refreshing and inviting poem, I hope "that we one peaceful morning will glide in -" just what we need now. Thanks for hosting too. I'm sharing a susurrus poem from the Poetry Sister's challenge, and a poem about giraffes: https://moreart4all.wordpress.com/2020/06/25/poetry-friday-sounds-of-susurrus-and-giraffes/

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  5. Thank you Karen for hosting and sharing the photos of those adorable puppies. So lovely. And your story about your Dad. The poem at the end conjured up fiords and the openness of it the poem. I posted a susurrus poem from a poetry sister's prompt and thoughts about injustice. Salt City Verse at
    http://janicescully.com

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  6. A beautiful poem - thanks for sharing! My mother is of Swedish descent, and had a very similar version of the "Knock" poem that I still remember. Thanks for hosting, Karen...today I'm sharing a poetry video chat I did courtesy of the Children's Literacy Foundation of NH/VT: https://wp.me/p2DEY3-2tU

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  7. Thank you for sharing your photo and memories and Olav Hauge poem (I am a Hauge fan). What a cute little girl you were! My blogging capability hid under the bedcovers a couple of weeks ago and I can't seem to get it to come out, so I don't have a post. I look forward to seeing what other folks are sharing.

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  8. What a wonderful 'real' moment, captured in that picture with your dad. Thank-you for sharing this memory with us - and those gorgeous puppy pics, too. And for hosting! I'm sharing the poetry goodness I received from Jone and Ruth, as a part of Tabatha's poetry swap. Always a delight! https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/poetry-swap-from-jone-ruth

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  9. Beautiful and caring post, Karen. I do love those puppies, know the family is busy with them! The nursery rhyme is so cute. And I love your picture with your dad, can see "you" in those eyes! Ah, that Hauge poem, wishing that dream would glide in! I'm sharing some Ogden Nash old poems today, thought we could use a smile this week: https://www.teacherdance.org/2020/06/poetry-friday-musings-on-our-world.html Thank you for hosting!

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  10. Oh, you lucky Grandmama! I have a Border-Aussie and she is the love of my life. When she was younger she needed mileage! I hope your family is ready for walks and a lot of play time. Such great dogs, though.
    What a sweet pic of you and your Dad. I love it and that you have such wonderful memories. I am having a hard time grasping that we are near the end of June! But, I sure am enjoying summer. Cheers and thanks for hosting this week!
    https://awordedgewiselindamitchell.blogspot.com/

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  11. A New Children's Poetry Anthology submission announcement from myself and Irene Latham!

    https://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/single-post/2020/06/26/POETRY-TIME-BLOG-49

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  12. Karen, it is so lovely to get to know more about your Norwegian background and the photo of your family. The video explained the nursery rhyme/finger play very nicely. It is something that I would like to share with my little granddaughters. Your grandpuppies are adorable. I think you are in for a lively summer with them. I do like the Norwegian poem by Hauge. It is so optimistic and full of positivity. Thank you for adding my link above.

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  13. Thank you for hosting and sharing such lovely memories. I love the rhyme and the photo with your dad.
    I'm in today with the rest of my poetry sisters with a poem on the theme of sursurrus and thick woods.
    https://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-sisters-go-into-woods.html

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  14. Thank you for hosting us this week! How special that you have such clear poetic memories from childhood. Lucky you! I love the palpable hope in It Was a Dream. And those PUPPIES!

    I am sharing my response to the Poetry Sisters' Deep Woods/Sussurus challenge:

    http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-sand-creek-cottonwoods.html

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    1. Edit: susurrus, not sussurus. (Thanks, Sara!)

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  15. Karen, I love reading about your heritage and these pics... sweet wee you and those pups! We have an Aussie named Rosie. :) I've got 2 links today. The first is an Open Call for a new poetry anthology curated by me and Charles Waters. Hope everyone will send us a poem! https://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2020/06/open-call-for-new-childrens-poetry.html. Thank you for hosting! xo

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  16. ... and 2nd link: my latest ArtSpeak: RED poem "A girl who reads"
    https://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2020/06/artspeak-red-girl-who-reads-poem.html Thank you!

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  17. Thanks for the new-to-me finger play I can do with my grandsons. They are huge fans of Pat-a-cake and This Little Piggy. Today I am posting Summer Poetry Swaps and two poems I wrote this week to Linda Mitchell's prompts on Ethical ELA. https://reflectionsontheteche.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-prompts-gifts-and-poems/

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  18. Thanks for posting that lovely poem--and thanks for doing the roundup! At Wild Rose Reader, I have an original poem my eight-year-old granddaughter wrote in memory of the family cat who had to be put to sleep last year. It's titled My Cat Rudy. http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2020/06/my-cat-rudy.html

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  19. Mmmm....lovely images of all kinds of openings in that poem. It leaves you with a sense of the world being wider. Thank you for posting AND hosting. I'm in with my Poetry Sisters, using "susurrus" in a poem. Yes, I had to look up that word before I could begin, and yes, I still have to look it up each time to spell it correctly. (WORDS--so much fun, so much trouble.) http://saralewisholmes.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-susurrus-of-heated-talk.html

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  20. Oh, those puppies!!!Thank you for hosting and sharing that poem. I'm looking for as many little openings as I can right now... I've shared a poem, along with my Poetry Sisters, using the image of a dark word, or the word susurrus (oh my!) in a poem of any kind. Mine is a fairytale re-telling!https://lizgartonscanlon.com/2020/06/poetry-project-june-2020/

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  21. Thanks for this lovely post, Karen. Here's my offering for today:
    https://imaginethepossibilitiesblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-a-small-miracle/

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  22. This warmed my heart...thank you. I was an exchange student in Denmark and could read some of the poem...you brought back a wonderful time in my life through this wonderful time in yours. Over at The Poem Farm, I have a poem about the concert for houseplants held this past week at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain. http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2020/06/gran-teatre-del-liceu.html Thank you for hosting!

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  23. Karen,I love that you carry that memory of your father playing a nursery rhyme game with you at a very young age. I first learned that rhyme in English when my husband's mom played it with our children. Knowing that it is part of another culture's heritage is special. My own heritage is Greek (grandfather), English and Scottish (far, far back). I feel very close to my Greek side. I love the Hauge poem. We're all longing for that bay right now! Thanks for rounding up and for a lovely post. I'm sharing an elegy to Covid today over at Musings. https://joyceray.blogspot.com/2020/06/after-edna-st-vincent-millay.html

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  24. Thanks for hosting! Here's my post for today: https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-deserts.html

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  25. Thanks for hosting. My Poetry Sisters attempt on susurrus is here: http://tanitasdavis.com/wp/?p=10474

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  26. I like the Norwegian poem you shared! Living in Wisconsin, many friends and neighbors are Norwegian. Maybe I'll ask if they are familiar with your poem. It would be fun to know. Thank you for hosting the round up today. Here is my post: http://theapplesinmyorchard.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-chartreuse-another-color-poem/. Thanks, again!

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  27. Hi Karen: When you have a moment could you please switch out the link in my previous comment to this one instead?

    https://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/blog I was having blog issues. Many thanks!

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  28. Hi Karen, thanks for sharing your finger game poem and the lovely, inspiring poem about dreams. I've used a similar fingerplay in my classroom--it's pretty much the same (it's from an old book called "this little puffin:: knock at the door, pull the bell (tug on a lock of hair), lift the latch, and walk in.
    Here is a link to my post about poetry for the conscious parenting journey:
    https://www.soulblossomliving.com/the-conscious-parenting-journey-in-poetry/

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  29. Karen: I so enjoyed hearing about your heritage. That photo of little you with your dad caught at my heart - so precious - the moments go too fast. The ending poem you chose, about expecting something wonderful to happen and one peaceful morning gliding into a dream, a bay we hadn't known before - stunning in its hopefulness. I love it. For yes -- as you said at the outset -- life is full of complications.

    I wrote this poem earlier in the week while participating in my first-ever Open Writes at Ethical ELA. It's based on a true story I heard when I was young - the power of it has never left me. I lifted a line from poet Jericho Brown as my springboard.

    Thank you!! -- Fan Haley

    https://litbitsandpieces.com/2020/06/23/im-the-one-who-leaps/

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  30. Thank you for sharing! Your post about family inspired me to write about my own childhood summer memories. https://mhshee1104.wordpress.com/2020/06/28/childhood/

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