Kjære Ven

Tùsend tak for alt dù har sendt

os – og en "glædelig jùl" og "et godt

nytaar" – ja det var altfor

snildt af dig at sende saa meget

– jeg er saa fattig for tiden og har

intet at give – jeg har saa mange

krav og ærgrelser – og din "akkevit-

tröst" kom velsignet med i denne

elendige tid. – Ja jeg har havt flere

ærgrelser paa en gang end jeg har godt

af: bl.a. et parti bygnings materialer

bortkommet i Förde – stjaalet

antagelig, – "sak" kvier jeg mig for

da taper man mere i omkostninger

end materialerne er værd.

Flùge var begeistret over sit Bergens-

ophold og din gjæstfrihed,– han

beder mig hilse med tak til dig

og din frùe – ja hils hende ogsaa

fra mig og mine med den bedste

tak. Ja nù har vi drukket 

din skaal "trio heile dagar tilende"

nù gaar det lös paa bokölet – igaar

var vi hos Olaùs og Olina og

drak rabarbravin og den var

sterk som fanden – jeg hùsker

intet ifra vi sang bordsalmen –

ja jeg veed ikke engang om vi

sang nogen bordsalme og endnù

mindre husker jeg hvorledes vi kom

hjem i det frygtelige veir og före

men jeg blev nok "geileidet" af

Engel og Lovisa Stranden (Olaus's

söster) – sterkt forkjölet

blev jeg da efter turen. Ja –

naar vi snakker om rabarbra-

vin saa er jeg nysgjærrig efter at

höre hvordan det gik med din

brygg – det var jo förste gang – og

kanske det da gik galt – ja

jeg lavede noget isommer men jeg

fik "gjæster" medens vi var paa

fjeldet og de drak den op – og

vedkommendes slegtninge vilde

endog gjöre mig ansvarlig for at

jeg havde hensat samme "gjæster"

i en overstadig berùselse, saa de

var fulde i flere dage efterpaa, det

var en varm dag og "gjæsterne" troede

vel at det var en uskyldig læske-

drik – og jo mere de drak desto

törstere blev de og ved afreisen

maatte de fylde nogle spand og

tage med for ikke at törste ihjæl

paa veien hjem. –––

Ja julen gjör dùm og jeg har intet

at skrive om – vi bare æter og

drikker og sover næsten som den

gamle jölstring der klagede over at

man ikke feirede jùl nù som i gam-

le dage – nei da var det andre greier

sa han "daa aat vi og drak vi so

da var med nöd vi kùnde frie senga"

Og Engel frister mig hæderlige

"vegetar" med spekede sauetùnger, ryper

og aarfùgl, saa jeg rent forspiser mig.

Engel og börnene beder hilse dere

og takker hjerteligst

            Din                 

            Nikolai

            Dear Friend

Many thanks for everything you have sent

us – and a “Merry Christmas” and a “Happy

New Year” – well it was too

kind of you to send so much

– I am so destitute these days and have

nothing to give – I have so many

debts and hardships – and your “aquavit

solace” arrived as a blessing during this

terrible period. – Well I have had more

hardship all at once than is good for

me: among other things a shipment of building materials

lost in Förde – stolen

most likely, – a “lawsuit” I am reluctant to take up

then I would lose more in expenditures

than the materials are worth.

Flùge was excited about his Bergen

trip and your hospitality, – he

asks me to send his greetings and thanks to you

and your wife – and say hello to her

from my family and I as well with sincere

gratitude. Well we have now made 

a toast to you “three whole days on end”

and now we are starting into the bock beer – yesterday

we were with Olaùs and Olina and

drank rhubarb wine and it was

bloody strong – I don’t remember

anything after we sang grace –

well I don’t even know if we

sang grace and I remember 

even less how we got 

home in the terrible weather and road conditions

but I was surely “escorted” by

Engel and Lovisa Stranden (Olaus's

sister) – I did catch a bad cold

after the stroll. Well –

speaking of rhubarb

wine I am curious to 

hear how things went with your

brew – it was your first time – and

perhaps it didn’t succeed – well

I made some this summer but I

received “guests” while we were in

the mountains and they drank it up – and

relatives of the persons involved even

wanted to hold me responsible for 

having gotten these same “guests”

so excessively intoxicated, that they

were drunk for several days afterwards, it

was a warm day and “the guests” thought

it was a harmless soft

drink – and the more they drank the

thirstier they became and when they left

they had to fill their bucket and

bring some along so as not to become dehydrated

on their way home. –––

Well Christmas is stupefying and I have nothing

to write about – all we do is eat and

drink and sleep like the

old man from Jølster who complained that

we don’t celebrate Christmas like we did in the old

days – well things were different then

he said “back then we ate so much and we drank so much 

that we could barely stand upright”

And Engel is tempting me a reputed

“vegetarian” with cured mutton tongue, quail

and black grouse, so that I completely stuff myself.

Engel and the children send their greetings to you

and thank you warmly 

            Your                 

            Nikolai