Letter fragment
4 Pages
Transcription
Engel var begyndt paa et brev til Aagot,
tænkte at legge det ind i mit, men begi-
venheterne har gjort, at hun ikke magter
at fuldföre det og beder mig nu om at renskri-
ve det for hende. – Arnold kom nemlig
hjem, medens hun skrev og fortalte, at nu
var to unge piger gaaet gjennem isen og
var druknede og idetsamme han gik op fra
isen for at fortælle os dette, hörte han et
frygtelig skrik, – det styggeste han havde
hört, og medens han stod og fortalte dette,
hörte vi at noen drog baaten vor ud af
nöstet, – den blev draget bort over isen, og man
ledte i mörket, men det var umuligt at op-
dage noget, enda man havde hört, hvorledes
is stykkerne blev slaaet istykker, af han som skrek,
og de hörte den gurglende lyd i det han druknet.
Vi var ræd for Johan, som ikke var hjemme, men
han kom straks efter, – og vi fandt da tilslut ud,
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at det maatte være Olaus – manden til Olina,
men nogen sikkerhed fik vi ikke, för næste dag,
og nu ligger han lik her paa gaarden.
Her er afskrift af Engels brev til Aagot fra Engel:
–––
På skrå i venstre marg: Afskrift
Sandalstrand d.
Kjære Aagot!
Ja tusend tak for brevene, som jeg
jeg har faaet.– Jeg – er det, jo som
skylder brev for længe siden, –
men at skrive er det vanskeligeste
jeg veed, – for jeg kan hverken skrive
eller stile. Ja det er morrsomt
at höre, at Kari er saa interesseret
i vævningen, og at Ragna B. er
fornöiet med hende. Kari har
godt af at "öves" i taalmodighed;
jeg tror hun kan blive flink, – naar
hun bare kan erhverve sig taalmodig-
hed, – men som du siger – "hun er
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druknede bort under nordre land, –
tvers overfor os her, – og pigerne druk-
nede ved "Strand" (midt mellem
Vasenden og Sandal); – det var 2 söstre,
som tjente paa to nabogaarde. –––
Olaus fandt de idag og drog ham i
baaten vor hid i nöstet – og bar ham
op i "gamlestuen" vor, – for de vilde ikke
lade Olina se ham, – för han er lagt
i kiste. Imorgen haaber jeg, de faar
den færdig, – saa de kan tage ham herfra.
Du kan tro det var et fælt syn! –
Stakkars Olina, – jeg var fremme idag
til hende. Jeg syntes det var saart, at
se paa hende og höre de smaa jente-
ne hendes sige til hende: – "Nu har
vi ingen "pape" længert "Mame"! Mor
er reist frem til hende og maa være der
med hende hende en tid og hjælpe hende
med arbeidet, – nu da Olaus er borte –
På skrå nede til venstre, under to streker: afskrift
Ja her slutter Engels brev, hun er ikke god
til at skrive mer, siger hun og beder mig
hilse hjærteligst og takke for din godhed
mod Kari. – Ja det var sörgeligt dette
med Olaus – her gaar det paa et vis – ingen
spiser stort eller sover stort, – det skriker
og smeller i isen, – og all vinternattens
rædsel ligger over bygden. – Uglen, som har
skreket her paa gaarden alle nætter i vinter,
skriker nu dobbelt uhyggelig, – den har jo
faaet ret: her blev lik paa gaarden. Og
for at gjöre det endnu uhyggeligere, har haren
slaaet sig i lag med den, – og harens skrig
udenfor vinduerne er næsten endnu uhyggeli-
gere end uglens – det er halvt "hujing-latter"
og klagende graat. Fond og jeg var ogsaa
fremme til Olina idag for at tale lidt
med hende, – men Fond kunde for en gangs
skyld intet sige, – og jeg er kun en daarlig
sjælesörger. – Ja, her er ikke hyggeligt –
börnene vore gaar bleke og er rædde det "ukjendte"
som ligger i gamlestuen. Ja saa maa Dere leve vel!
Og den bedste hilsen fra os alle her Eders
Translation
Engel had begun a letter to Aagot,
planned to enclose it with mine, but circum-
tances are such, that she cannot bear
to finish it and asks me now to make a clean
copy of it for her. – Arnold came
home, while she was writing and told us that
two young girls had gone through the ice and
had drowned and just as he was coming up from
the frozen lake to tell us this, he heard a
terrifying scream, – the most horrible he had ever
heard, and while he stood there recounting this,
we heard someone was taking our boat out of
the boathouse, – it was dragged across the ice, and they
were searching in the dark, but it was impossible to
see anything, despite having heard, how
the shards of ice were broken up, by the man who screamed,
and they heard the gurgling sound as he drowned.
We were afraid for Johan, who was not at home, but
he arrived soon after, – and we found out in the end,
2
that it had to be Olaus – Olina’s husband,
but this was not confirmed, until the next day,
and now his corpse lies here at the farm.
Here is a transcription of Engel’s the letter to Aagot from Engel:
–––
Diagonally in left margin: Transcription
Sandalstrand d.
Dear Aagot!
Well many thanks for the letters, which I
I have received. – I – am the one, who
owes you a letter for so long, –
but writing is the most difficult thing
I know, – because I can neither write well
nor formulate my thoughts. Well it is amusing
to hear, that Kari is so interested
in weaving, and that Ragna B. is
pleased with her. Kari will
benefit from “practicing” patience;
I think she can become clever, – if
only she can learn to be pa-
tient, – but as you say – “she is
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drowned below the north bank, –
straight across from us here, – and the girls drown-
ed near “Strand” (in between
Vasenden and Sandal); – they were 2 sisters,
who worked at two neighbouring farms. –––
Olaus they found today and drew him in
our boat here to the boathouse – and carried him
up to our “gamlestuen”, – because they did not
want Olina to see him, – before he has been laid
in a coffin. I hope they will be finished with
it tomorrow, – so they can take him away from here.
You can imagine what a horrid sight it was! –
Poor Olina, – I paid a visit to her
today. I thought it was distressing, to
look at her and hear those little girls
of hers say to her: – “Now we have
no “pape” any more “Mame”! Mother
has gone to her place and must remain there
with her her for a while to help her
with the work, – now that Olaus is gone –
Diagonally at bottom left, below double lines: transcription
Well Engel’s letter ends here, she is not able
to write more, she says and asks me
to convey her warmest greetings and thank you for your kindness
towards Kari. – Well it is sad this situation
with Olaus – here life goes on somehow – no one
eats or sleeps much, – there are screeching
and explosive sounds coming from the ice, – and all the
terrors of a winter night hover over the village. – The owl, that has
shrieked here at the farm every night this winter,
now screams twice as ominously, – it knew
what was coming: a corpse did in fact appear on the farm. And
to make things even more terrifying, the hare
has joined forces with it, – and the hare’s screams
outside the windows are almost more terri-
fying than the owl’s – it is a combination “wailing-laughter”-
and lamenting cry. Fond and I also paid a
visit to Olina today to speak a little
with her, – but for once Fond could not
utter a word, – and I am simply no good at
consoling a grieving person. – Well, things are not pleasant here –
our children go around looking pale and are afraid of the “stranger”
staying in gamlestuen. Well then may You live well!
And very best wishes from all of us here Your