Letter fragment

Astrup, Nikolai; Astrup, Engel to Kramer, Per; Kramer, Aagot; Astrup Geelmuyden, Kari Petra
1926-02-08

Page

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Transcription
Translation

Letter fragment

Astrup, Nikolai; Astrup, Engel to Kramer, Per; Kramer, Aagot; Astrup Geelmuyden, Kari Petra
1926-02-08
ubb-ms-1808-n-4, MARCUS – Spesialsamlingene ved Universitetsbiblioteket i Bergen

4 Pages

Transcription

Kjære Kramer Aagot og Kari

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 

Engel og N. Astrup

Translation

Dear Kramer Aagot and Kari

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,

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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 

Engel and N. Astrup