English Translation

Today it is particularly beautiful in school. The young and popular village teacher Lukas teaches his students a never Christmas song. The boys and girls are happy to learn it. The root-sep sits quietly and unnoticed behind an empty seat and hears what they sing. High night of the clear stars, which stand like wide bridges over a deep distance, above our hearts! Awesome and full of consecration the young voices sound. With great blessed eyes the very little ones, among them Monika, listen. High night with great fires, which are on all mountains. Today the earth has to renew itself like a youngborn child. The root-sep is quite strange. Also it grabs the song and makes in it beautiful memories resound. "Christmas," he thinks, "which is a beautiful name for a celebration of men. Consecrated night, night of the new earth that is born like a child." Meanwhile, the last verse of the song has also faded. Teacher Lukas is satisfied with his boys and girls. "You sang fine," he praises, "but we want to sing a song that also our little ones know." He doesn't need to call it, but only raise his hand to conduct, and already sounds happy and cheerful through the classroom: "Tomorrow Santa comes, comes with his gifts. Drum, whistles and rifles, faucet and sabres and more, yes, I would like to have a whole army of war." Then the young teacher speaks of Christmas. He tells that the Christmas festival, also called Julfest, is the most beautiful expression of the German people's community. "Everywhere, where on 24. "In the life of nature, Christmas and Jul means the belief in the overcoming of darkness and imminent death by the victorious sun," he says, "they celebrate the German festival of the winter solstice, our holy and beautiful Christmas. I will read you a story from a magazine about it," says Teacher Lukos. Then he begins: The great old feast. The evening comes quickly, a sharp, strong wind has opened and the sky has swept free, from which the stere shines in sparkling light. The great old peasant, leaning on the strong spear, goes forward, the two boys, the twelve year old Thietmor and the ten year old Gunthar, go valiantly with the father through the deep snow that covered the earth. It is cold, but the three go on armed. "When are we at home, Father?" 44 45