A Visit from St. Nicholas
|
Cover of a 1912 edition of the poem. |
The poem
"A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as
"The Night Before Christmas" from its first line, and first published in 1823, is largely responsible for the contemporary American conception of
Santa Claus, including his appearance, the night he visits, his method of transportation, the number and names of
his reindeer, and that he brings toys to children. Prior to the poem, American ideas about
St. Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors varied considerably.
The poem was first published anonymously in the
Troy, New York Sentinel on
December 23,
1823, and was reprinted frequently thereafter with no name attached. Authorship was later attributed to
Clement Clarke Moore and the poem was included in an anthology of his works, but his connection with the verses has been questioned by some. Moore's wife is of Dutch descent, being a descendant of the
Van Courtlandt family via her mother. She shares bloodlines with Henry Livingston Jr. and Clement Clarke Moore's family is married into the Livingston family as well.
Henry Livingston, a
New Yorker with
Dutch roots, is the chief candidate for authorship if Moore did not write it.
An American Anthology, 1787â€"1900, Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed., reprints the Moore version of the poem, including the
German spelling of "Donder and Blitzen" he adopted, rather than the earlier
Dutch version from 1823, "Dunder and Blixem". (Both phrases translate as "Thunder and Lightning" in
English, though the German word for thunder is actually "Donner", and the Dutch words would nowadays be "Donder en Bliksem")
Today, some printings alter the grammar and spelling of the poem and replace more archaic words, such as
ere, with ones more familiar to readers.
Evidence to support Moore as author
*Moore claimed the poem in 1844. This was at the request of his children. He had preferred to be known for more scholarly works.
*Moore may have had access to
A History of New York by "Dietrich Knickerbocker" (
Washington Irving) which covers the story of
Sinterklaas.
*Moore and Irving were members of the same literary society in New York City and were friends.
*Although some say Moore falsely claimed authorship once before, this has since been disproved. He signed a book as a gift, as one dedicates a book they give to another person. He did not claim authorship. An article written by Seth Kaller proves this rumor false and defends other related arguments.
*Rev. David Butler, who allegedly showed the poem to
Sentinel editor Orville L. Holley, was a relative of Moore.
*A letter to Moore from the publisher states "I understand from Mr. Holley that he received it from Mrs. Sackett, the wife of Mr. Daniel Sackett who was then a merchant in this city."
*Although Moore wrote darker poems, Nissenbaum argues that it could have been a social satire of the Victorianization of Christmas.
Evidence to support Livingston as author
*Moore "tried at first to disavow" the poem. [
1]
*Use of
anapaestic rhyme scheme and metre consistent with Livingston.
*Use of Dutch "Dunder and Blixem" - Livingston's mother was Dutch.
*Phraseology consistent with other Livingston poems.
*Livingston wrote cheerful poems, Moore typically more miserable ones.
*Moore is known to have falsified authorship on another occasion.
*Moore claimed that only two changes were introduced in the first printing, yet it differs from his own on 23 points.
*
*
Free audiobook from
LibriVox*
Article questioning Moore's authorship at
Urban Legends Reference Pages*
Text attributed to Livingston, at University of Toronto's Representative Poetry Online.*
Moore version online at Bartleby*
eText of a 1912 edition of the poem, illustrated by
Jessie Willcox Smith, at
Project Gutenberg
