Village boy Impressions

Photo by Dominika Masarska (Bybanen stop at Nonneseter) The rain is falling everywhere Falling, falling, falling… all year long!  It rains on the mountains and hills  And on the shops in the valleys.  In the parks, lakes, and fields  On trees, shrubs, and grass it falls.  Bergen is rain and rain is Bergen.

Caught by the snow whilst outside; I was elated 1. Falling, falling, falling all around me  Like shredded cotton, the snow falls  And soon, the ground is a white foam I am ecstatic as a child in my first snow  What shall I do with it now I have it?  I scoop it in  both hands and sniff it  I roll it into a ball and kick it  I hug it but it is too cold!  And soon my hands are frigid  But I can’t let go, it’s my first snow! Soon the whole ground was white 2. I want to roll in it and squeal As the pigs do in the mud at home I want to take it home and say, “Look Mma, water from the heavens; Here, the clouds do not rain; They fall down to the ground!” But then how shall I carry it? No, I will describe it to her But what shall I say to describe it? Mma has no word for this alien miracle. No, I will just fill my own curiosity That is enough for Mma. A snowman was bui...

I woke up late today,  And saw a ray of light peeking  under my curtain.  But I am slow to respond to it.  I lay yawning and stretching forever.  When at last I dragged myself to the window,  The sun is frowning!  Ugly sulking clouds loom all around.  I am still hopeful of seeing his beautiful smile. At last he does not disappoint!  All the brooding clouds are driven away,  And the sun is shining happily again. “Quick! Get out before he goes into hiding” So saying I emerge for to stroll. But the air is still cold (by my reckoning). I walk with my hands in my pocket, Heading straight ahead for the park yonder. Read:  Village Boy Impressions - When the Sun Shines in Bergen The park is bare and brown. And the trees are leafless like dead wood. Ulriken and Løvstakken lie like sleeping giants, Facing each other in eternal silence. I take the path cutting through the park. An old man is coming down...

The sun is a shy fella in Bergen  Hiding behind hills and clouds,  He sneaks across the sky  Obliquely.  Afraid to show his handsome face  To the elegant ladies of the city  So the clouds weep nonstop  Bleeding rain that fall and fall  Falling from Fall to Spring  Even the Summer is not spared. Read:  Village Boy Impressions - A Walk Through the Park Sometimes the sun emerges though!  And everyone is both surprised and elated!  To see his smiley face at last.  Everything comes to life then!  Work and chores must wait I think  For homes and shops are emptied  And Parks and hills are filled!  Their seams bursting with happy smiley people  Lying, sitting, rolling, all basking in the sunlight.  For it is harvest time  One must harvest as much sunlight as possible  Before the drunken sun gets sober and shy  And run to hide again behind a cloudy cur...

A city on a hilltop cannot be hidden!  But this city is not on a hilltop  Bergen is at the bottom of hills  Pressed from all sides by rugged hills  That lie like  sleeping  giants.  Visitors stand in awe of them.  Beloved by the children of the city  Who walk not but run up and down  The rugged slopes all day nonstop! Read:  Village Boy Impressions - My First Snow Ah Bergen! What a city! I should never tire Of gazing at the little houses The red, yellow, white homes That litter the quiet valleys Stretching into cracks and crevices Strewn along the slopes of countless hills From whose tops countless lakes lie. A visit to Bergen is incomplete Without a hike up the seven sleeping giants Fløien the beloved and Lydderhorn Blumanen, Rudermanen, Sanvidkfjellet Løvstakken with the spectacular view And Ulriken that towers above them all! Up their slopes al...