A Visit From Saint Nicholas

Clement C. Moore
A free download from www.dertz.in
The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Visit From Saint Nicholas, by Clement Moore
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: A Visit From Saint Nicholas
Author: Clement Moore
Illustrator: F.O.C. Darley
Release Date: December 23, 2005 [EBook #17382]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
? START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS ***
Produced by Jason Isbell, Irma ?pehar, Melissa Er-Raqabi?and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at?
A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS.
Illustration
ILLUSTRATED FROM DRAWINGS?By F.O.C. Darley.
NEW YORK:?JAMES G. GREGORY, PUBLISHER.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862 by JAMES G. GREGORY, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York.
[Illustration: Saint Nicholas]
[Illustration]
N. ORR, Engraver.?C.A. ALVORD, Printer.
[Illustration]
A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS.
By Clement C. Moore.
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;?The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,?In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;?The children were nestled all snug in their beds,?While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;?And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,?Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap--
[Illustration]
When out on the lawn there rose such a clatter,?I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter,?Away to the window I flew like a flash,?Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.?The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen snow,?Gave a lustre of mid-day to objects below;?When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,?But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,?With a little old driver, so lively and quick,?I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.?More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,?And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
[Illustration]
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!?On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blitzen--?To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!?Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!"?As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,?When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,?So, up to the house-top the coursers they flew,?With a sleigh full of toys--and St. Nicholas too.?And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof,?The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.?As I drew in my head, and was turning around,?Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,?And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;?A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,?And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack;?His eyes how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!?His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
[Illustration]
His droll little month was drawn up like a bow,?And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;?The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,?And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.?He had a broad face, and a little round belly?That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
[Illustration]
He was chubby and plump--a right jolly old elf;?And I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself.?A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,?Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.?He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,?And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,?And laying his finger aside of his nose,?And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.?He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,?And away they all flew like the down of a thistle;?But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,?"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
[Illustration: MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL]
End of Project Gutenberg's A Visit From Saint Nicholas, by Clement Moore
? END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS ***
? This file should be named 17382.txt or 17382.zip ***** This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
? http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/3/8/17382/
Produced by Jason Isbell, Irma ?pehar, Melissa Er-Raqabi?and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at?
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not
Continue reading on your phone by scaning this QR Code

 / 5
Tip: The current page has been bookmarked automatically. If you wish to continue reading later, just open the Dertz Homepage, and click on the 'continue reading' link at the bottom of the page.