The Polish Night Before Christmas
johan.abts
I found the following text on the newsgroup alt.humor
But I have a few problems to understand some words.
English is not my home language. May I ask you the meaning of some
words because I would learn this new words? I do appreciate it!
Can someone help me please?
Thank you very much!
Johan
Father Sarducci schreef:
> The Polish Night Before Christmas
>
> ‘Twas the night before Christmas in my Polish house,
> I creep down the stairs just as quiet like mouse.
> The whole rest of family in beds they are sleep,
> While visions of mushrooms through heads of them creep.
mushroom: does it mean a toadstool that you can eat?
>
> The work shoes is hung by the chimney with care,
> In hopes that St. Stash will soon fill them there.
St. Stash: the Santa Claus from Poland?
>
> While over in corner as gay silly to see,
> Kielbasas and cabbages hangs from the tree.
kielbasas: is this some vegetable?
>
> Then there’s this big bang and house starts to shudder,
> Some nut lands on roof and breaks rain gutter.
> He starts down the chimney and swears cause it’s tight.
> I hides behind beer cases way out of sight.
> He lands in the fireplace scorching his hair,
> On the busted up orange crate what’s still burning there.
> He climbs out, I peeks and gets a good look.
> He has vodka-glazed eyes and big stomach like bubble,
> A five day old beard and there is soot on the stubble.
> He wears biggest tennis shoes I ever saw,
> And he’s lost all his buttons off old mackinaw.
mackinaw: is this a holy person?
>
> But he won't catch cold, Polish Santa no dope,
> Cause tied around his waist is old piece of rope.
> I tries not to laugh but I gives a few snickers,
> When I sees the big patch on the seat of his knickers.
> This for sure Polish Santa I knows without fear,
> Cause he heads for the kitchen and opens a beer.
> When he finishes six-pack he gives a big smirk,
> Reaches into potato sack and goes right to work.
> And under the tree he was starting to set
> The most beautiful presents a Polack can get.
> There's new mushroom basket and shovel for brother,
> A bright red babushka and pick-ax for mother.
> Six quarts of vodka to make papa gay,
> There gonna be trouble in this house today.
> For baby of family I know he ain't missing her,
> Cause I see pretty things he leaved for my sister.
> And won't she be happy through spring and summer,
> With those wrenches and plunger so she can play plumber.
> Then my eyes brighten up and my heart fills with glee,
> When I sees the things Polish Santa brings me.
> There's work gloves and sledgehammer, my favorite tool,
> To work hard for boss when I flunk out of school.
> With new thermos jug cabbage soup cannot spill,
> When I carries my lunch on way to the mill.
> Then he drinks few more beers and gives a big grin,
> I can gee where the foam runs off of his chin.
I can gee: something like 'I can see' or 'I can guess'?
>
> And giving a few burps up the chimney he rose.
> I must see him leaves so I rushes outside,
> And looks toward the roof while in bushes I hide.
> And what does I see as I peeks through the twigs,
> But his old wooden garbage cart pulled by eight pigs.
> Polish Santa jumps in and gives them a yell,
> "Come on all youse pigs, don’t just sit there and smell.
youse: Is this another word for 'lazy'?
>
> On Stella, on Stanley, on Walter and Joe, and all youse
> others whose names I don’t know.
> Fly over the junkyard and turn to the right,
junkyard: a garden with rubbish?
>
> Let's visit all peoples before I gets tight.”
- I gets tight: I become 'avaricious'?
- peoples: the Polish Santa is a little drunk because the plural of
people
doesn't exist, I think?
>
> Then I heard him say as he flew over me,
> "I’m the world’s only Polack what gives things for free."
Thanks!
With regards,
Johan Abts
e-mail:
johan...@alma.kuleuven.ac.be
Faith Myers
> mushroom: does it mean a toadstool that you can eat?
Yes.
> St. Stash: the Santa Claus from Poland?
Probably, but I've never heard of St Stash.
> kielbasas: is this some vegetable?
This one I really don't know.
> mackinaw: is this a holy person?
mackinaw = Mackintosh - raincoat
> I can gee: something like 'I can see' or 'I can guess'?
Probably a typo for "I can see".
> youse: Is this another word for 'lazy'?
American slang for plural "you".
> junkyard: a garden with rubbish?
Just a place for dumping rubbish. Or a scrap-yard selling "antiques".
> - I gets tight: I become 'avaricious'?
Tight = drunk.
> - peoples: the Polish Santa is a little drunk because the plural of>
people > doesn't exist, I think?
True, he's "tight"!! But many people who have English as their second
language use peoples when they actually mean more than one person, which is
what is meant here. However, you can talk about the "peoples of the world"
which means nations or races.
HTH.
BTW, I liked the poem!!
--
Faith
If you hear an onion ring, answer it.
The Sanity Inspector
<fmy...@xenopus.co.uk> shared with usenet this thought:
>> kielbasas: is this some vegetable?
>This one I really don't know.
= a type of sausage
--
bruce
The dignified don't even enter in the game.
--The Jam
What a pity he is not a Dutchman
> Johan asked about the poem:...................
>
> Probably, but I've never heard of St Stash.
Stash is a nickname for Stanislaus. Saint Stanislaus (1030-1079)
was bishop of Cracow. He was killed by King Boleslaw, whom he had
excommunicated. He was no relation to Saint Nicholas, bishop of
Myra. St. Stanislaus is the patron saint of Cracow; the patron
saint of Poland is Saint Casimir.
> > mackinaw: is this a holy person?
> mackinaw = Mackintosh - raincoat
A mackintosh is a waterproof coat; a mackinaw is a kind of blanket.
I have not heard of a coat called a mackinaw, but that seems to be
what is meant in the poem.
-:-
When we overtook him he was climbing a gate, and was gazing
earnestly into the field, where a horse, a cow, and a kid were
browsing amicably together. "For its father, a Horse," he
murmured to himself. "For its mother, a Cow. For their dear
little child, a little Goat, is the most curiousest thing I
ever seen in my world!"
--Lewis Carroll, _Sylvie and Bruno Concluded_
--
Col. G. L. Sicherman
home: col...@mail.monmouth.com
work: sich...@lucent.com
web: <http://www.monmouth.com/~colonel/>
Robert M. Wilson
> > > mackinaw: is this a holy person?
> > mackinaw = Mackintosh - raincoat
>
> I have not heard of a coat called a mackinaw, but that seems to be
> what is meant in the poem.
In Canada, a "Mackinaw coat/jacket" made from the same material as the
blanket, used to be quite common.
I believe that the name came from 'Mackinaw City' in Michigan but may be
wrong.
johan.abts
I found the following text on the newsgroup alt.humor
But I have a few problems to understand some words.
English is not my home language. May I ask you the meaning of some
words because I would learn this new words? I do appreciate it!
Can someone help me please?
Thank you very much!
Johan
Father Sarducci schreef:
> The Polish Night Before Christmas
>
> ‘Twas the night before Christmas in my Polish house,
> I creep down the stairs just as quiet like mouse.
> The whole rest of family in beds they are sleep,
> While visions of mushrooms through heads of them creep.
mushroom: does it mean a toadstool that you can eat?
>
> The work shoes is hung by the chimney with care,
> In hopes that St. Stash will soon fill them there.
St. Stash: the Santa Claus from Poland?
>
> While over in corner as gay silly to see,
> Kielbasas and cabbages hangs from the tree.
kielbasas: is this some vegetable?
>
> Then there’s this big bang and house starts to shudder,
> Some nut lands on roof and breaks rain gutter.
> He starts down the chimney and swears cause it’s tight.
> I hides behind beer cases way out of sight.
> He lands in the fireplace scorching his hair,
> On the busted up orange crate what’s still burning there.
> He climbs out, I peeks and gets a good look.
> He has vodka-glazed eyes and big stomach like bubble,
> A five day old beard and there is soot on the stubble.
> He wears biggest tennis shoes I ever saw,
> And he’s lost all his buttons off old mackinaw.
mackinaw: is this a holy person?
>
I can gee: something like 'I can see' or 'I can guess'?
>
> And giving a few burps up the chimney he rose.
> I must see him leaves so I rushes outside,
> And looks toward the roof while in bushes I hide.
> And what does I see as I peeks through the twigs,
> But his old wooden garbage cart pulled by eight pigs.
> Polish Santa jumps in and gives them a yell,
> "Come on all youse pigs, don’t just sit there and smell.
youse: Is this another word for 'lazy'?
>
> On Stella, on Stanley, on Walter and Joe, and all youse
> others whose names I don’t know.
> Fly over the junkyard and turn to the right,
junkyard: a garden with rubbish?
>
> Let's visit all peoples before I gets tight.”
- I gets tight: I become 'avaricious'?
- peoples: the Polish Santa is a little drunk because the plural of
people
doesn't exist, I think?
>
Porcus the Wombat
Species 5236 wrote:
can anyone tell me what character says this in the movie?
> "The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success."
> -James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies
--
The sign said, "Jesus is the answer." Which is kinda weird,
since my question was "What the hell's this stuff on my sandwich?" -- Phil Bacon
www.ltwombat.com
Species 5236
>Hello,
>
>I found the following text on the newsgroup alt.humor
>But I have a few problems to understand some words.
>English is not my home language. May I ask you the meaning of some
>words because I would learn this new words? I do appreciate it!
>
>Can someone help me please?
>Thank you very much!
>Johan
>
>Father Sarducci schreef:
>
>> The Polish Night Before Christmas
>>
>> ‘Twas the night before Christmas in my Polish house,
>> I creep down the stairs just as quiet like mouse.
>> The whole rest of family in beds they are sleep,
>> While visions of mushrooms through heads of them creep.
>
>mushroom: does it mean a toadstool that you can eat?
A mushroom is a fungus, usually one that you can eat.
>>
>> The work shoes is hung by the chimney with care,
>> In hopes that St. Stash will soon fill them there.
>
>St. Stash: the Santa Claus from Poland?
I don't know about this reference.
>>
>> While over in corner as gay silly to see,
>> Kielbasas and cabbages hangs from the tree.
>
>kielbasas: is this some vegetable?
A Kielbasa is a smoke sausage that comes from Poland.
>>
>> Then there’s this big bang and house starts to shudder,
>> Some nut lands on roof and breaks rain gutter.
>> He starts down the chimney and swears cause it’s tight.
>> I hides behind beer cases way out of sight.
>> He lands in the fireplace scorching his hair,
>> On the busted up orange crate what’s still burning there.
>> He climbs out, I peeks and gets a good look.
>> He has vodka-glazed eyes and big stomach like bubble,
>> A five day old beard and there is soot on the stubble.
>> He wears biggest tennis shoes I ever saw,
>> And he’s lost all his buttons off old mackinaw.
>
>mackinaw: is this a holy person?
A mackinaw is a heavy wool blanket.
I think that it was a misprint. It probably was meant to be "see."
>>
>> And giving a few burps up the chimney he rose.
>> I must see him leaves so I rushes outside,
>> And looks toward the roof while in bushes I hide.
>> And what does I see as I peeks through the twigs,
>> But his old wooden garbage cart pulled by eight pigs.
>> Polish Santa jumps in and gives them a yell,
>> "Come on all youse pigs, don’t just sit there and smell.
>
>youse: Is this another word for 'lazy'?
It isn't a real word. It is used to imply that Polish Santa isn't very smart.
What he says (translated to good English) is "Come on all of you pigs."
>>
>> On Stella, on Stanley, on Walter and Joe, and all youse
>> others whose names I don’t know.
>> Fly over the junkyard and turn to the right,
>
>junkyard: a garden with rubbish?
It's a place where old trash is stored.
>>
>> Let's visit all peoples before I gets tight.”
>
>- I gets tight: I become 'avaricious'?
I believe he is using it in some slang fashion that I'm not familiar with.
>- peoples: the Polish Santa is a little drunk because the plural of
>people
>doesn't exist, I think?
Actually, the word "peoples" does exist, I believe, but not in this context.
You are correct. Santa is a little drunk.
>>
>> Then I heard him say as he flew over me,
>> "I’m the world’s only Polack what gives things for free."
>
>
>Thanks!
You're welcome.
-Species 5236
"You became sexually aroused in my body!" - 7 of 9, Tertiary Adjunct of
Unimatrix Zero-One
Roger Watts
<just...@aol.comREMOVE> writes
>>>
>>> Let's visit all peoples before I gets tight.0 >>
>>- I gets tight: I become 'avaricious'?
>
>I believe he is using it in some slang fashion that I'm not familiar with.
English slang 'tight' = 'drunk'
--
Roger Watts
Jeffrey E. Salzberg
It might have a double meaning, since "tight" can also mean "cheap".
=========================================
Jeffrey E. Salzberg, Lighting Designer
http://www.suncoast.quik.com/salzberg
=========================================