Whoever thought old Saint Nick could not reach Holland this year
Because the water stood too low,
Was badly mistaken, for surely you have heard
That somehow he arrived here after all.
And anyone who still doubts it need only see
What a wealth of things this paper offers for Saint Nicholas Day.
Yes, just look — it is almost absurd:
Advertisements everywhere for presents to put in the clog.
There is WIJERS with his delicious butter pastry,
Or whatever else you ask for, even something grand;
Dinner, supper, or a bite for lunch —
He will prepare it for you; to him it is no trouble at all.
And do not forget the firm of KLUVERS,
With all manner of fine things for people to eat:
Sugar animals, chocolate letters, pastries and fondant —
In short, everyone can find something there, whatever their station.
Then there is Mr LAMMERS beneath the lime trees,
Where all sorts of delicacies can be found:
Bread and loaves as well as fine speculaas,
And when it comes to table cakes he is no poor master either.
And if you go to Achterstraat, to WEGGELAAR,
The little Sunterkloas figures are already waiting there.
Everything is neat, proper and ready on display,
From ordinary bread to fine pastry.
BLOMESATH, advertising his handsome goods,
Has not had such a foolish idea either:
A pair of warm slippers from Sunterkloas —
To my mind that is not a bad thought at all.
G. OBERINK, with his collection of blankets — good heavens,
That is about the finest thing a person could wish for.
Next door you have the DE DUIF department store,
With an enormous collection for Sunterkloas.
Listing it all would take far too long,
So my advice is simple: go and have a look yourself.
And the shop of B. LIEVERS on the road towards Haart
Is also — now I am speaking proper Dutch — worthy of everyone’s attention.
Then there is the shop of Mrs Widow GRAVEN,
With articles for both the naughty and the good.
And if you happen to have a rascal, stubborn and rude,
You can always put a nice little stick in his clog.
JOH. TE PASKE is another very good address;
His little shop is clearly doing rather well.
And if you should stroll along Landstraat,
Do stop at the shop of SOMSEN.
And VAN LOCHEM is certainly no less fine:
In those two shops everyone can find what they want.
Whatever you need — pans and pots,
Files, saws, hammers and locks;
They can even provide you with wire nails,
And pincers for pulling nails from posts.
And skates — people, you really ought to buy those too!
For this is splendid weather for skating.
Do not argue that there is no ice — no, no:
Go skating anyway, even if it has to be on the Zuiderzee.
Then there is the barber’s shop of our friend KALF,
Where they shave so smoothly you would scarcely believe it.
To the right is the shaving room, to the left a shop full of pipes,
And there you can buy leather strops for sharpening razors too.
You should also visit BEUSINK; it is splendid, quite remarkable —
That shop is rightly called the New Bazaar.
But if you look at his neighbour E. HOGEWEG
And compare those enormous shops side by side,
Any sensible person must surely admit
That they need not give way to the bazaars in the big cities.
And then there is the cycle workshop of W. HENGEVELD,
Who delivers quickly and well without charging too much.
And in Bredevoortsestraat, at W. HEINEN,
You can buy bicycles and motorbikes for young and old.
Yes, cycling is a pleasant thing, in case you did not know:
The faster you pedal, the faster you go.
Then go to HOUWERS in Gasthuisstraat;
You will not be finished talking there in a hurry either.
If you buy a suite of furniture from him, I can tell you this:
You will not soon be ordering another elsewhere.
GERT WEENINK, who also advertises in this paper,
Has a very respectable business at that end of town.
The service is prompt, pleasant and correct;
Everyone has respect for shops like that.
B.H. BRETHOUWER, with his textiles and clothing —
If you take a moment to peer through his windows,
You are bound to find something that suits you:
Trousers or vests, overcoats or ties.
And then there is D.W. VAAGS, a first-rate grocer,
Where you can stock up in large quantities or small.
That shop may well have the widest range of all —
Just look at everything he advertises.
The firms of DEBBINK and OBERINK may not be neighbours,
But both sell textiles and haberdashery:
Braid, cord, ribbon, stockings and yarn —
Only Mr Debbink has no hats and caps.
B.J. LIEVERS has a shop full of walking sticks and pipes,
And a first-rate set-up for sharpening knives.
And now let us go to TE PASKE and his timber yard
To see whether there might be something there for the clog.
Well, what shall I say — just look: the steam saw is cutting
Beams from a great thick tree trunk.
And I wager Te Paske does good business there,
For he has the timber to make a proper Saint Nicholas clog!
The firm of BONGERS deals in hats and caps,
And I advise you to keep a close eye on that shop.
Then there is G.J. LAMMERS on the other side,
Who certainly knows a thing or two about unpacking new stock.
Yes, I believe you can make some good purchases there:
Coats and jackets, hooks and eyes and buttons.
And walk a little farther on towards Kattenbarg.
It is rather uphill, but never mind,
For there lives the baker HEERSINK,
A man who certainly knows how to keep busy.
He has butter letters, speculaas, all freshly made,
Little baker figures, sugar dolls, and more besides;
And those people have plenty of taaitaai ready too —
More than enough delicious things, as you can well imagine.
And finally I advise every one of you
To visit the DE GRAAFSCHAP bookshop,
Where you can also order something very suitable for the clog.
And beyond that I shall tell you nothing more,
Except that I wish you tremendous success,
And hope that each of you will plainly know
That Sunterkloas has truly been here.
Greetings, HEIN AAN DE WEG.
