Donner, Blitzen & A Literary Mystery
CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE
In 1844, the poem was included in Moore’s anthology, Poems.
ou’ve just read Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem, but how well do we really know it? Donner and Blitzen originally had different names! And there’s a persuasive argument that Clement Clarke Moore may not have penned the poem at all.
So, what’s the dispute? The family of poet Henry Livingston, Jr. claimed that he had been reciting the tale of St. Nick’s visit to them as far back as 1807. Recollections by multiple family members and a neighbor are consistent. They also allegedly possessed a dated, handwritten copy of the original poem with revisions and scratch marks throughout — but it was lost in a house fire. So, without that, why is their argument persuasive? Here’s where the reindeer come in.
Fact: the earliest known printed appearance of the holiday poem was in the upstate New York newspaper, Troy Sentinel, on December 23, 1823 and it was not credited to any author. As the story goes, Moore had written the poem for his children and, without his knowledge, a housekeeper sent it to the newspaper. It was first attributed to Moore in The New York Book of Poetry, a 1837 book edited by Moore’s friend Charles Fenno Hoffman.
In the 1823 printing, the names of Santa’s reindeer were “Dunder and Blixem,” Dutch words for “thunder and lightning.” Livingston’s mother was Dutch. However, that term was a popular expletive among New York’s Dutch-American inhabitants at that time and Moore may have been familiar with it, especially since he was good friends with author Washington Irving, who was well-versed in Dutch culture and traditions in NY. Yet, if you
Y
follow the story of the names, you’ll find they were changed to “Donner and Blitzen” in the signed, handwritten copy of the poem that Moore donated to the New HENRY LIVINGSTON, JR. York Historical Society approximately 40 years later. Figuring out how that change was made does seem to indicate that Moore did have some ownership. In the 1837 printing that first named Moore the author, the reindeer names were “Donder and Blitzen,” changed in apparent attempt to fix the rhyme scheme. It adopts “Blitzen,” the German word for lightning. These names are also used in Moore’s 1844 anthology. It seems that the final reindeer name change to “Donner and Blitzen” occurred in 1906, and was most likely a revision made for the purpose of consistency by the editor, when reprinted in The New York Times. It matched “Donner,” the German word for thunder, with its German linguistic counterpart. Makes sense, right? Professors have also weighed in, analyzing the poem and comparing it to other works by both authors. Their conclusions: the poem matches Livingston’s style of writing. If Moore wrote it, it was a departure for him. As it stands, without clear evidence to dispute the ownership of the poem Moore claimed as his own, the literary attribution stands. We’ll dash away and let you draw your own conclusions.
What cannot be disputed is the fact that the Elegant Island Living family wishes you and yours a very Merry Christmas. And to all a good night! 50
ELEGANT ISLAND LIVING