DASS, PETTER

born 1647, Nord Hery, near Alstahaug, Nor. died 1707, Alstahaug Norwegian poet who, in an age of pedantry and artifice, stands out among his contemporaries for the vivid freshness, everyday language, and common appeal of his works. The son of a Scottish merchant who had settled in Bergen, he studied at Copenhagen, was ordained in 1677, and became pastor of Alstahaug in northern Norway. He remained there the rest of his life exhorting and comforting his scattered parish of fishermen, shepherds, and farmers. His poems were circulated in manuscript and learned by heart by his parishioners. Only the poem Den Nordske dale-viise (1683; The Norwegian Song of the Valley) was published during his lifetime. His easily memorized sacred poems were collected after his death as Aandelig tidsfordriv (Spiritual Pastime). But he is best known for Nordlands trompet (written 16781700; published 1739; The Trumpet of Nordland), a rhyming description of Nordland (the three northernmost provinces of Norway) that depicts, with loving accuracy and homely humour, Nordland's natural features, people, and occupations. Written in an easy, swinging metre, it is addressed to the common people.