Poems for the confirmand

The most searched confirmation poems in Norway are written by authors still protected by copyright — protection lasts 70 years after the author’s death. Copying them into a private card is one thing, but websites reproducing them usually do so illegally.

The poems below are therefore written by us. You can use them as they are, modify them, or pick a single line. No source reference needed.

For small cards, and for those who want something nice without taking up too much space.

1. 1

   Happy birthday, today is yours. Receive what’s good, let the rest pass by. You don’t need to rush towards a goal — who you are right now is more than enough.

2. 2

   Fourteen years is no age, but it’s enough to sense what kind of person you will become. You’re well on your way.

3. 3

   We who stand around you today have watched you grow quietly. Now you stand here, almost grown up. Congratulations — we’re proud.

4. 4

   A little word on this day: you’re just right. Not too quiet, not too loud. Just you. That’s more than enough.

As a parent, godparent, grandparent or aunt. These can be read again many years later.

1. 1

   I remember you small, with sand in your hair and the world so big you had to be held. Today you hold yourself. Congratulations, you.

2. 2

   Det finnes folk man er glad i fordi de er i slekt. Og det finnes folk man er glad i fordi de er som deg.

3. 3

   You’ve become a person that others want to be near. That’s no coincidence. It’s something you’ve done yourself.

4. 4

   In twenty years, when you find this card in a drawer you really should have tidied, know that we meant every word: we loved you so much.

Humour works well in confirmation cards, as long as it comes in addition to something warm — not instead of it.

1. 1

   Happy birthday, you big one! Now you’re old enough to do the washing up without being asked. We’re waiting eagerly.

2. 2

   Fourteen years, and already three centimetres taller than yesterday. Stop that. Congratulations anyway.

3. 3

   Today you get money and kind words. Tomorrow you get homework. Enjoy the day while it lasts. Congratulations!

For church confirmation, or when the tone should be serious.

1. 1

   May you have a path to walk and someone to walk it with. May you doubt safely, and always find your way home.

2. 2

   Go out into the world, but go calmly. It doesn’t wait, but it’s not in a hurry either. Take with you what you’ve learned.

3. 3

   We wish you days with meaning, nights with peace, and people around you who see you as we do.

It doesn’t need to rhyme. Most of the poems above don’t. Four lines with one genuine observation beats any rhyming exercise.

• Start with something concrete. A memory, a habit, a phrase the confirmand always says.
• Keep the lines short. Break where you would take a breath if reading aloud.
• End with a wish, not advice. “May you …” hits better than “remember to …”.
• Read it aloud before you write it down. You hear the rhythm immediately; you don’t see it.

Poems aren’t for everyone. 18 prose greetings are available in what to write in a confirmation card. If you’re going to a birthday or wedding instead, similar poems can be found in happy birthday poems and poems for the bridal couple.