Sunday 22 November 2020

Gaston Durnez: 'Probatie'

 The try-out

 

I’ve received a golden pen.

My name is on it, in golden letters.

A festive pen, a birthday pen!

A present from the children

who are also golden.

I’m overjoyed.

 

Now I simply have to try it out.

Not much success at first,

it still feels a bit stiff,

it writes two invisible letters.

Then the ink flows freely:

 

’All the birds have left the nest

save me and thee.’

 

The last two lines are a variation of the first known 'poem' in the Dutch language.

To see the original, go to here.

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