Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Guido Gezelle

EGO FLOS

                                  I am a flower
and bloom before your eyes,
                      o mighty blazing sun, 
                      steadfast eternally, 
                      who’ll spare me, creature, in
my little earthly life, 
                      and will hereafter grant me 
                      life in eternity. 

                                  I am a flower,
and in the morning open, 
                      at eve I close my leaf, 
                      so that alternately, 
                      whenever you, o sun,
will rise again and stir me, 
                      I may awake once more 
                      or yield my head to sleep. 

                                  My life is in
your light: my work, my wanting, 
                      my hope, my happiness, 
                      my only and my all; 
                      what is there without you,
but ever, ever dying, 
                      what have I without you 
                      to love with all my soul? 

                                  I’m far from you,
although you, sweetest spring 
                      of everything that lives 
                      or from which life does flow, 
                      yet come so close to me
and send, o dearest sun, 
                      into my deepest deep 
                      your all-pervading glow. 

                                  Lift, undo! . . .
untie my earthly fetters; 
                      uproot me, and unearth me! . . .
                      hence, o let me, there 
                      where always summer reigns
and sunlight let me hasten, 
                      and where, eternal, one, 
                      all-fairest flower you stand. 

                                  Let all the things
be past, and gone, departed, 
                      that still divide us now, 
                      like chasms between us stand; 
                      let morning, evening, all
that’s fleeting, flee now from me, 
                      let me your endless light 
                      behold, in Heaven’s land! 

                                  Then I’ll before . . .
o, not before your eyes, 
                      but by you, near to you, 
                      but in you blossom soon; 
                      if in that life you’ll let
me, creature, have my being, 
                      if your eternal light 
                      you’ll let me enter then.

EGO FLOS

EGO FLOS

                     Ik ben een blomme
en bloeie vóór uwe oogen, 
               geweldig zonnelicht, 
               dat, eeuwig onontaard, 
               mij, nietig schepselken,
in ’t leven wilt gedoogen 
               en, na dit leven, mij 
               het eeuwig leven spaart. 
               
                     Ik ben een blomme
en doe des morgens open, 
               des avonds toe mijn blad, 
               om beurtelings, nadien, 
               wanneer gij, zonne, zult,
heropgestaan, mij nopen, 
               te ontwaken nog eens of 
               mijn hoofd den slaap te biên. 

                     Mijn leven is
uw licht: mijn doen, mijn derven, 
               mijn’ hope, mijn geluk 
               mijn éénigste en mijn al; 
               wat kan ik, zonder u,
als eeuwig, eeuwig sterven; 
               wat heb ik, zonder u, 
               dat ik beminnen zal? 

                     ’k Ben ver van u,
ofschoon gij, zoete bronne 
               van al dat leven is 
               of immer leven doet, 
               mij naast van al genaakt
en zendt, o lieve zonne, 
               tot in mijn diepste diep 
               uw aldoorgaanden gloed. 

                     Haalt op, haalt af! . . .
onbindt mijne aardsche boeien; 
               ontwortelt mij, ontdelft 
               mij! . . . Henen laat mij,  . . . laat 
               daar \'t altijd zomer is
en zonnelicht mij spoeien 
               en daar gij, eeuwige, ééne, 
               alschoone blomme, staat. 

                     Laat alles zijn
voorbij, gedaan, verleden, 
               dat afscheid tusschen ons 
               en diepe kloven spant; 
               laat morgen, avond, al
dat heenmoet henentreden 
               laat uw oneindig licht 
               mij zien, in \'t Vaderland! 

                     Dan zal ik vóór . . .
o neen, niet vóór uwe oogen 
               maar naast u, nevens u, 
               maar in u bloeien zaan; 
               zoo gij mij, schepselken,
in \'t leven wilt gedoogen; 
               zoo in uw eeuwig licht 
               me gij laat binnengaan!
Close

EGO FLOS

                                  I am a flower
and bloom before your eyes,
                      o mighty blazing sun, 
                      steadfast eternally, 
                      who’ll spare me, creature, in
my little earthly life, 
                      and will hereafter grant me 
                      life in eternity. 

                                  I am a flower,
and in the morning open, 
                      at eve I close my leaf, 
                      so that alternately, 
                      whenever you, o sun,
will rise again and stir me, 
                      I may awake once more 
                      or yield my head to sleep. 

                                  My life is in
your light: my work, my wanting, 
                      my hope, my happiness, 
                      my only and my all; 
                      what is there without you,
but ever, ever dying, 
                      what have I without you 
                      to love with all my soul? 

                                  I’m far from you,
although you, sweetest spring 
                      of everything that lives 
                      or from which life does flow, 
                      yet come so close to me
and send, o dearest sun, 
                      into my deepest deep 
                      your all-pervading glow. 

                                  Lift, undo! . . .
untie my earthly fetters; 
                      uproot me, and unearth me! . . .
                      hence, o let me, there 
                      where always summer reigns
and sunlight let me hasten, 
                      and where, eternal, one, 
                      all-fairest flower you stand. 

                                  Let all the things
be past, and gone, departed, 
                      that still divide us now, 
                      like chasms between us stand; 
                      let morning, evening, all
that’s fleeting, flee now from me, 
                      let me your endless light 
                      behold, in Heaven’s land! 

                                  Then I’ll before . . .
o, not before your eyes, 
                      but by you, near to you, 
                      but in you blossom soon; 
                      if in that life you’ll let
me, creature, have my being, 
                      if your eternal light 
                      you’ll let me enter then.

EGO FLOS

                                  I am a flower
and bloom before your eyes,
                      o mighty blazing sun, 
                      steadfast eternally, 
                      who’ll spare me, creature, in
my little earthly life, 
                      and will hereafter grant me 
                      life in eternity. 

                                  I am a flower,
and in the morning open, 
                      at eve I close my leaf, 
                      so that alternately, 
                      whenever you, o sun,
will rise again and stir me, 
                      I may awake once more 
                      or yield my head to sleep. 

                                  My life is in
your light: my work, my wanting, 
                      my hope, my happiness, 
                      my only and my all; 
                      what is there without you,
but ever, ever dying, 
                      what have I without you 
                      to love with all my soul? 

                                  I’m far from you,
although you, sweetest spring 
                      of everything that lives 
                      or from which life does flow, 
                      yet come so close to me
and send, o dearest sun, 
                      into my deepest deep 
                      your all-pervading glow. 

                                  Lift, undo! . . .
untie my earthly fetters; 
                      uproot me, and unearth me! . . .
                      hence, o let me, there 
                      where always summer reigns
and sunlight let me hasten, 
                      and where, eternal, one, 
                      all-fairest flower you stand. 

                                  Let all the things
be past, and gone, departed, 
                      that still divide us now, 
                      like chasms between us stand; 
                      let morning, evening, all
that’s fleeting, flee now from me, 
                      let me your endless light 
                      behold, in Heaven’s land! 

                                  Then I’ll before . . .
o, not before your eyes, 
                      but by you, near to you, 
                      but in you blossom soon; 
                      if in that life you’ll let
me, creature, have my being, 
                      if your eternal light 
                      you’ll let me enter then.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère