• Poetry
• Walt Whitman: Aboard at a ship's helm
• Shall earth no more inspire thee by Emily Jane Brontë (1818-1848)
• Come to me in the silence of the night by Christina Rossetti ( 1830 –1894)
• The Road not taken by Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)
• Max Ehrmann: Desiderata

Sinds een paar jaar maak ik bloemlezingen uit de Engelse poëziegeschiedenis en deze draag ik dan voor aan een aantal geïnteresseerde dorpsgenoten in een zaaltje in ons dorp.

Aan de hand van een thema, struin ik alle anthologieën die ik in de kast heb staan af, en maak dan een selectie van gedichten die ik zelf mooi vind om te lezen.

Hieronder staat een selectie die je in ieder geval ééns in je leven gelezen moet hebben.

alles over Engelse dichters staat op:
www.poetsgraves.co.uk

Walt Whitman(1812 –1892)

Aboard at a Ship’s Helm

Aboard, at a ship’s helm,                                                                   roer
A young steersman, steering with care.
A bell through fog on a sea-coast dolefully ringing,                              treurig
An ocean-bell—O a warning bell, rock’d by the waves.

O you give good notice indeed, you bell by the sea-reefs ringing,        riffen
Ringing, ringing, to warn the ship from its wreck-place.
For, as on the alert, O steersman,
you mind the bell’s admonition,                                                       waarschuwing
The bows turn,—                                                                            boeg
the freighted ship, tacking, speeds away under her gray sails,           laverend 
The beautiful and noble ship, with all her precious wealth,
speeds away gaily and safe.

But O the ship, the immortal ship! O ship aboard the ship!
O ship of the body—ship of the soul—voyaging, voyaging, voyaging. 

The road not taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,                splitsten zich
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;                 kreupelhout

Then took the other, as just as fair,                   mooi
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,              versleten

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.               betreden
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:               jaren later
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

(1916)

Het is niet echt een gedicht, maar toch zou iedereen dit boven zijn bed moeten hebben hangen.

Max Ehrmann

Desiderata                                                            wensen

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,                        vreedzaam
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender                           jezelf overgeven
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,                           vermijd
they are vexations to the spirit.                                 ergernis

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;                               ijdel
for always there will be greater
and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.           prestaties
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;   nederig
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;                      wees voorzichtig
for the world is full of trickery.                                     bedrog
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;            moois
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.                                  veins
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment              dorheid, ontgoocheling
it is as perennial as the grass.                                       eeuwig durend

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. 
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.           fantasieën
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.                vermoeidheid
Beyond a wholesome discipline,                                    heilzaam
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.                 Ontvouwt zich
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,                                   denkt dat
and whatever your labors and aspirations,                       idealen
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,              bedotterij, geestdodend werk
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

(1926)