| The little songbird | |
| warms my heart and fills my soul -- | |
| with feathers of hope. | |
| Het zangvogeltje | |
| verwarmt mijn hart, vult mijn ziel -- | wärmt mein Herz, erfüllt meine -- |
| met vleugels van hoop. | Seele mit Hoffnung. |
Amsterdam, 2026-02-03
'Hope' is the thing with feathers (Emily Dickinson)
1861 Dickinson, Emily
Poem (1861, first publication 1891, J254, F314)
Keywords: Life: survival (reflex), Hope (dream)
| Quickly through the gates: | |
| don't let the scissors of state -- | |
| decapitate you. | |
| Snel de poortjes door: | : |
| laat de scharen van de staat -- | lass dich nicht von der Schere -- |
| je niet onthoofden. | des Staates köpfen. |
Amsterdam, 2026-05-10
1984 (George Orwell)
1949 Orwell, George
Novel "nineteen eighty-four", part 1, shopkeeper Charrington explains the children's song "Oranges and Lemons" ("The Bells of St. Clement's") to Winston Smith
The two children forming a gate try to clamp the head of the child walking underneath between their arms; this is exactly how the repressive state acts
Keyword: Life: survival (effort)
| Our cat looks after | |
| the garden, she walks around -- | |
| there so carefully. | |
| Onze kat past op | |
| de tuin, ze loopt er o zo -- | den Garten auf, sie geht sehr -- |
| voorzichtig in rond. | vorsichtig herum. |
Amsterdam, 2026-02-03
The cat (Olav Hauge)
1966 Hauge, Olav
Poem "Katten", collection "Dropar i austavind"
Keyword: Animals: cat
| Boys and girls hanging | |
| about late in the evening -- | |
| Scent of lavender. | |
| Jongens en meisjes | |
| hangen 's avonds nog wat rond -- | spät am Abend noch herum -- |
| De lavendel geurt. | Duft von Lavendel. |
Amsterdam, 2026-08-09
The Flight of the Maidens (Jane Gardam)
2000 Gardam, Jane
Novel, chapter 4
Keywords: Teenager (youth), Nature: flowers
| At the airport, I | |
| follow the people who know -- | |
| where they are going. | |
| Op het vliegveld volg | |
| ik de mensen die weten -- | Menschen folgen, die wissen -- |
| waar ze naartoe gaan. | wohin sie gehen. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Without time'
Keyword: Uncertainty
| My uncle is huge, | |
| look at that big face of him -- | |
| bigger than his head. | |
| Ik kijk naar mijn oom, | , |
| dat grote gezicht van hem -- | das große Gesicht von ihm -- |
| groter dan zijn hoofd. | größer als sein Kopf. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Without time'
Keyword: Identity: physical
| Like a question mark, | |
| she lies naked on my bed -- | |
| pale, a bit of moon. | |
| Als een vraagteken | |
| ademt ze naakt op mijn bed -- | liegt sie nackt auf meinem Bett -- |
| bleek, een beetje maan. | blass, ein bisschen Mond. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Without time'
Keyword: Body: naked
| A glimpse of grandad, | |
| he left immediately -- | |
| yet I still smell him. | |
| Een glimp van opa, | , |
| hij is alweer vertrokken -- | er ist bereits weg, aber -- |
| maar ik ruik hem nog. | ich rieche ihn noch. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter '36 hours'
Keyword: Family: grandma / grandpa
| I found my twin self | |
| in Istanbul, he's alive -- | |
| in me for so long. | |
| Ik vond mijn tweeling- | |
| zelf in Istanbul, hij leeft -- | selbst in Istanbul, er lebt -- |
| al zo lang in mij. | seit langem in mir. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-04
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Valja'
Keyword: Identity: thoughts
| That's what I've achieved: | |
| that you really can't believe -- | |
| how bad it was then. | |
| Dat heb ik bereikt: | , |
| dat jij niet kunt geloven -- | dass du nicht glauben kannst, wie -- |
| hoe erg het toen was. | schlimm es damals war. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-05
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Valja'
Keyword: Past: stories
| The officials in | |
| their official light blue shirts -- | |
| around little chest. | |
| De ambtenaren | |
| in hun lichtblauwe hemden -- | ihren hellblauen Hemden -- |
| om te weinig borst. | um zu wenig Brust. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Without time'
Keyword: Power: uniform
| See the Olympus, | |
| really, right here in Turkey -- | |
| was Greece in the past. | |
| De Olympus zien, | , |
| zeker, hier in Turkije -- | sicher, hier in der Türkei -- |
| lag ooit Griekenland. | war einst Griechenland. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Olympos was a city near today's Çirali (Antalya)
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Without time'
Keyword: Illusions: pride
| I want to kiss her, | |
| but not wake her up, because -- | |
| then she'll start talking. | |
| Ik wil haar kussen, | |
| maar niet wakker maken, want -- | sie, aber wecken nicht, denn -- |
| dan gaat ze praten. | dann wird sie reden. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter, 'Without time'
Keyword: Desire (attention)
| We eat on the train | |
| and write on the window panes -- | |
| greasy signs of life. | |
| Etend in de trein, | |
| schrijven we op de ruiten -- | und schreiben auf den Fenstern -- |
| tekens van leven. | Zeichen des Lebens. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter '36 hours'
Keyword: Boredom: dullness / emptiness
| It's best to marry | |
| someone who will not hurt you -- | |
| when you get divorced. | |
| Het beste trouw je | |
| met wie jou geen pijn zal doen -- | den, der dich nicht weh tun wird -- |
| als jullie scheiden. | mit ihrer Scheidung. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-04
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Danja and Emma'
Keyword: Love: fidelity
| On the times they had | |
| a quarrel, she lectured him -- | |
| from his own poems. | |
| Als ze ruzie had, | , |
| las ze hem woedend de les -- | las sie ihn die Leviten -- |
| uit zijn gedichten. | aus seinen Briefen. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-04
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Danja and Emma'
Keyword: Quarrel
| I am not hiding | |
| behind what they think they know -- | |
| about me, am I? | |
| Verberg ik me soms | |
| achter wat zij geloven -- | hinter dem, was sie glauben -- |
| van mij te weten? | von mir zu wissen? |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-04
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Danja and Emma'
Keyword: Contact: reserve
| Don't infect yourself | |
| with this rotten parasite -- | |
| your own memory. | |
| Besmet jezelf niet | |
| met de ergste parasiet -- | mit diesem Parasiten -- |
| de herinnering. | die Erinnerung. |
Amsterdam, 2022-01-05
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann)
2017 Salzmann, Marianna
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Valja'
Keyword: Memory: melancholy
| On our wedding day, | |
| we dance on soggy grass: in -- | |
| balance together. | |
| Op onze bruiloft | , |
| dansen we op zompig gras: | tanzen auf matschigem Gras: |
| samen in balans. | Gleichgewicht halten. |
Amsterdam, 2026-05-02
Unbroken (Eimantas Belickas)
2026 Belickas, Eimantas
Statement by Natallia Pinchuk (married to Ales Bialiatski) about her wedding day, in the documentary "Unbroken": 'It had rained, and the grass was soggy and springy as we danced. It gave me a premonition that our marriage would not be very stable.'
Keywords: Marriage (relationship), Balance (keep)
| I already am | |
| housekeeping, why would I be -- | |
| mankeeping as well? | |
| Ik bestier al het | |
| huishouden, waarom zou ik -- | schon die Hausarbeit, warum -- |
| ook nog manhouden? | dann noch Mannarbeit? |
Amsterdam, 2026-07-04
Relationship status (Saskia Noort)
2026 Noort, Saskia
Column "Relatiestatus", in the NRC of July 4th, 2026
Keyword: Manly (discrimination)
