| I want to live on, | |
| even in hell, if there is -- | |
| heaven afterward. | |
| Ik wil leven, zelfs | Ich will leben, selbst |
| in de hel, als mij daarna -- | in der Hölle, wenn es da- |
| maar de hemel wacht. | nach den Himmel gibt. |
Amsterdam, 2026-04-26
My last wish (Sylvain Lebel) - 1977
Song "Ma dernière volonté" (music Alice Dona), sung by Serge Reggiani (album "Venise n'est pas en Italie"), translated by Herman Pieter de Boer into "Laat me" ("Let me", sung by Ramses Shaffy, 1978, album "Dag en nacht")
Collection: Germ Substance
Tribute to: Lebel, Sylvain; Reggiani, Serge
| You always believed | |
| in the heavenly trumpets -- | |
| so now I must blow! | |
| Jij geloofde in | Du hast geglaubt an |
| de hemelse bazuinen -- | die himmlischen Posaunen -- |
| Ik moet wel blazen! | Jetzt muss ich blasen! |
Amsterdam, 2025-08-30
You stare at me grimly, and I'm scared and recoil (Frida Vogels) - 1994
Poem "Grimmig staar je me aan, en ik schrik en deins terug", published in the collection "De harde kern 3" ("The hard core 3", part XI [Deceased]), and in "Diary 1974-1976" (2013) - August 22nd, 1974, Bologna
Collection: Overwritten
Tribute to: Vogels, Frida
| Every heavenly | |
| path leads you there and back down -- | |
| into the real world. | |
| Elk hemels pad voert | Jeder himmlische |
| je heen en terug omlaag -- | Weg führt dich auch wieder hin- |
| weer de wereld in. | unter in die Welt. |
Amsterdam, 2025-07-31
As when one descending, suddenly (Frida Vogels) - 1994
Poem "Zoals wanneer men dalend, plotseling", published in the collection "De harde kern 3" ("The hard core 3", part VII [Acquiescence]), and in "Diary 1964-1965" (2008) - May 15th, 1965, Bologna
Collection: Self-portraits
Tribute to: Vogels, Frida
| People suffer and | |
| the earth too, I'm expecting -- | |
| the eternal light. | |
| De mensen lijden, | Menschen und Erde |
| de aarde ook, ik verwacht -- | leiden, ich schaue aus nach -- |
| het eeuwige licht. | dem ewigen Licht. |
Amsterdam, 2025-05-14
Primal Light (Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim / Gustav Mahler) - 1808
Song "Urlicht", from the poetry collection "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" (1808, Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim), set to music in 1892 by Gustav Mahler, and included in his 2nd Symphony of 1894
Collection: Moist glow
Tribute to: Brentano, Clemens; Von Arnim, Achim
Composer: Mahler, Gustav
| This must be hell, but | |
| how did I get here? There must -- | |
| have been an entrance. | |
| Dit moet de hel zijn, | Ist das die Hölle? |
| maar hoe kwam ik hier? Blijkbaar -- | Wie kam ich hier hin? Es gab -- |
| was er een ingang. | also einen Eingang. |
Amsterdam, 2024-08-06
Henry and Cato (Iris Murdoch) - 1976
Novel, part Two, The Great Teacher
Collection: Longing and Loss
Tribute to: Murdoch, Iris
| Am I in hell now? | |
| I don't think it is heaven! -- | |
| There is no one here! | |
| Kan dit de hel zijn? | Kann's die Hölle sein? |
| De hemel kan het niet zijn! -- | Der Himmel kann es nicht sein! -- |
| Er is hier niemand! | Es ist niemand da! |
Amsterdam, 2024-07-18
Night scene (Henrik Ibsen / Edvard Grieg) - 1867
Play (music 1876), fifth act, "Nattscene" ("Night scene") - Peer Gynt dies
Collection: VacantVoid
Tribute to: Ibsen, Henrik
Composer: Grieg, Edvard
| Heaven and hell are | |
| just stories, so be careful -- | |
| what your beliefs are! | |
| Hemel en hel zijn | Himmel und Hölle |
| ook maar verhalen, pas op -- | sind nur Geschichten, pass auf -- |
| met wat je gelooft! | was du glauben willst! |
Amsterdam, 2024-07-06
"It ain't necessarily so" (Ira Gershwin / George Gershwin) - 1935
Song (Sportin' Life, lyrics Ira Gershwin) from the opera (libretto [1935] and novel [1925] and play "Porgy" [1927] by Edwin DuBose Heyward)
Collection: Em Brace
Tribute to: Gershwin, Ira; DuBose Heyward, Edwin
Composer: Gershwin, George
| I do love you, but | |
| my craving is still stronger -- | |
| It will take my life. | |
| Ik hou van jou, maar | Ich liebe dich, nur, |
| mijn verlangen is sterker -- | meine Sehnsucht ist stärker -- |
| Het kost mijn leven. | Es ist wie sterben. |
Amsterdam, 2024-07-06
I loves you, Porgy (Edwin DuBose Heyward / Ira Gershwin / George Gershwin) - 1935
Song (Bess, lyrics Edwin DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin) from the opera (libretto [1935] and novel [1925] and play "Porgy" [1927] by Edwin DuBose Heyward), sung in 1957 by Nina Simone (album "Little Girl Blue", 1959)
Collection: Em Brace
Tribute to: Gershwin, Ira; Simone, Nina
Composer: Gershwin, George
| The light at the end | |
| of the tunnel is my hope: | |
| heaven anyway. | |
| Het licht aan het eind | Das Licht am Ende |
| van de tunnel is mijn hoop -- | des Tunnels, meine Hoffnung: |
| op toch een hemel. | der Himmel trotzdem. |
Amsterdam, 2024-05-27
Quichotte (Salman Rushdie) - 2019
Novel, part 3, chapter 21
Collection: Wind
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman
| Hell would be better, | |
| but no gate opens, because -- | |
| she's already there. | |
| Ze wil naar de hel, | Sie will zur Hölle, |
| maar er gaat geen poort open -- | doch es öffnet sich kein Tor -- |
| want ze is er al. | weil sie schon da ist. |
Amsterdam, 2024-05-18
Shalimar the Clown (Salman Rushdie) - 2005
Novel, chapter Shalimar the Clown, § 2
Collection: Sludge
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman
| Angels come flying | |
| in, hear, here must be heaven -- | |
| where the organ sounds. | |
| Engelen vliegen | Engel fliegen zu, |
| toe, hier moet de hemel zijn -- | hier muss der Himmel sein, wo -- |
| waar het orgel klinkt. | die Orgel erklingt. |
Amsterdam, 2023-08-01
A Song for St. Cecilia's Day (John Dryden) - 1687
Novel, stanza 7
Collection: No wonder
Tribute to: Dryden, John
| Hell is terrible! | |
| One who does not know that will -- | |
| surely end up there. | |
| De Hel is het ergst! | Die Hölle ist schlimm! |
| Dat moet je weten, anders -- | Das musst du ja wissen, sonst -- |
| kom je er terecht. | wirst du dort landen. |
Amsterdam, 2023-07-25
Oranges are not the only fruit (Jeanette Winterson) - 1985
Novel, part "Exodus"
Collection: No wonder
Tribute to: Winterson, Jeanette
| But what good is God | |
| or science if you suffer -- | |
| from living in hell? | |
| Wat heb je aan God | Was nützt Gott, oder |
| of aan de wetenschap als -- | die Wissenschaft, wenn man tief -- |
| je in de hel leeft? | in der Hölle lebt? |
Amsterdam, 2023-07-11
The Good Apprentice (Iris Murdoch) - 1985
Novel, chapter 3, part 3
Collection: Longing and Loss
Tribute to: Murdoch, Iris
|
Why are there people dreaming |
Amsterdam, 2023-06-05
Man, you should explode (Namdea Dhasal) - 1972
Poem (collection "Golpitha", 1973)
Collection: Changing Times
Tribute to: Dhasal, Namdea
| The murmuring sounds | |
| eternal, so shall it be -- | |
| in the hereafter. | |
| Het geroezemoes | Das Stimmengewirr |
| klinkt eeuwig, zo zal het gaan -- | klingt wie Ewigkeit, so wird -- |
| in het hiernamaals. | es im Jenseits sein. |
Amsterdam, 2023-03-11
The Office - And melancholy, too (Han Voskuil) - 1999
Novel "Het Bureau - En ook weemoedigheid"
Page 888, Maarten Koning (1982)
Collection: Frustration
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han
| A variety | |
| of pleasure will be needed -- | |
| for an afterlife. | |
| Veel afwisseling | Eine Vielfalt an |
| van genot is er nodig -- | Vergnügen wird benötigt -- |
| voor een hiernamaals. | sein für ein Jenseits. |
Amsterdam, 2022-11-26
Collection: The Praised One
| As a priest one serves | |
| in the churches in the hell -- | |
| of confessionals. | |
| Als priester doe je | Als Priester dient man |
| in de kerk dienst in de hel -- | in Kirchen in der Hölle -- |
| van de biechtstoelen. | der Beichtabnahme. |
Amsterdam, 2022-08-13
The next story (Cees Nooteboom) - 1991
Novella "Het volgende verhaal"
Collection: High gear
Tribute to: Nooteboom, Cees
|
My clouds, my thoughts |
Amsterdam, 2022-03-14
The malediction (René Magritte) - 1960
Painting "La malediction" (version 1960)
Collection: Secrets & Believers
Tribute to: Magritte, René
| No more privacy, | |
| people can see all of me -- | |
| Well, that's really hell! | |
| Geen privacy meer, | Keine Privatheit, |
| mensen zien alles van mij -- | die Leute sehen alles -- |
| Wat een hel is dat! | Was eine Hölle! |
Amsterdam, 2021-12-02
No Exit (Jean-Paul Sartre) - 1943
Big Brother
"L'enfer, c'est les Autres" ("Hell is Other people") from the one-act play "Closed doors, 1943, Jean-Paul Sartre)
Collection: Whirligig Scribbler
Tribute to: Sartre, Jean-Paul
| The ejector seat: | |
| I fall down from the deep sea -- | |
| Roaring freezing cold. | |
| De schietstoel: vallen, | Schleudersitz, stürzen, |
| vallen vanuit de diepzee -- | von der Tiefsee hinstürzen -- |
| Briesende ijskou. | Brüllende Kälte. |
Amsterdam, 2021-09-12
Clear sky (Tom Lanoye) - 2012
Novella "Heldere hemel"
Collection: Actively Passive
Tribute to: Lanoye, Tom
| I lived happily, | |
| comfortably in the blue -- | |
| big egg of heaven. | |
| Ik was gelukkig, | Ich lebte glücklich, |
| geborgen in het grote -- | geborgen im großen Ei -- |
| ei van de hemel. | der Himmelskuppel. |
Overberg, 2021-09-06
Bruno's Dream (Iris Murdoch) - 1969
Novel
Collection: Dreams of love
Tribute to: Murdoch, Iris
| The purgatory: | |
| suffering with a prospect -- | |
| of complete Goodness! | |
| Heerlijk vagevuur: | Das Fegefeuer: |
| lijden met een vooruitzicht -- | Leiden mit eine Aussicht -- |
| van niets dan Goedheid! | auf nur noch Gute! |
Amsterdam, 2021-07-11
Nuns and Soldiers (Iris Murdoch) - 1980
Novel
Collection: Longing and Loss
Tribute to: Murdoch, Iris
| The big city blurs | |
| what is dark, with lots of light -- | |
| Is heaven like that? | |
| De stad verdoezelt | Die Stadt vertuscht das, |
| wat donker is, met veel licht -- | was dunkel ist, mit viel Licht -- |
| Is zo de hemel? | Ist der Himmel so? |
Amsterdam, 2019-08-01
Subduing (Ellen Deckwitz) - 2019
The concept of heaven
Column "Het dempen" aboutr Tokyo (in NRC)
Collection: Death on Cast
Tribute to: Deckwitz, Ellen
|
Song about borrowed eyes
I could not stay, without an escort |
Amsterdam, 2019-04-27
Islamic tradition: Sawda bint Zam'a - 622
The H?jrah to Mad?nah in 622
Collection: The Praised One
|
Winter light eats the wide hill |
Amsterdam, 2019-02-26
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
Isra-El = Azra-El, the angel of death, who collects the souls of the deceased
God of war: Shalem, after whom Jerusalem is named; today Jerusalem presents itself as the "City of Peace"
Collection: Short Sermons
|
Like wild geese, fishermen |
Amsterdam, 2019-02-16
Connemara (Ireland), Thule (Innis Tile), Brendan (AD 500)
Collection: Secrets & Believers
|
I don't want to be an object |
Amsterdam, 2019-01-26
No Exit (Jean-Paul Sartre) - 1943
"L'enfer, c'est les Autres" ("Hell is other people"), from the one-act play "Huis clos" ("No Exit" / "Closed doors", 1943, Jean-Paul Sartre)
Collection: Lilith's Powers
Tribute to: Sartre, Jean-Paul
| Praying silently, | |
| I think of the sulphur hell -- | |
| where grandpa is now. | |
| In mijn stil gebed | Mein stilles Gebet |
| denk ik aan de zwavelhel -- | gilt für den Großvater in -- |
| waar opa nu is. | der Schwefelhölle. |
Amsterdam, 2018-11-05
Hear my voice now (Franca Treur) - 2017
Novel "Hoor nu mijn stem", chapters 10 and 20
Collection: Appearances
Tribute to: Treur, Franca
| One heaven -- people | |
| with tightly interlinked thoughts: | |
| one mycelium. | |
| Eén hemel -- mensen | Eín Himmel -- Menschen |
| met verbonden gedachten: | mit vernetzten Gedanken: |
| één grote zwamvlok. | éin großes Mycel. |
Vaison-la-Romaine, 2016-10-09
Collection: WoofWoof
| The mountains, floating | |
| out of range above the sea: | |
| the heavenly land. | |
| De bergen zweven | Die Berge schweben |
| onbereikbaar boven zee: | unnahbar über dem Meer: |
| das himmlische Land. | |
Amsterdam, 2014-11-19
Collection: Migration
| I do the handstand, | |
| and heaven becomes my earth -- | |
| A true firmament. | |
| Ik doe de handstand: | Meinen Handstand: der |
| de hemel wordt mijn aarde -- | Himmel wird zur Erde, zum -- |
| Een echt firmament. | wahren Firmament. |
Amsterdam, 2012-03-11
Collection: The King
| Just hop from the earth, | |
| skip the water and the fire -- | |
| jump up to heaven. | |
| Hink van de aarde, | Hüpf von der Erde, |
| stap over water en vuur -- | über Wasser und Feuer -- |
| spring naar de hemel. | springe zum Himmel. |
Amsterdam, 2012-02-28
Triple jump
Collection: The King
