Zywa

The restaurant is

pleasant, the interior --

is fifty years old.



Het restaurant is	Das Restaurant ist
aangenaam, de inrichting --	gemütlich, die Einrichtung --

al vijftig jaar oud.	fünfzig Jahre alt.

Poem H6390
Amsterdam, 2026-08-23
Then Mother came with a knife (Nicolien Mizee) - 2003
Novel "Toen kwam moeder met een mes", chapter 1
Collection: In the light
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien

Among the old books,

congenial debate takes place --

by living poets.



Tussen de oude	Zwischen den alten
dichtbundels debatteren --	Sammlungen diskutieren --

levende dichters.	lebende Dichter.

Poem H6305
Vaison-la-Romaine, 2026-06-05
Possession, A Romance (A.S. Byatt) - 1990
Novel, chapter 1
Collection: Finethreads
Tribute to: Byatt, A.S.

The faithful, age-old

histories are powerless --

as weak as spectres.



De trouwe, oude	Die treuen, alten
verhalen zijn krachteloos --	Geschichten sind kraftlos, so --

zo slap als spoken.	schlaff wie Gespenster.

Poem H5762
Amsterdam, 2025-07-30
Nothing keeps me company: the many images (Frida Vogels) - 1994
Verse "Niets houdt mij gezelschap: de vele beelden", published in the collection "De harde kern 3" ("The hard core 3", part VII [Acquiescence]), and in "Diary 1964-1965" (2008) - April 18th, 1965, Bologna
Collection: Self-portraits
Tribute to: Vogels, Frida

Myths are real, they are

stronger than facts, tradition --

creating stories.



Mythen zijn sterker	Mythen sind stärker
dan feiten, ze creëren --	als Fakten, sie erschaffen --

nieuwe verhalen.	neue Geschichten.

Poem S2301
Amsterdam, 2024-08-10
The Servants and the Snow (Iris Murdoch) - 1970
Play, Act Two - Iris Murdoch uses the myth of 'ius primae noctis' (right of the first night / droit du seigneur) in this play
Collection: Dreams of love
Tribute to: Murdoch, Iris

The composers are

dead, the music is performed --

Like we like it now.



De componisten	Die Komponisten
zijn dood, de muziek klinkt nu --	sind tot, die Musik erklingt --

Op onze manier.	Auf unsere Art.

Poem S2182
Amsterdam, 2024-04-28
Collection: Metamorphic body

In the many books

that I like, I never read --

anything that's new.



In alle boeken	In den Büchern, die
die mij bevallen lees ik --	ich mag, lese ich leider --

helaas nooit iets nieuws.	nie etwas Neues.

Poem H3967
Amsterdam, 2023-07-22
Collection: Greeting from before

Everything changes,

people often slow it down --

with their traditions.



Alles verandert,	Alles ändert sich,
mensen vertragen dat vaak --	Menschen verzögern das oft --

met hun tradities.	mit Traditionen.

Poem H3779
Amsterdam, 2023-03-28
The Office - Failure (Han Voskuil) - 2000
Novel "Het Bureau - Afgang"
Page 481, Maarten Koning, Eef Batteljee and the department of Folk Culture (1985)
Collection: Frustration
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han

The midwinter horns:

shepherds blowing a story --

into our lifetime.



De midwinterhoorns:	Mittwinterhörner
herders blazen een verhaal --	blasen eine Geschichte --

in onze levens.	in unser Leben.

Poem H3748
Amsterdam, 2023-03-03
The Office - And melancholy, too (Han Voskuil) - 1999
Novel "Het Bureau - En ook weemoedigheid"
Page 325, Maarten Koning and Ad Muller (1980)
Collection: Frustration
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han

In the Silent Night,

above the village fountain:

the midwinter horns.



In de Stille Nacht	In der Stillen Nacht
blazen boven de dorpsput --	erklingt über dem Brunnen --

de midwinterhoorns.	das Mittwinterhorn.

Poem H3749
Amsterdam, 2023-03-03
The Office - And melancholy, too (Han Voskuil) - 1999
Novel "Het Bureau - En ook weemoedigheid"
Page 325-326, Maarten Koning and Ad Muller (1980), novel "Afgang", page 362, Maarten Koning to Gijs Veenboer, for the TV-program Van gewest tot gewest (1984)
Collection: Frustration
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han

From the compost-heap

of languages and ideas --

are poems growing.



Uit de composthoop	Aus Komposthaufen
van talen en gedachten --	von Sprachen und Gedanken --

groeien gedichten.	wachsen Gedichte.

Poem H3134
Amsterdam, 2021-12-01
J.R.R. Tolkien: a biography (Humphrey Carpenter) - 1977
John Tolkien, about authorship
Collection: WriteWiser signage
Tribute to: Tolkien, John

Zywa Myseum

Outside, I march along in the drum band
of the world and beat the drum
Inside, I display my work
in a wonderful Myseum

I may well be a yellowed footnote
somewhere in small print
below the line of time
be a dead name
in the family tree of billions

as long as my work remains
is not dumped and
replaced by forgeries
or pushed aside by an epigone
who puts his name on the facade

and only occasionally mentions me
to old connoisseurs, as if I were an
inferior, a forerunner, in his collection
in his magnificent Myseum

Poem 2548
Amsterdam, 2019-12-17
Museum = temple dedicated to the Muses
Mausoleum = a tomb for the ashes of an important person, named after satrap (Governor of a Persian province) Mausolus
Epigone = after-born, follower, imitator
Collection: The Yellow House Museum

Zywa The House

I inhale the old scent, the holiness
of incense and curtains, mysteriously
soft candlelight and behind it the promise

of strength, miracles and happiness

Brick by brick, canvas by canvas
we restored the House, for eight days
it continued to burn, the oil

of strength, miracles and happiness

This is what we fought for
have been defeated for, year after year
this is what we won for, with seven arms

of strength, miracles and happiness

Poem 2350
Amsterdam, 2019-07-07
Hannukah = "Dedication"
Jerusalem, 164 BCE
Collection: The King

Zywa The Museum of Legends

The apocalypse survives any peace
harvests fail, authority falters
and breaks adrift, disgruntled
sons are born and
new wars are fought

From the wounds grows prosperity
that belongs to someone else
to a wolf
in sheep's clothing, to appearances:
a treacherous temptation

to entomb ancestors
in the Museum of Legends
and to forget their mission
under the banner of tradition
Long live the New Age

Just wait, watch
the signs, these
strivers will also be lost
doomed to downfall
as foretold

Poem 2208
Amsterdam, 2019-04-16
Son of Perdition: John 17:12, and 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Collection: The Praised One

Zywa The heaven of poetry

If there is a heaven
where souls reside after death

within or far from their bodies
it can only be poetry
the meeting place

of living souls and old souls
whose pains exist no longer
here and now, only

as an image of fate
as an understanding angel
of the love

to live, to try
     the golden mean
     of following and leading

to feed the senses
     with the miracle
     of mother earth

embraced
by the heaven of poetry

Poem 1709
Amsterdam, 2018-03-23
Collection: The light of words

Zywa Biography

I do not build a house, just gates
entrances

to treasure chambers
of the old and the new palaces

in the heaven of poetry
that spans the earth and the ages

and reflects life
the life of always and everywhere

that we know and try
to understand, the life of people

with whom we are connected
who we can meet

in the palace chambers of
the heaven of poetry

Poem 1665
Amsterdam, 2018-01-25
Collection: Life line

This is all your space,

your leeway: your parents' lives --

denied, continued.



Dit is je ruimte:	Das ist dein Spielraum:
het leven van je ouders --	das Leben deiner Eltern --

ontkend, voortgezet.	verneint, fortgesetzt.

Poem H1821
Amsterdam, 2017-10-07
The hard core - 2 (Frida Vogels) - 1993
Autobiographical account "De harde kern" (2) - 1938, Laren
Collection: ThereFrom
Tribute to: Vogels, Frida

My house, a bright spot:

the tin bronze outdoor lantern --

of my ancestors.



Mijn huis, een lichtpunt:	Mein Haus, ein Lichtpunkt:
de bronzen buitenlantaarn --	die bronzene Laterne --

van mijn voorouders.	meiner Vorfahren.

Poem H0193
Amsterdam, 2012-02-06
Collection: The Praised One


Camels
can make long trips

I too focus on the long term

I can endure adversity:
I preserve the tradition
I take difficult circumstances into account
I make sure that I can hold out for a long time

Lama, Ezel

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