VOOR ALLES
Voor te veel mensen in een lift of streekbus
Of gewoon een kamer
Voor de krans van melkwegen, sluiers, nevels en hun zwarte gaten
Voor m'n eigen brein, een stuk of wat insecten
Vrouwen, hun stemmingen en stemmen
Voor kokend water, vliezen, scharen, ademhaling
Voor de meeste onbenulligheden, groot en groter
Voor de ontijd van mijn ouders, toen vanaf kansels in kazuifels
Men met hel en smalle poorten dreigde
Voor sommige geluiden
En het levende bij die geluiden
Voor mails en sms’en
Voor enveloppen op mijn tafel
Voor alles bang geweest
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Voor alles bang geweest
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Voor dromen en demonen
Voor uitsluiting en vrijwel alle onbekenden
Voor de elementen
Voor volk en vaderland
Voor grote drommen, voor de deurbel en voor straf
Voor gepatenteerde gekken en sommige familieleden
School, en alles wat erna moest komen
Voor de aanblik die ik bied en niet wil bieden
Voor de benauwenis van aangeboren schaamte
Voor alles bang geweest
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Voor alles bang geweest
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Voor de waarheid
Of liever: de dynamiek van harde feiten
Voor toekomst, verleden
Het stuiterende hier en nu
Voor types die met messen spelen
Voor dieren, hoewel niet de meeste
Voor personen die snoevend zeggen vrij te zijn van alle vrees
Voor gedachten, andermans of eigen
Sporen, hoogte, tekens, diepte
Alles wat aan taal ontsnapt
Vermoedens van om het even
Voor God, toch nog voor mijn hartslag
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Niet vrijblijvend maar met recht en rede
Voor alles altijd overtuigd, hoog in de adem
Zuiver in de leer tot in het merg bang geweest
Op het stupide en futiele af
Met oogkleppen en hondentrouw
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Voor alles bang geweest
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Voor alles bang geweest
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Voor zowel de grote greep als laatste resten, rafelranden
Kleinste deeltjes, neutronen, elektronen
Alles groter dan het wijkend zelf
Voor sferen en suizingen en de zekerheid
Ook thuis in één oogwenk alles kwijt te zijn
Voor gebouwen zonder ramen
Voor doodgaan, alle doden
Voor dood zijn misschien iets minder
Voor deze constatering, voor constateren
Voor kinderen die vragen stellen
Maar meer nog voor die vragen
Voor alles bang geweest
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Voor alles bang geweest
Voor alles altijd bang geweest
Maar niet voor jou
Niet voor jou
OF EVERYTHING
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Of too many in a lift or city bus
Or a room like any other
Of the rings of milky ways, veils, nebulas their black hole darkness
Of my own brain, a handful of insects
Women, their moods and voices
Of boiling water, membrane, scissors, and for breathing
Of most things insignificant, large and larger
Of the un-time of my parents, when from pulpits and chasubles
The threat of Hell and small gates mattered
A sum of other noises
And things living by these noises
Of mails and texting
Of envelopes found on my table
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Of dreaming and daemons
Of exclusion and almost every stranger
Of the elements
Of Nation and Fatherland
Of big crowds, the doorbell, punishment
Of patented madmen and certain relatives
School, and everything meant after that
Of appearing as I do and I Don’t want too
Of the oppressiveness of congenital shame
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Of the truth
Or rather: hard facts and their dynamics
Of the future, the past
The trembling here and now
Of those with knives and keen on playing
Of animals, though only some
Of those people boasting to be free of fear altogether
Of thoughts, my own or other people’s
Tracks, Height, signs, depth,
Of everything eluding tongue
Suspicions raised about whatever
Of God, just now the beating of my heart
Been always scared of everything
Not just like that, but with right and reason
Of always being so convinced, shallow breathing
Pure in your teachings and scared down to your bones
To the stupid and futile depths
With a mutts loyalty and patch
Been always scared of everything
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Of the broad sweeps as well as pinches, table edges
Smallest parts, neutrons, electrons,
All things bigger than the receding self
Of spheres, ringing in the ears and certainty
That you can lose it all at home as well
Of buildings without windows
Of dying, all who died
Of being dead perhaps a little less
Of stating this now fact, and stating
Of children asking questions
But for these questions even more so
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
Been scared of everything
Always been scared of everything
But not of you
Not of you
Translation by Benne van der Velde
Johannes Jacobus Willebrordus "Joost" Zwagerman (Dutch pronunciation: [joːstˈsʋaːɣərmɑn]; 18 November 1963 – 8 September 2015) was a Dutch writer, poet and essayist.
At the age of nine, Zwagerman compiled a magazine, De Zwagergids, of texts and images from TV magazines.
Zwagerman received his high-school education at the Rijksscholengemeenschap Noord-Kennemerland in Alkmaar, where he graduated from havo and moved on to study at the Pedagogische Academie. Afterwards he went on to study Dutch language(Nederlandse taal- en letterkunde, unfinished) He was a student at a course of creative writing by Oek de Jong.
Zwagerman made his debut with the novel De houdgreep in 1986. His second novel, Gimmick! (1989), was adapted as a play, and reached a much wider audience. He wrote his third book, Vals licht, in 1991 and it was short listed for the AKO Literatuurprijs. Vals Licht was the basis for a movie by Theo van Gogh (1993). More novels followed, including Chaos en Rumoer, Zes Sterren and De buitenvrouw. Zwagerman's work has been translated into twelve languages, including German, French and Japanese.
Besides books, Zwagerman also published poetry and essays. His first collection of poems was published in 1987 Langs de doofpot. The Awater poetry prize was awarded for his most recent collection Roeshoofd hemelt, which was reprinted four times. Among his essay works are the Pornotheek Arcadië (2001) and Het vijfde seizoen (2003).
Zwagerman was also active as a columnist for Dutch newspapers, previously for de Volkskrant (1998–2002) and since 2001 for NRC Handelsblad. Additionally he was the host of a Dutch television programme (Zomergasten) and appeared in theater with the Dutch writer Ronald Giphart. Besides his work as a writer and columnist, he also frequently appeared on Dutch national television, in the program De Wereld Draait Door,[1] broadcast by VARA,[2] where he often held mini-lectures on art-related topics. As an amateur art lover himself, Zwagerman enjoyed transmitting his love for art to a wider audience.
As a writer Zwagerman was connected to two universities; in 1998 Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and 2003 Universiteit Leiden. He also lectured at the Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen during the Frans Kellendonk Lecture in 2006. In January 2008, Zwagerman was awarded the Gouden Ganzenveer,[3] for his extraordinary contribution to the Dutch written culture.
Until his divorce, Joost Zwagerman lived with his wife and three children in Amsterdam. In December 2012 he settled in Haarlem. On 8 September 2015, de Volkskrant confirmed that Zwagerman had died by suicide. He was 51 years old. He was found dead at his home in Haarlem.[4][5]
Source: Wikipedia
Wende Snijders, known mononymously as Wende (born 10 October 1978 in Beckenham, Greater London) is a Dutch singer.
Wende moved to Indonesia when she was four years old and to Guinea-Bissauwhen she was six. When she was nine, she went to the Netherlands, where she lived in Zeist. She graduated from vwo and went to the Academie voor Kleinkunstwhere she graduated in 2002. She specialized in singing French chansons.[1]
In 2001 she won first prize and the audience award of the Concours de la Chanson, which was held in De Kleine Komedie in Amsterdam and organized by Alliance Française. Her first album Quand tu dors was released in 2005 and won an Edison Award in the category Easy Listening/Cabaret. She also won in 2005 the Zonta-Award (a prize for talented woman artists younger than 30) and the BAT prize (potential theatre talent). For the DVD Au suivant she received an Edison in 2006 in the category National Music DVD. The corresponding cd was nominated for an Edison in the category Listening song/Cabaret.
Her second album La Fille Noyée was released in 2006. Contrary to the previous album, this album did not contain merely French chansons, but also songs in Dutch. This album also won an Edison in 2007.
In 2007 she performed with Jenny Arean -among others- in the play Het Verschil (The Difference). There is a limited edition of this play on CD. On 22 March she sang with the Hungarian artist Yonderboi for the Dutch queen during the celebration of 50 years of European collaboration. She also won the Gouden Notenkraker in 2007.
On 25 August 2007 her act at the annual Uitmarkt in Amsterdam was live on Dutch television. In the season 2007/08 she toured with her new show "Adem" (Breath), which she presented at the Oerol festival.
On 7 November 2007 she won another Edison, this time the Edison Jazz Award.
On 27 April 2008 Wende received the Annie M.G. Schmidt Prize for her theatre song De Wereld Beweegt (The World is Moving).
On 16 September 2008 she received a gold album for her second CD in the popular Dutch talkshow De Wereld Draait Door.
In 2024, Wende presented her show "The Promise" at the Adelaide Festival[2] and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.[3]
Sources: Wikipedia and Wende’s website!
Wende sings Zwagerman’s poem ‘Voor alles’