Guido Gezelle (1830-1899)

Guido Gezelle was perhaps the most important Flemish poet of the nineteenth century. He was priest, schoolteacher, poet and linguist, and translator of Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha  into Dutch (1886).

Born in Brugge in 1830, trained for the priesthood at Roeseleare. His poetry is expresses his deep love of God in nature and the deep feelings of the Flemish people. His poetry was originally written in the West-Flemish dialect, but is mainly read nowadays in standard Dutch, though Gazelle disliked the Dutch as much as the French. Sound, rhythm, onomatopoeia and alliteration are just some of the verse techniques that characterize his work, as illustrated by the following short poem Als de Ziele luistert.

Als de ziele luistert
spreekt het al een taal dat leeft,
't lijzigste gefluister
ook een taal en teeken heeft:
bla'ren van de boomen
kouten met malkaar gezwind,
baren in stroomen
klappen luide en welgezind,
wind en wee en wolken,
wegelen van Gods heiligen voet,
talen en vertolken
't diep gedoken Woord zoo zoet....
als de ziele luistert.

from Kleengedichtjes, 1860


Publications include:

Vlaemsche Dichtoefeningen 1858
Kerkhofblommen 1858
Kleengedichtjes 1860
Gedichten, gezangen en Gebeden 1862
Tijdkrans 1893
Rijmsnoer om en om het Jaar 1897
Laatste verzen 1901.

The following poem, The Swifts, is typical. This translation is by Harry Lake, c. 1985. The Dutch text is from the Coster Page.