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Night-Silence
Hush now, hush: on feet of silver
Through the night see silence go,
Silence that from gods delivers
Greetings to the watch below...
What ’twixt souls could not be spoken
In the daytime’s empty din
From high realms that night has woken,
Into light star-bright now broken,
Sullied by no word or token
God speaks deep within.
*
Nachtstilte
Stil, wees stil,
Op zilv’ren voeten
Schrijdt de stilte door de nacht.
Stilte, die der goden groeten
Overbrengt naar lager wacht.
Wat niet ziel tot ziel kon spreken
Door der dagen ijl gegons
Spreekt, uit overluchtse streken
Klaar, als ster in licht zou breken,
Zonder smet van taal of teken
God in elk van ons.
*
Poem by the Dutch poet P.C. Boutens (1870-1953)
Translation by Emma & David Bergen
Painting: "Licht" - Juke Hudig
A beautiful poem on silence. My favorite lines are the last two,
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God speaks within."
In silence and stillness, what forms are there?
When we listen deeply to silence we enter the realm of pure being and touch the ground of existence. The painting by Juke Hudig is extraordinary! A being suddenly immersed in light. Thank you for sharing this profound poem.
Thank you, Joseph for your reaction to this poem by P.C. Boutens. It has been my personal favourite poem ever since my high school years. It spoke to me then and speaks to me still. So I am more than grateful for your deeply felt appreciation.
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