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Video Poem: A Girl by Toon Tellegen

By Tom Christiaens, translated by Paul Vincent
12 November 2019 1 min. reading time Moving Verses

Ons Erfdeel vzw and Poëziecentrum vzw asked nine youngsters from the Low Countries to create poetic films based on their favourite Dutch-language poem. Tess Steijvers (b. 1990, Tilburg) made a film after the poem Een meisje (A Girl) by Toon Tellegen, from the anthology Kruis en munt, published by Querido in 2000. The video poetry project Moving Verses is made possible with the support of the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

A Girl

She waits.
No, she thinks, I’m not waiting,
I’m dancing.
She dances with long, svelte steps
slow and intent,
she keeps her eyes shut,

she dances through doors and through windows
and the long long-suffering day –
wood, glass and hours fall in splinters around her –

and whenever she can do no more
and almost, almost falls,
she thinks: me?
I’m not falling, I’m dancing.

Tess Toon kopie Tess Steijvers / Toon Tellegen

Een meisje

Ze wacht.
Nee, denkt ze, ik wacht niet,
ik dans.
Ze danst,
ze danst met lange, ranke passen,
langzaam en aandachtig,
ze houdt haar ogen dicht,

ze danst door deuren en door ramen
en door lange lankmoedige dagen –
hout, glas en uren vallen in splinters rond haar neer –

en telkens als ze niet meer kan
en bijna, bijna valt,
denk ze: Ik?
ik val niet, ik dans.

Tom Christiaens

editor the low countries and deputy editor-in-chief de lage landen

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