34th International Poetry Festival

The Schouwburg in Rotterdam is hosting the 34th International Poetry Festival through the 20th of this month. Highlights today will include an homage to K.P. Cavafy and a reading of the poems of C.O. Jellema, the Dutch poet who died this past March. His poem entitled Elegie can be found here.

Also reading today is the Mexican poet Malva Flores. An example of her poetry found below:

La ilusión entra por los ojos

La ilusión entra por los ojos. Mirar es perder
la brújula, el oriente.
Ojos de mosca
para mirarlo todo.
Para saberlo todo, piedra.
Inagotable piedra en el mutismo,
en la ceguera. Inmóvil y cierta. Aquí.
Que la ilusión va en otra vía.

Tomorrow marks the presentation of an intriguing project called ‘Doorfluisteringen’ (Chinese Whispers), named after the children’s party game. This year a poem by the prominent Flemish poet Leonard Nolens will be translated from the original Dutch through a string of languages by poets at the festival and back into Dutch on the final day.

More interesting links and information of international poets featured can be found at Poetry International Web.

Lastly, one poem another from the Language Man, Dutch poet Ruben Van Gogh:

BOUWMACHINES

Ik hou zo van machines zegt ze
Van die grote bouwmachines
Maar het mooist vind ik de klokken
waarop de schafttijd aangegeven staat
Dat al die mannen dan op opgelegde tijden
hun werk terzijde schuiven
naar koffie en hun boterhammen grijpen
en in volle gelukzaligheid
gaan zitten wachten tot zij verder mogen,
na nog een laatste shagje.