Churchyard Flowers

Guido GezelleProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 171K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Kerkhofblommen by Guido GezelleAuthor: Gezelle, Guido, 1830-1899,Language: Dutch, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Jan 13, 2009

Editor's review

Kerkhofblommen (which may be translated as 'Flowers of the Churchyard') is a poem by the Belgian Flemish-language poet Guido Gezelle, released free in electronic form by Project Gutenberg. Gezelle was an important figure in nineteenth-century Flemish literature, both poet and priest, and his work often takes faith, nature and death as its themes. The book is short, is in Dutch, and belongs to Project Gutenberg's language and literature class (PT) of public-domain e-books. For Chinese readers its value lies more in the documentary and linguistic-cultural sphere: it offers access to Flemish poetry in the original, a sense of the religious lyric tradition of the Low Countries, and useful supporting material for learning Dutch and understanding the Belgian literary landscape. Note that this is a public-domain electronic text, not an annotated translation: it lacks introduction and notes, so the bar to reading is higher, and it is better suited to readers with some Dutch or a special interest in Flemish literature, to be read as needed.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a reading knowledge of Dutch who want to encounter Flemish poetry in the original
Scholars and students of Belgian literature or the religious lyric of the Low Countries
Collector-type readers interested in public-domain e-books and Project Gutenberg documents
Language learners who wish to practise close reading of Dutch through short original texts

Not a good fit for

Ordinary readers with no Dutch at all who expect a Chinese translation
Those who prefer plot-driven narrative and an easy reading experience
Beginners who need detailed notes and background introduction

Reading tips

First learn about Gezelle's life and the background of the Flemish Movement, then approach the text.
Read slowly in the order of the poems; mark unfamiliar words and look them up only after finishing a whole section.
Consult a modern Dutch edition or an English rendering to help with the religious imagery.
Combine the reading with knowledge of Belgian cemetery culture and Catholic liturgy for a fuller understanding.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is there a Chinese translation of this book?

The version provided here is the original Dutch text released by Project Gutenberg; the materials do not mention a Chinese translation. For reading in Chinese, you would need to look separately for Chinese-published translations of Flemish literature or related research materials; this e-book cannot be relied on directly.

Can I read it without any Dutch?

Not really advisable. This is the original poetry, with no notes or translation, and the language barrier is high. Readers with no Dutch will find it hard to grasp the meaning and rhythm of the lines and may quickly lose the motivation to read. You could first use a bilingual dictionary or introductory material to get the gist, then decide whether to go further.

Why is this book classed under language and literature?

Project Gutenberg's classification information shows it belongs to the PT class, that is, the Germanic, Scandinavian and Icelandic literatures within language and literature. This indicates it is included as a Flemish literary text rather than a religious or historical monograph, and readers can judge its literary character accordingly.

What should I keep in mind when reading the electronic edition?

This is a public-domain electronic text; its layout and notes may be plain, and display varies from device to device. It is advisable to use reading software that supports Dutch fonts and word lookup, and to use the table of contents to locate individual poems, so that formatting issues do not hinder understanding.

Comments

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About the author

Guido Gezelle Author · Belgian · 1830–1899

Guido Gezelle (Gezelle, Guido, 1830–1899) was a Belgian Flemish-language poet and Catholic priest, born in Bruges in 1830 and died there in 1899; he was ordained in 1854. His poetry is deeply influenced by West Flemish dialect, with plain language and a strong sense of sound, and its themes center on a mystical love of God and creation, often drawing religious feeling from everyday nature and rural life. His representative works include Kerkhofblommen, Bloemlezing uit Guido Gezelle's Gedichten, and Laatste verzen, and three of his works are held in the collection. He is regarded as a pioneer of literary Impressionism and one of the most important poets in Dutch literature, and he translated Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha. Public information on his life and work is limited, and the available account focuses on his themes, style, and literary influence.