LL-L "Current events" 2008.03.23 (08) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 23 March 2008 - Volume 08
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From: Roger Thijs, Euro-Support, Inc. <roger.thijs at euro-support.be>
Subject: LL-L Events

This week Hugo Claus died.
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Claus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Claus
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Claus

Hugo Claus was a West-Flemish novelist, poet, playwright..., writing in
Dutch, and well read in both North and South.
He had beginning Alzheimer, could not concentrate enough for continuing
with writing, and decided to die by euthanasia at the Antwerp Middelheim
Hospital.

In the press selections of his poetry are quoted

Just one, with my attempt for a translation (quite difficult for modern
poetry, I try to stick to the text)

*Verdwaald Liedje*
**
*Ik hoor de mensen dromen*
*Amaai zijn dat seringen die ik ruik*
*of groeit het grass al op mijn buik?*
**
*En ik, godin van de nacht*
*omhels het jonge kind en de oude kraai*
*amaai amaai amaai*

*Lost Song*
**
*I hear the people dreaming*
*Wowwow are it lilacs that I smell*
*Or is the grass already growing on my bell(y)*
**
*And I, goddess of the night*
*Hug the young child and the old crow*
*Wowwow wowwow wowwow*

Some of us have doubts on the ethics of Belgian law on euthanasia, allowing
people to opt for it, when still in a fair shape, Momentarily some political
parties have "*lowerig the legal age for the procedure"* in their program,
allowing also youngsters to end their life in a controlled way.
I cannot avoid connecting mentally with Beethoven's *Pastorale* as heard in
Soylent Green (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/).
("*Soylent Green*" and "*Nowhere Man*" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112104/"
somehow shaped my feeling for Republican America, although I guess wrongly,
because of the strongly conservative religious - *but maybe hypocritical* -
backbone of the Republican party)

I personally feel this choosen death of Claus was very different from my
mothers' death. She had her first stroke in 1983 and her last fatal one on*
*Christmas eve in 1999. She had problems with talking (aphasia) and somehow
behaved as, and talked like, a child. It was not Alzheimer I think, but
rather an escape from the difficulty (or impossibility) of having complex
conversations.

On the memory print ("doedsbildsje" in Limburgish, "doodsbeeldeke",
traditionally handed out during the catholic memorial mass) I wrote in
West-Limburgish

Noe-e heur leiste attakske
Gevoeierd bè ee dermke
Te veure al loam
En kreig nog kalle,
Zow ees oos Maa
Treuch wei ee kindsje
Treuch noe-e Slivenheer gegon.
http://www.euro-support.be/temp/hl.jpg

*After her last stroke*
*Fed by a little gut*
*Already paralysed*
*And hardly speaking*
*That's how our Mother*
*Again as a little child*
*Returned to Our Lord.*

So we had choosen to live, even with increased difficulties after each new
stroke, till the final call on Christmas eve.

Regards,
Roger
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