Whispering Sweet Things

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Read a book that brought my restless, inquisitive
mind to a standstill, wonderful repetition of words
works like a charm, little rhymes become a mantra
that calms my agitated soul

The little Captain saying they would not ever sink the
Neversink - old Salty replied - that’s what you think -
they sailed away, the sea rocking gently, the wind
whispering sweet things

A captain steering and peering while visiting strange
ports, bringing treasure to the Lord of Fear and Terror
in a marble palace with golden banisters, mirror floors
and shimmering crystal passages

Found his son, the lord of Quake and Quiver, in charge
one of seven children - three others living in the desert:
Borrow and Morrow and their brother Allmysorrow who
played an accordion and sang all day long

And scorned a treasure chest of gold, no music in that,
he said, preferring to play pling-plang-plong on crystal
that sings when gently tapped – I do not know why sing-
song tales like these, relying on repetition

Sensory descriptions and mystery - are the only means
that release me from existential distress; such
lyrical tales rekindle interest and make
me feel life worthwhile…


“The Little Captain and the Pirate Treasure” by Paul Biegel
Translated from Dutch by Patricia Crampton, JM Dent and
Sons, 1980, quotes from pp 6-69


http://www.nlpvf.nl/basic/auteur1.php?show=all&aut_vertid=32&Author_ID=233

Paul Biegel (1925-2006)

In the nearly forty years Paul Biegel wrote, he
enjoyed unabated success with both readers
and critics. Oblivious to passing fashions and
visibly enjoying playing with language, he related
his timeless tales of dwarfs, witches and robbers.
His world was that of the fairytale, with a riddle to
be solved, a scraggy hero and the eternal struggle
between Good and Evil.

Some of his stories are adventurous and unpretentious
such as De kleine kapitein (The Little Captain, 1971).
De kleine kapitein (The Little Captain, 1970) is one of
the most appealing children’s stories ever to have been
written in Dutch. Rarely has the spirit of a child been
quite so irresistibly enchanted.

Biegel wouldn’t be Biegel if there weren’t a thread running
through the story to tie everything together.

“The language fizzes and sparkles and is packed with jokes,
rhymes and words that don’t yet exist.”
--- De Groene Amsterdammer
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