Germain Droogenbroodt, Belgium

Germain Droogenbroodt, Belgium
Member of IWA BOGDANI

Germain Droogenbroodt, was born in Belgium but lives already 31 years in Spain. He is an internationally appreciated poet, translator, publisher and promoter of international poetry. He wrote short stories and literary reviews, but nowpoetry, so far thirteen books, published in 29 countries. Hetranslated – he speaks six languages – more than thirty collections of German, Italian, Spanish, Latin American, English and French poetry and rendered Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Persian and Korean poetry into Dutch.

As founder and editor of the Belgian publishing house POINT Editions (POetry INTernational) he published more than eighty collections of mainly modern, international poetry. In 1996 he set up a new poetic movement, called neo-sensacionismo with the famous Chinese poets Bei Dao and Duo Duo

Germain Droogenbroodt organised and co-organised several international poetry festivals in Spain, is also vice president of the Academy Mihai Eminescu, co-founder and advisor of JUNPA (Japan Universal Poets Association), artistic advisorof the Italian movement Poetry & Discovery, and founding president of the Spanish cultural foundation ITHACA. He also collaborates with the Italian poetry publication Margutte.

His poetic oeuvre is many-sided, but having visited the Far East more than 60 times and being a great admirer of Chinese philosophy, his poetry has become very philosophic, making a start with his poetry cycle “The Road”, (translated into Chinese by Bei Dao as TAO) a poetic bridge between the East and the West, inspiring important painters, such as the great Indian artist Satish Gupta, who illustrated 5 of his books

His poetry, considered Taoist and ZEN has also been published in Chinese in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Germain Droogenbroodt is yearly invited to give recitals and conferences around the globe. In China he was invited at the Qinghai Lake Poetry Festival, guest of the Shanghai Writers’ Association, guest of honour in 2018 at the Wuxi YiJingconference and at the 2nd Shanghai International Poetry Festival. He was nominated for the Nobel prize of Literature in 2017.

Awards (selection)

In Belgium: P.G. Buckinx Prijs with his poetry collection “Conversation with the Hereafter”

In Egypt “Doctor honoris causa”, for his merits as poet and promoter of International poetry

In Spain: Premio de Poesía Juan Alcaide, with his poetry book “In the Stream of Time,
Meditations in the Himalayas”

In Mongolia: the “Pegasus Prize” by the Mongolian Academy of Cultura and Poetry

In Macedonia: the Prize Best Poem of the Festival” at the International Poetry Festival in Tetovo
In Lebanon: Laureate of the Naji Naaman’s Literary Prizes

En Bangladesh: the Kathak Literary Prize 2015.

In Romania: “The Grand Prix Mihai Eminescu Prize” for his poetry and the Poesía Mihai Eminescu 2015 + 2017 medal as promoter of international poetry.

In China: “Internationally best poetry translator” by the International Translation and Research Centre

In Japan: the JUNPA Legend Award (2017)

In Italy; the Premio Speziale Don Luigi di Liegro 2017 at the Museum of the Capitol in Rome, 2017
In France: Prix de Poésie EASAL (European Academy of Sciences Arts and Literature) 2018
In China: Certificate of Honor for his paper “The Road” at the 3rd YiJing Summit Forum in Wuxi, 5th June 2018

                                                    

Hold

The roots
which underground
search for water
are much more
than roots
searching for water
but hold
for the tree.

Bedazzled

From the dawn he thieves
the poppy-red glow
and eye-blue
from the ripple of the sea

from blossom and bloom
the intoxicating perfume

and if sometimes the day
leaves him with empty hands

then he bedazzles
with the wine of yesteryear.

 

La Cava *

to Ado Franchini

Chiselled in the abdominal wall of the mountain:
la Cava

Continuously sloshing
the urging of the water

On the horizon
disappears between mountain and mountain
the lake

Leaving behind the wrinkles
the wordless questioning
of time.

* Cava, Italian for quarry, where the poet was staying, at Lake Como in Italy,
writing this poem

I plant a coco palm, a lychee
and a custard-apple

 I dig a hole
in my garden’s stony ground
ensile in humus
weed and fertile soil
the roots of my exotic trees
from which I
stiff and aged will taste
the sweet fruits of memory.

SUNDAY MORNING AT LAKE COMO

 With joyful birdsong
the day unfolds its red wings

white clouds appear in the vault of the sky
and dissolve into the ethereal azure

with clock chimes the sun appears
and on the green shoulders of the mountains

and Sunday’s rest descends
like a long awaited silence.

From “The Ephemeral Flower Of Time 

Peaceful morning in the Himalayas

It appears
as if the previous night
has quenched every thirst

The day comes with light
and voices of birds
strange to the ear

In the distance
the wavering sound
of a reed flute:

a morning prayer
for Shiva, for Buddha
or for whatever god.

So peaceful appears this morning
as if after so many ages
humanity were at peace
finally at rest.

Nightfall

Indecipherable
the dark figures
of the night
neither at the mountainside
the signs, the flight
of a lonely bird
so late, above the lake
nor the convulsion of silvery light
that breaks through the darkness
illuminating the mountains
and till heaven spans
—just for a moment
an ephemeral colour arc.

GERMAIN DROOGENBROODT (Belgium-Spain)
Translation: Germain Droogenbroodt & Stanley H. Barkan, Poet/Publisher

Eagle

The ravens fly in swarms
the eagle flies alone
—Luchino Visconti

So close to heaven
flies the eagle
lonely
as the poet

who patiently waits
the arrival of a verse

till the pen
finally scratches a few a few lines

still doubting
the sense

the idleness
of naming.

Germain Droogenbroodt

From: “In the Stream of Time, Meditations in the Himalayas”
POINT Editions

ADELAAR

De raven vliegen in zwermen
de adelaar vliegt alleen
Luchino Visconti
De hemel zo na
vliegt de adelaar
eenzaam
als de dichter
geduldig wachtend
op de komst van het woord
tot eindelijk de pen
enkele regels krast
twijfelend nog
over de zin
de vergeefsheid
van het benoemen.

Germain Droogenbroodt

Uit: “In de stroom van de tijd, Meditaties in de Himalaya”

POINT Editions

The History of the Poem Of The Week

Already 571 weeks I select a nice poem from all over the world with a corresponding illustration, originally for a Dutch magazine, but meanwhile published at an English, Kurdish and several Romanian magazines and websites in Italian, Japanese, Hebrew, Malay and by Point Editions weekly in English, Spanish and Dutch:
www.point-editions.com

Being myself a poet whose poetry collections have been published so far in 29 countries and since 1984 founder-publisher of POINT Editions, publishing international poetry, several translators of my poetry offered to translate the “Poem of the Week” in their language and mail the poems to their friends/contacts. Translated and published in 21 languages, the Poem of the Week is sent to more than 14.000 readers all over the world in Arab, Chinese, Dutch, English, Farsi, French, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Kurdish, Macedonian, Malaysian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Sicilian…We probably have weekly between 50-60.000 readers worldwide.

The idea of the Poem of the Week is to offer our readers every week a short poem: a piece of beauty. Totally free of charge and without commercial publicity.
Our goal: to do something, however little, for more humanity, for a better understanding between people of whatever race, culture or religion.  

Anyone who wishes to receive the poem in one of the mentioned languages can inform me to receive it weekly in his/her language. Several of our readers informed us the emails of their literary contacts to mail them the Poem of the Week.
See www.point-editions for a selection of already published Poems of the Week in English, Spanish and Dutch.

Interested to translate the poem in another language? Welcome!
A poetic salute
Germain Droogenbroodt
Poet, translator and promoter of modern international poetry