Jules Deelder
PoemsSample Passages
The Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
Of all the battles that have been fought
Over the centuries on land or sea
There is one that has never been
Recounted in the annals of history nor
Its existence so vehemently
Denied by historians
How a whole battle with everything about it
Has been erased from the history books
Where everything that smacks of war
Is usually described in minute detail is
A mystery for which no one has or is
Prepared to give a suitable answer.
Endlessly we descend
On agencies to try to break
The silence that hangs over all
Aspects of this forgotten battlefield
But so far all efforts up to now have
Been in vain
The MoD knows nothing
The same with the General Staff
While De Jong straight up denies
Everything with even the slightest
Link to the silenced
Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
Why? What’s happening?
What game are you playing
On the backs of the dead
And former survivors?
Who gave the order
To forget this battle and
For what reason? That’s
All we want to know as members
Of the association of Former
Survivors of the forgotten
Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
And are we condemned for once
Having fought in the
Service of our country
In the flat land of the same name
For three days and three nights
Against a supposed
Enemy that later turned out
To be just another
Division of the same army?
Is that the scourge of the Battle
Of Arsekettleprickfort?
If yes then tell us face to face
So we know for sure what
Awaits us: an inglorious
End and an unnamed grave
But let us not wallow
In uncertainty over who was
Right and who was wrong in the
Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
We’re too old for that
And too hardened from the fight
We’ve the right to know
Why we were silenced
And shall not sleep until
We get an answer but between
Ourselves we’ve been saying
We’d have been better off if
Instead of surviving we had
Just been killed in the
Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
Then we’d be alright
© Jules Deelder Translation Scott Emblen-Jarret
The Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
Of all the battles that have been fought
Over the centuries on land or sea
There is one that has never been
Recounted in the annals of history nor
Its existence so vehemently
Denied by historians
How a whole battle with everything about it
Has been erased from the history books
Where everything that smacks of war
Is usually described in minute detail is
A mystery for which no one has or is
Prepared to give a suitable answer.
Endlessly we descend
On agencies to try to break
The silence that hangs over all
Aspects of this forgotten battlefield
But so far all efforts up to now have
Been in vain
The MoD knows nothing
The same with the General Staff
While De Jong straight up denies
Everything with even the slightest
Link to the silenced
Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
Why? What’s happening?
What game are you playing
On the backs of the dead
And former survivors?
Who gave the order
To forget this battle and
For what reason? That’s
All we want to know as members
Of the association of Former
Survivors of the forgotten
Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
And are we condemned for once
Having fought in the
Service of our country
In the flat land of the same name
For three days and three nights
Against a supposed
Enemy that later turned out
To be just another
Division of the same army?
Is that the scourge of the Battle
Of Arsekettleprickfort?
If yes then tell us face to face
So we know for sure what
Awaits us: an inglorious
End and an unnamed grave
But let us not wallow
In uncertainty over who was
Right and who was wrong in the
Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
We’re too old for that
And too hardened from the fight
We’ve the right to know
Why we were silenced
And shall not sleep until
We get an answer but between
Ourselves we’ve been saying
We’d have been better off if
Instead of surviving we had
Just been killed in the
Battle of Arsekettleprickfort
Then we’d be alright
© Jules Deelder Translation Scott Emblen-Jarret
