WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION.
This package is for self-study, and for your enjoyment.
It is intended for students who have an intermediate knowledge of Dutch, but little or no familiarity with older literature.
Start on this page and then follow the links through the site. For an audio version of the poem (MP3) >please click here.
For help with audio files please >click here.
The package is designed to help you understand one particular poem better. The poem is a sonnet dating back to 1610. You can hear a recording of the Dutch text, read different versions and translations of it, get help with its vocabulary, explore its formal and thematic structure, and check out a close visual parallel. At the end you will have a much fuller grasp of the poem and the genre it belongs to. You can take as much or as little time over this exercise as you wish. You do not need any books or dictionaries to work with the poem. Everything is provided as you move from screen to screen. You will occasionally be invited to answer questions, and you will be able to check your answers immediately through hyperlinks.
The contents are listed on the left blue banner and can be used to navigate around this site.
>Move on to the introduction to the poem
