The phrase “alles van waarde is weerloos” means “all things of value are defenceless”. It comes from a poem by the famous Dutch poet Lucebert.
Photo: illustrir
Rotterdam CityPoem: ‘De zeer oude zingt’, Lucebert
The very old sings (a literal translation, not a poetic one):
there is no more in little
nor is there less
still is unsure what was
what will be will be without will
only if it is it is serious
it remembers without doubt
it remains in haste
all things of value are defenceless
will be rich of touch-and-feel
and equal to all things
like the heart of time
like the heart of time
Lucebert
Photo: illustrir
The Poem in the bigger picture. Photo: magicsmile
And this is how the Centre for Visual Arts in Rotterdam South reacted: “Van alles is weer waardeloos” / “All kinds of thigs are worthless once again”.
About the author
Lubertus Jacobus Swaanswijk a.k.a. Lucebert (Amsterdam, 1924 – Alkmaar, 1994) was a Dutch art painter, poet, designer and lithographer.
His talent was discovered when he started working for his father after school. After half a year of art school, he chose to be homeless between 1938 and 1947. In 1947, a Franciscan convent offered him a roof over his head, in exchange for a huge mural painting. Because the nuns could not appreciate his work, they had it painted over with white paint entirely.
He belonged to the Dutch literary movement of De Vijftigers. They were highly influenced by the European avant-garde movement COBRA. So was Lucebert, especially in his early work. His art reflects a rather pessimistic view on the world.
His strong personality appealed to many. As a poet he layed foundation for a revolutionary innovation of Dutch poetry.
Most of his poems were collected in Gedichten 1948-1965. After this period of writing poetry, he worked mostly on visual arts, that was called figurative-expressionist from the Sixties.
He is very well known for his line ‘Alles van waarde is weerloos’ (All things of value are defenceless). This line is put on top of a building in Rotterdam (near the Blaak station) in neon letters, including his name.
er is niet meer bij weinig
noch is er minder
nog is onzeker wat er was
wat wordt wordt willoos
eerst als het is is het ernst
het herinnert zich heilloos
en blijft ijlings
alles van waarde is weerloos
wordt van aanraakbaarheid rijk
en aan alles gelijk
als het hart van de tijd
als het hart van de tijd
Lucebert
- Rotterdam (1) - mirroring the water of the Singel
- Rotterdam (2) - Surinam's national poem
- Rotterdam (3) - on waste disposal trucks
- Rotterdam (4) - Lucebert's neon poem
- Rotterdam (5) - Rotterdam's night mayer Deelder
- Rotterdam (6) - for the visitors of Blaak market
- Rotterdam (7) - on a children's hospital
- Rotterdam (8) - by Leopold
- Rotterdam (9) - haikus on the pavement
- Rotterdam (10) - boomp boomp
Inspiring Cities Museum of CityPoems
Inspiring Cities has collected many citypoems over the years, as well as organized salons with citypoets and cities doing special projects. We have two criteria for what a citypoem is: the intention must be poetic, and it must be in the public realm of cities. Shapes, form and locations can and do differ.
The Museum of CityPoems has citypoems from cities all over the world. From Alhambra to Zonnebeke, from Taipei to Lima.
Got one yourself? Mail us your pictures (free of rights) and description, and we will publish.