Herman de Coninck

Herman de Coninck (1944-1997) was a Belgian poet, essayist, journalist and publisher. He died in Lisbon of a cardiac arrest during a literary congress. After his death, his poetry debut, De lenige liefde (Limber Love, 1969), a collection of playful love poems, remains one of the best-sold volumes of Dutch-language poetry.

Just As This Island Belongs To The Gulls

Just as this island belongs to the gulls

and the gulls to their cry

and their cry to the wind

and the wind to no one,

so is this island the gulls

and the gulls their cry

and their cry the wind

and the wind is no one’s.

— Herman de Coninck