Today, there are two people I’d like to thank: First, Jean Bos for our contribution today, and second, Jan Dewitte, who will introduce Jean to you.
Many thanks for this wonderful collaboration and for embracing a peculiar characteristic of Braille in such a creative way!
Introduction
Jean Bos was born on 11 January 1951, lives in Belgium and has always been blind. He loves music and language. In 2008 his poetry collection ‘Tijd en daarbuiten’ (‘Time and Beyond’) was published.
For quite some time Jean has been working on a cycle of poems about the Braille alphabet: one poem for each letter. “Easier said than done”, he says. The poem below, ‘Entente Cordiale’ (English and Dutch version), is about the letter W. It is related to how this letter got its place in the Braille system.
Jean fears for the future of Braille:
“Many people don’t learn Braille anymore and they are no longer encouraged to do so. Licht en Liefde is trying to change this in Flanders, which in my opinion is a very good thing. You are never too old to learn Braille. Of course there is speech technology, but that’s how we get practically illiterate people, who no longer know how to write. It’s important to try to keep in touch with the letters. That’s why Braille must absolutely be kept alive. It’s a brilliantly designed system. I have boundless respect for Louis Braille. He perfectly aligned his six dots to the fingertip. Eight-dot Braille is also very valuable, but actually just a little too big.”
ENTENTE CORDIALE
I am number 23 on the list;
Though people often see me, by sheer coincidence
I’m living in another house
Like an odd one out in this Braille bunch.
They put me up here as needs must
Because an Englishman had missed me.
And you don’t serve him hiskey, do you?
The French had quite forgotten me of course.
So I just ended up head over heels
In this completely awkward place,
At number 40, just imagine!
Me, number 23 in the row!
So that was the first Entente Cordiale;
Don’t make me laugh!
But since I’m stranded here
None or nothing will get rid of me.
Jean BOS
ENTENTE CORDIALE (Original)
Ik ben het nummer 23 van de lijst;
Men ziet mij vaak, maar ik woon
Door een stom toeval in een ander huis,
Lijk wel een vreemde eend in deze bijt van Braille.
Men heeft me hier uit noodzaak neergepoot,
Omdat een Engelsman me had gemist –
En die zet je toch ook geen hiskey voor.
De Fransen hadden me natuurlijk straal vergeten.
Dus ben ik zomaar plompverloren
Op een verkeerde plek terechtgekomen,
Op nummer 40, stel je voor!
Mij, nr. 23 uit de rij!
Dat was dan de eerste Entente Cordiale;
Laat me niet lachen!
Maar nu ik hier eenmaal ben,
Krijgt niets of niemand me nog weg.
Jean BOS
useful links:
Read all articles on: livingbraille.eu
Contact us with your contributions, ideas and questions by: braille200@livingbraille.eu
Social media: Braille 200 on Facebook