Rouwgedicht voor Moses ter Borch (deel 1) after 1667

Gesina ter Borch created this poignant poem in memory of her brother Moses, rendered in delicate ink on paper. Observe the carefully inscribed letters and the teardrop-like strokes embellishing them; these aren't mere decoration. Consider how the act of writing itself becomes a ritual of grief, each letter a symbol of remembrance. The fluid, almost weeping quality of the ink echoes motifs of lamentation found across cultures, from ancient Greek funerary vases depicting mourners to the elegies of Roman poets. Think of the melancholic fall of tears, mirroring the ephemeral nature of life itself. The written word, here, transcends its literal meaning, becoming a conduit for deeply felt emotion—a visual echo of sorrow, resonating with the viewer on a primal level. It is a testament to the enduring power of symbols to express the most profound aspects of the human condition.