Gedicht over een heer die verliefd is geworden op iemand boven zijn stand (deel 3) c. 1646 - 1650

This is the third page of a poem made by Gesina ter Borch, sometime in the 17th century. It is written in Dutch in iron gall ink. The text tells of a love that defies social boundaries. In the 17th century, such divisions were rigid; love across social classes was a daring subversion. The heart, pierced by Cupid's arrow, is a symbol of love that goes back to ancient Greece. We see it again and again throughout the centuries, from Renaissance paintings to modern-day tattoos. Its endurance speaks to love's timeless power over the human psyche. Here, the poem suggests a yearning that transcends societal constraints. The longing for something forbidden—a princess, perhaps—tugs at the heart. It transcends time, echoing in countless stories of forbidden love, engaging our deepest emotional memories. It reappears and evolves, each time charged with new meaning, yet forever bound to the universal human experience.