Franstalig gedicht op de Nimfen van de Amstel, pagina 1 1640

This is the first page of a French poem to the nymphs of the Amstel, created in the 17th century by Crispijn van de Passe the Younger. Van de Passe was part of a family of artists working across the Dutch Republic and beyond, at a time when the Republic was a haven for intellectual and artistic freedom. The poem presents a series of contrasts, between rest and arms, forests and alarms, and the peace of Pomona and Pales versus the thunder that makes the earth tremble. It reflects a time of relative wealth and stability and a growing sense of national identity. Yet, there’s also a personal dimension as van de Passe writes about his own ambivalence. He writes, “My pen is not suitable to speak of battles… I only tremble when I think of carnage.” The poem wrestles with this personal tension between war and the pastoral, between public life and a more “peaceful humor.” The nymphs become a site to explore questions of identity and purpose. In turning away from battle and bloodshed, van de Passe seems to be searching for what it means to be a man of worth.