For Leni

It is now exactly 20 years,
What times those were!
When the stork brought me
Great joy.

On an August day,
He gave me a little sister,
A little sister, looking very presentable,
Was born on that day.

It was during the inflation time,
It cost millions back then,
One was almost indebted by it,
But this could reconcile me.

When I inspected her,
– I was truly delighted –,
I immediately noticed:
She has a little Goethe-like head.

We were 15 years apart in age,
Not a small thing,
And yet we were so close,
A pair to be proud of.

When Leni was a few years old,
And I was still studying,
We were seen quite often –
– And it amused us –

As young daughter and father,
You were truly my little child,
I took care of you, you suffered no harm,
And I tenderly loved you.

And when our father died,
An irreplaceable loss,
Leni always found me ready
For her and her concerns.

It was a solidarity,
One love, one trust,
Truly, it was a fact,
We could rely on each other.

And when there was a vacation,
I guarantee you,
She was completely in her element,
Spending her vacation

In Holland with her brother,
In Amsterdam or The Hague,
No need to ask twice,
He gladly invited you.

Things were not going well in Germany,
You came here,
Settled in The Hague
With renewed courage.

We were not very well off,
But hey, we could live,
The few means were well spent,
We thought it was sublime.

Our garden, the Scheveningen beach,
The sun, the cinemas,
Our home, a free Netherlands,
It was soon over.

The Krauts came, the Netherlands was occupied,
Evacuation was necessary,
To Enschede, it was no fun,
There was no way to defend oneself.

Defeated to the Twente region,
Once again one stirs one’s wings,
Building a nest anew,
We had to start over again.

Once again, a new house was built,
Will one keep it this time,
People did not trust it even then,
It couldn’t be trusted.

Talented in many ways,
Quick to understand and learn,
You have achieved a lot,
In housekeeping and sculpting.

If I am not mistaken today,
It was soon to be felt,
That shortly the situation would worsen,
We had to go into hiding.

Fate took you in its grasp,
You and mother were captured,
I am in a terrible bind,
A fearful son and brother.

I do not hear from you two anymore,
Where you are,
Perhaps it goes badly, perhaps it goes well,
Worry consumes me.

Listen to the born optimist
That I am in heart and soul,
I strongly hope to celebrate
Your birthday with you many more times.

High above many lands and borders
My thoughts arise,
Bringing greetings and bringing wishes
Full of fears and anticipation.