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cover / introduction

Criticism of a Gift

Her Royal Highness Princess Juliana receives a special gift from the English Queen. This gift consists of a spacious and comfortably furnished mobile home for the royal family, equipped with all modern comforts. – Het laatste nieuws

I saw today:
Her Majesty, the Queen
Of the realm of Great Britain,
Gave to the House of Orange

A mobile home as a gift,
Orange has the Loo
And other palaces,
So I can’t really praise

The English gift,
Much better, in my opinion,
She gave an alligator,
Which would then bring

The royal family across the water,
It brought the Queen
Back to her old path,
It brought Princess Juliana,

And brought something magnificent:
Princesses Beatrix,
Irene, and Margriet.-
During this “car” ride,

Bernhard is at the wheel,
Heading towards the Scheveningen Pier.
The Hague knows how to do it,
It extends a welcome greeting,

Flags are flying outside,
People cheer loudly,
They are so delighted,
The Alligator rides

From the sea to the land,
A stretch along the beach,
Then through Keizerstraat,
All of Scheveningen stands

And watches this journey,
Which leads from the salty water
To solid ground,
People stare with open mouths

At this new wonder.
The Scheveningen avenue
Is now somewhat less beautiful,
As much of it fell victim
To the axe and saw
Of wood-chopping The Hague.

Then the Alligator rides
Through Zeestraat, a little later,
in a joyful mood,
They continue to Noordeinde.
Here the journey ends,
As they arrive back home.

The Alligator tank
Was indeed a magnificent gift
To the royal house
For the upcoming journey.
But I fear that with that bus,
Such a trip is not feasible.

Therefore, I wouldn‘t give a cent
For the bus gift
From Queen Elizabeth
And find it not successful.

Post-Editing: Annemarie Schellens