By Otto Spijkers

Today, we celebrate our freedom in the Netherlands. 5 May was chosen because it marks the end of the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War, but it is really a day to celebrate our freedom in general. Yesterday evening, we commemorated those who fought and died, in the Second World War and thereafter (in missions overseas, including UN Peacekeeping Missions), so that we can now enjoy this freedom. This Remembrance of the Dead is held annually on May 4. Each year, at 8 o’clock in the evening of May 4, the entire country is silent for two minutes. The main ceremony is held at Dam Square, Amsterdam (see picture). This ceremony mainly consists in the laying of wreathes in front of the National Monument on Dam Square, in commemoration of the dead. Also, the winner of a high school poetry-competition reads his or her winning poem on the square, just after the entire nation observed two minutes of silence. The poem is meant to commemorate those who went, fought and died for our freedom. This year the winner was Bahar Azizi, an 18 year old Dutch girl born in Afghanistan. I liked the poem so much that I made an attempt to translate this Dutch poem into English. So here it goes: So this is the poem read at Dam Square yesterday evening, in front of 25.000 people, by Bahar Azizi, 18 years old, from The Hague, Netherlands (the Dutch original can be found here):

In my and everyone’s heart

Never did I understand you never never came back

Like drops of water

Droplets of blood falling on the flowers our flowers our life

Compelling brave and proud like a knight you went

Never did I understand you never never came back

In every smile I see you again in every tear I see you leave

All of us free like flying birds

Not to forget never to forget in my and everyone’s heart

Today I think of you just as yesterday was today and tomorrow will be

Now I understand you were never away always here always free

All of us free like flying birds