An old poem from Flanders

[Luchere]

Some days ago I stumbled on this rhyme on the internet.
It directly caught my attention because of the resemblance with the OLB.

The origine of the poem is covered in mysteries. It might be made up around 1860-1880, or maybe it’s much older, who knows…
It tells about the Frisian origin of the peoples from Flanders (Belgium). For who is familiar with the OLB and can read the text in the old ‘Dutch’ language, there will probably be a lot of recognition points.

Out Vlaems vers van bi 't Swin

Als wi nog waren Vlaemen friesch,
ende erkenden Wr.ald ende Odin,
quaem daer van Eire ende Alba her,
woendere saege ende nieve leer.

Ut diep heet Zuud, een noorderlicht,
nog wyder dan de Middelzee,
waer wi ons setteden op kustenrots.

Vremde konde greep ons aen:
Van od een speghelingh menschelick,
een Gode sprac Waerheyt noordelick:
een weg gerade en konincklick.

Een Zone, men zegde ons van Odsche sibbe,
gevonden deur herders in bloote kribbe.

Wij wisten bi Thoer eerst genen raad,
of dizze konde was goet oft kwaad.

Maer vliegen dee' die mare bling
van Noord toe Oostzee met den wind.

Ende 't was foor Friezen geen dere,
ende geen grond om zich stelle te were.

Ommers op Walcria bernde het vier;
snekken op Sincfal joegen fier.

Met Alba end' Eire wi waren vereent
alvorens de zeie ons scheidde vaneen.

Wi minden de konde, vrihedens sterr'
en horkten of quaem meer tydingh van verr'.

Wr.ald ende Odin staen altyt oerein,
van voor 's Booms beginne tot na syn ein.

Source reference https://semafoor.info/nl/ArchiveDocumen ... =SEM_05_3#

This poem and a Dutch article about it’s origin and history, written by Alex Laenen, was published in the Dutch magazine SEMafoor in August 2004 (see here, page 32 https://semafoor.info/nl/ArchiveDocumen ... =SEM_05_3#). (SEMafoor is a magazine from a studygroup that studies the history of the Netherlands in the first millennium).

It’s said in this article that:
– this poem was (probably) in the posession of: priest and poet Guido Gezelle, his protégé Emiel van Biervliet, Marcel vande Velde, prof. G. van Oosterhout and finally ended up with archivist Albert Delahaye. Also Jacques F. Overwijn might have seen the poem, as speculated in the article.
(About Guido Gezelle https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Gezelle, About Albert Delahaye https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Delahaye)
– Albert Delahaye considered it’s origine might be from before the 12th century.
– How Guido Gezelle came into posession of this poem is unknown, it’s speculated that he actually wrote it himself. Gezelle never published it in his own “Collected works” or his own magazine. Marcel vande Velde suspected that linquist Johan Winkler discouraged Gezelle to publish it, “because this poem might be associated with the Oera Linda Book, of which Winkler was himself was very sceptical”.

Hmmm….

For who can read Dutch, I recommend to read the full article in the SEMafoor publication.

I don’t know of any of you ever saw this poem before, but for me it's quite impressive in the light of the OLB.

The (allthough not proven) fact that Winkler discouraged Guido Gezelle to publish the poem, actually makes it for me suspicious. What if he discouraged it because Winkler saw it could be authentic, and this off course didn’t fit his narrative of critisism on the OLB??

It can also be, off course, that Guido Gezelle himself was inspired by the Oera Linda book and wrote the poem, the timing would be correct for this because Ottema published the OLB in 1872 and Gezelle lived from 1830 till 1899.

[ott]

It can also be, off course, that Guido Gezelle himself was inspired by the Oera Linda book and wrote the poem

This is most likely.
I read the poem in Overwijn's edition, if I remember correctly.

[net_eamelje]

The semafoor publications are a gem! I spent a lot of time the last couple of days by binge-reading the publications of the past 20 years.

With regards to the poem:
I am suprised that it was deemed authentic, as I could not identify it as frisian and "WR.ald" is a give-away reference to the OLB.