Schaatsenrijder (1944)

Gerrit Achterberg

One of Holland's greatest poets, Gerrit Achterberg, also wrote a poem about a skater "De schaatsenrijder". It's about the Dutch art of schoonrijden, the art you can witness at Heerenveen's medal ceremonies, by the skaters in traditional Dutch outfits. Anyone interested nevertheless?
To understand a bit of this poem, it might be valuable to know that it was written during the 'famine-winter' 1944/45, the last winter of WW2. Achterberg himself suffered a lot, and this poem was published illegally by a friend, only to collect some money among friends. Jaap Beckmann made the attending drawing. Today, an original copy of this publication is a collectors-item. In 1937, Achterberg killed his landlady and was sentenced to prison for three years. It was said he killed her because of a lost-love he could never cope with. But that's what they say about all poets...... And where their inspiration comes from.
You're referring to my favourite skating poem, but for sure, it's NOT about the noble art of 'schoonrijden', but about 'regular' ice/speed-skating! I wrote something about it in Schaatssport 9-1999 and at least the drawing that was originally published together with the poem shows a 'regular' skater on a lake, scratching the outlines of a naked girl in the ice (sorry guys, but I can't copy it). The drawing was choosen by Achterberg himself, so we can be sure that it coincides with the meaning of his poem. To me the poem is unique, because Achterberg is the first to discribe both in an artistic AND biomechanical/scientific way what happens while skating.
"The murder of the landlady was not exactly because of a lost love. If you are interested in the reason, ask me. Recurring theme: dead woman. She could be under the ice, but we certainly don't see her. The picture: a skater skating '8's (also the symbol of never-ending eternity), looking down as in a mirror. Two strict circles! If there were no countercircles the movement would find death in a circle. "
Please explain your new insights to me! I'll give you mine.
 I don't know if my insides are new, because I don't know any other insides. But these are mine. I simply (?) tried to explain the mathematical descriptions of Achterberg. My conclusion was: this is a poetical AND mathematical description of the experience if someone skating (on long-track skates, NOT schoonrijden or figure-skating or anything else). But why? To understand, someone at least should know something about how to skate, and have experienced the 'game of balance' in skating, the feeling that your 'weight-centre' (?) is balancing inside AND outside your skates, meanwhile scratching peculiar lines in the ice.
Some lines in Achterberg's poem refers IMO directly to this 'game of balance':
Over zijn strenge cirkels heengebogen
eigent hij zich de middelpunten toe

Bended over his severe circles
he appropriates the centres

This is how you look at your own skates and your scratches while skating. You 'appropriate' your centres, because of your balance. In dutch we call this 'overkomen' (don't know in English): it's the mathematical experience of speed that allows your weight-centre to balance OUTSIDE your skate for a while, after which you APPROPRIATE your centre again by making your next stroke.
waarmee elk nieuw uitvieren zich voltrekt
om elke nieuwe inkeer op te vangen
Zie hem in rustige beslissing hangen
boven het tijdeloze dat hij wekt

with which every new veer out is executed
to catch every new repentance
See him hanging easily deciding
above the timelessness he calls up

To me this is about the same, but more explicit. 'Uitvieren' ('veer out'?) and 'inkeren' (repentance) are the two balancing-stages of every skate-stroke. If you don't catch them on the right time, you'll fall. Hanging over your skates, an experienced skater can easily decide every time when the new stroke is about to be started. But you HAVE TO decide, time after time. But doing it time after time, you are meanwhile creating a stage of timelessness. Anyone who experienced skating on a huge lake, will recognize this feeling of 'deciding stroke after stroke' in combination with 'timelessness' (????????)
en kantelend in tegenkringen leidt
voor het een snelle, ronde dood zou vinden

and cantingly leads it in countercircles
before it would find a fast and circular dead

To me this is a further mathematical explanation of the exact moment of starting your new stroke. At the moment you will have to start your new stroke, your weight-centre is about to come too far outside your skate. To restrain yourself from falling, you'll have to steer your skate a little bit, to allow your weight-centre to come back in between your skates and to start your next stroke. To me, this is what Achterberg calls 'kantelend in tegenkringen': you'll have to steer your skate and cant (topple over?) your body and make a 'countercircle' in the ice. First part of your stroke makes the beginning of a circle to the outside, but the last part of your stroke makes the beginning of a circle to the inside. This is what Achterberg calls 'countercircles'. Look to the scratches of a passing skater: they look a bit like S-es: countercircles?
If you don't 'countercircle' as a skater, your skate will finally make a full circle, but you will fall or 'die': 'a fast and circular dead' (I think this is completely acc. to your explanation?)
The murder of the landlady was not exactly because of a lost love. If you are interested in the reason, ask me.
I know there were some other reasons involved (acc. to Wim Hazeu's biography of Achterberg), but related to Achterberg I'm interested in any plausible or unplausible reason!
Recurring theme: dead woman. She could be under the ice, but we certainly don't see her.
No, we don't see her, he doesn't see her, but he's imagining her. The wonderfull patern of scratches of his strokes and skates can easily be transferred into the lines and shapes of a womans-body. That's why the dead woman/the lost love is coming into his mind. Maybe the scratches can bring her back to life? At least he's obsessively trying to, but in return, the woman is keeping him inside his 'lonely field of forces' as well:
Of houdt een vrouweschim die wij niet zien
hem vast binnen dit eenzaam veld van krachten?

Or is a womans-shade, unvisible to us
keeping him inside this lonely field of forces?

(Besides, ice has always been the metaphor of dead. Love, life and dead only seperated by 5 cm of ice!)

The picture: a skater skating '8's (also the symbol of never-ending eternity), looking down as in a mirror. Two strict circles! If there were no countercircles the movement would find death in a circle.
Look close at the drawing! (I'm sorry I can't scan the picture, but if anyone can, please do! you can find the drawing at SchaatsSport-magazine 8 maart 1999- nr. 9, page 31!) I really can't see any 8's!! The skater is skating on a star-lighted lake, and is about to scratch the outlines of a naked woman in the ice, I clearly see all parts of her body, but no 8's.......

SCHAATSENRIJDER

Over zijn strenge cirkels heengebogen
eigent hij zich de middelpunten toe
Hun trots bezit staat in zijn harde ogen
Hij wordt de mathematica niet moe

waarmee elk nieuw uitvieren zich voltrekt
om elke nieuwe inkeer op te vangen
Zie hem in rustige beslissing hangen
boven het tijdeloze dat hij wekt

en kantelend in tegenkringen leidt
voor het een snelle, ronde dood zou vinden
Hij heeft zich van de wereld bevrijd;
enkel de smalle ijzers die hem binden

aan 't evenbeeld. Een laatste trouw misschien?
Wat kan hij in de spiegel nog verwachten?
Of houdt een vrouweschim die wij niet zien
hem vast binnen dit eenzaam veld van krachten?

IJskoude liefde, die niet sterven wil,
omdat de dode lelies onder water
haar eenmaal droegen in hun gouden harten,
waarmee de vijver vol lag, zwaar en stil.

SKATER

Bended over his severe circles
he appropriates the centres
Their proud possession is visible in his stiff eyes
The mathematics won't tire him

with which every new veer out is executed
to catch every new repentance
See him hanging easily deciding
above the timelessness he calls up

and cantingly leads it in countercircles
before it would find a fast and circular dead
He frees himself from the world
only the small irons are tying him

to the image. Maybe a last faith?
What's left to expect from the mirror?
Or is a womans-shade, unvisible to us
keeping him inside this lonely field of forces?

Icecold love, unwilling to die,
because the dead lilies under the water
once beared her in their golden hearts
filling the pond, ponderous and silent

Input material by: Marnix Koolhaas,Irene Postma
Added: 26 september 1999
Translation: Marnix Koolhaas

Last changes on this page 14 July 2001
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