Grook

Cette forme poétique fut inventée par le polymathe Piet Hein, qui en a écrit entre 7 000[1] et 10 000 [2], publiés dans plus de 20 volumes. Ses premiers grooks furent d'abord publiés dans le quotidien Politiken, le 14 avril 1940, sous le pseudonyme de Kumbel Kumbell. Ses poèmes étaient alors une forme subtile de résistance passive contre l'occupation nazie. Il dut d'ailleurs s'exiler en 1943, et partit jusqu'en Argentine, mais ses grooks continuèrent à être publiés[3].

Certains proposent que le terme grook (gruk) vient de grin & suk ("rire et soupir" en danois[4] - [5]), mais Piet Hein soutient que ce mot lui est venu d'une soudaine inspiration et n'a pas de signification particulière[3].

The Road to Wisdom

The road to wisdom? Well, it's plain

and simple to express:

Err

and err

and err again,

but less

and less

and less.

(Piet Hein)

Consolation Grook

Losing one glove

is certainly painful,

but nothing

compared to the pain,

of losing one,

throwing away the other,

and finding

the first one again.

(Piet Hein)

Dream Interpretation

Simplified

Everything's either

concave or -vex,

so whatever you dream

will be something with sex.

(Piet Hein)

A Psychological Tip

Whenever you're called on to make up your mind,

and you're hampered by not having any,

the best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find,

is simply by spinning a penny.

No — not so that chance shall decide the affair

while you're passively standing there moping;

but the moment the penny is up in the air,

you suddenly know what you're hoping.

(Piet Hein)

More Haste

Inscription for a monument at the crossroads

Here lies, extinguished in his prime,

a victim of modernity:

but yesterday he hadn't the time —

and now he has eternity.

(Piet Hein)

Meeting the Eye

You'll probably find

that it suits your book

to be a bit cleverer

than you look.

Observe that the easiest

method by far

is to look a bit stupider

than you are.

(Piet Hein)

Nothing is Indespendable

Grook to warn the universe against megalomania

The universe may

be as great as they say.

But it wouldn't be missed

if it didn't exist.

(Piet Hein.)

The Final Step

Motto: Il n'y a que le dernier pas qui coûte

If they made diving boards

six inches shorter —

think how much sooner

you'd be in the water.

(Piet Hein)

The Egocentrics

People are self-centered

to a nauseous degree.

They will keep on about themselves

while I'm explaining me.

(Piet Hein)

• Grooks by Piet Hein
• The Grooks by Piet Hein at Agriturismo Villa Stabbia
• Le site de Piet Hein