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“ bêt noir ” Jean CCC a.D. 1999 tri~esias. tri-esias ikebbet didn’t I altijt noch always chezecht say so waas waas ende and the sfinks sphinx zattop sat on denberreg the mountain mérotse with rocks en rivierkes and streams méwater with water enij brulde and he roared mésijne with his leeuwekop lion’s head dadiedereen so everyone etkonnore could hear en iedereen and everyone die voorbij who went kwam past moestbetale had to pay mésijvlees with their flesh ofse or else they mochtenie couldn’t pass door through nenarrem an arm ier here

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eenbeen a leg daar there ovunne or else kop a head asse stom if they were ware stupid en ze wiste and had geen antwoord no answer oppet raatsel to the riddle dattem vroech he asked them tottatten until the tyran tyrant kwam came enij and he wistet wel did know it ennij and he antwoordde answered ne mens a man enzijne and his kop head wierni weren’t afgebete bitten off of zijn or his arreme arm of sijn bene or his leg enalsij and when he voorbijwas had passed by toen brieste the sphinx de sfinks roared ennij kon but he niets couldn’t say meer zegge another word zijn tong his tongue inguit hung out sijnemuil of his jaws

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enineens and suddenly wierèm he turned van steen to stone enij rolde and he rolled vandenberreg down the mountain in stukke in bits vaneen and pieces tot op down to de gront the ground en tstof and dust waaidenop flew up enalle and all stukke van the pieces of mense people die daar lage that lay there rezenop rose up enwiere and became trug mense people again en ze and they zongenen sang ze danste they danced en ze keke and they looked naa beneje down waarij lach where he lay in gruzelmente in smithereens en ze spoge and they spat nerop on him en ze and they piste pissed naar beneeë down on him en twazal and it was already nacht night en de maan and the moon stontsot was a loon

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tri~esias. tri~esias ikkebbet didn’t I altijt always nochchezecht say so desfinks. the sphinx ijzei he said waddist what is it tloopt it walks op vier on four potelegs legs smorreges in the morning op twee on two smiddachs at noon ennop drie and on three savons in the evening waas waas. ze danste they danced inunne in the flikker nude enzo issem and that’s how koninggeworre he became king den bekenden the well-known tyran tyrant vantlant over the land tri~esias. tri~esias ikzien I can’t see niks anything ik zijn I’m as zo blint blind asnenotter as an otter dakomt that’s because iksijnzo I was born

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gebore like that vroeger then uittet gat they pulled vaneen me ezelin out of hebbe ze mij the end getrokke of a donkey daarat where teneenof one or tenandere other got god had mij ingestoke stuck me in damoet must be wel like that wanttik ‘cos I kansien can see de vlucht the flight vandevogels of the birds en van and of the dingewande innards de kleur the colour vande of the beeste beast dasienik I can wel see that enazzik and if I vertel tell it dan luistere everybody nallemense listens enze zegge and they say tiswaar it’s true dentyran the tyrant. ier here zijnik I am

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ze staan they’re standing voortpaleis in front of the palace mébuile with lumps nenbulte and humps volzwarte full of netter black pus zebbe depest they’ve got the plague zeggeze they say tri~esias. tri~esias derisne there’s vloek a curse van degode from the gods dekarre the carts rijenop drive back ennaf and forth mélijke with bodies zeligge they lie tekronkele writhing innun in their uize houses endan and then bloeie ze they bleed doodt to death ttoepijn it hurts zeggeze they say dentyran. the tyrant kweettatter I know ne vloekis it’s a curse kep creon I’ve already al gestuurt sent Creon naartorakel to the oracle vandieëgod of that god

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mésijne with his napekop monkey’s head omtore to hear hoeist how it is tsalij will he mij zegge tell me waarom why datte grond the earth niks voortbrengt is infertile en datte vrouwe and that women geenkindere no longer Nimeergooie bear children wantda because debbik ook that’s what I also goort heard tsijn mijn kindere they’re my children alles everything valdop mijne falls on my kop shoulders iksijn I am denbekenden the well-known tyran tyrant madam. tsijn uw they’re your kindere children en geptter and you altij voor always gezorregt looked after them sinsdachier since I came aankwam here en tlant and freed hebt bevrijd the land van desfinks from the sphinx diënin who

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gruzelmente crashed down nisgestort in pieces gezij ne you are goeientyran a good tyrant en de mense and people zienu graag like you tisgene vloek it’s not a curse van de gode of the gods tiseen ongeluk it’s bad luck dadduw vollek that’s happened treft to your people daweetik I know that ksijnuvrou ‘cos I’m your wife the tyrant. kken degode I don’t know ierni the gods here ik kom I come vanne verlant from a distant land waarmij vader where my father emmij moeder and my mother woont live ksijn gevlucht I fled voor degode from the gods daar there omdasezegde because they said dakmij that I would vader kill zou vermoore my father en and mémij moeder marry soutrouwe my mother kebbéél de weg the way I took afgelegt passed langsberrege through mountains

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nendale and valleys langsstrome along streams nenriviere and rivers ommier tekome to get here kep desfinks I defeated verslage the sphinx mésij stom with its stupid raatsel riddle ennu bennik and now I’m de koning the king ennu and now zijnzallemaal they’re all ziek sick madam. Gemoet you have Gedultebbe to be patient tri~esias. Tisne It’s a Vloek curse Vandegode from the gods Gezultet you’ll Sien see Alscreon when Creon Trugkomt returns Vantorakel from the oracle Ziedaar look Kommtijsie here he comes now creonwaas. Kkebbart I ran Chelope as fast as possible Wanttik because I Ébchoenieuws have good news

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dentyran. Ksietaan just look Ugezicht at your face Tis it’s Stralent radiant creonwaas. de got the god zeiet said it eel duidelijk very plainly en klaar and clearly tis bloet it’s blood dentyran. Wasechtge what do you mean? Bloet blood Wabloet what blood? creonwaas. Bloet blood Daddier that has been Intlant shed here vergotenis in this land een schult a debt van lang from long geleeë ago da moet that has verzoent worre to be appeased mébloet with blood dentyran. Enwie and whose Sijnbloet blood Isttan is it then?

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creonwaas. Vandenoude of the old Kooning king Vantlant of the land ze zegge they say daddij that he door roovers was murdered is vermoort by robbers en al zijn and all his manne doot men dead op ene na except for one die zegt who says dattem that he door overmacht had no choice but is gaanlope to run away madam. Laios was Laios was mijne man my husband toen. then. ijwas opwech He was on his way naar torakel to the oracle en toenij and when he vermoort was was killed zattesfinks the sphinx ier noch was still altijt here mensenop devouring tete people daarom that’s why hebbe we ni we didn’t gezocht search naar de moor for the mur- denaars -derers

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maar geweent but shed tears en in rouw and dressed geweest in mourning voorém for him tware duistere they were dark dage days Endemaan and the moon kwam voor came in front of de zon the sun intmidde in the middle vandendach of the day hijheeft he has mij kinderloos left me gelate childless Laios Laios Nichelijck not like Gij you Entoenook and at that time ware de the children kindere were also dootgebore born dead en bracht and the soil het veld remained niksvoort infertile dentyran. Dusbloet so blood door bloet with blood voordenouwe for the old kooning king danmoete they must sij gevonde be found worre those dietchedaan that did Ebbe it

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Ierintlant here in the land of erges or somewhere anders else wie ze vint whoever finds them kanze brenge can bring them naartpaleis to the palace tisvoor it’s for een goeiezaak a good cause want konings because allowing moordenaars king’s murderers late lope free to roam asgezellef when you yourself koningzij are king isni isn’t verstandigh wise madam. Daddis that’s Waar true maar als but if gewilt you want wijze raad some good advice vannenblinde from a blind man dienalles who sees zie everything moet ge you should Tri~esias call Roepe Tri~esias dentyran. Ikkebèm I’ve already al geroepe called him sie daar look over there komtijsie here he comes mésij lief with his girlfriend

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tri~esias. Kgatrug I’m going Naaruis back home dentyran. gij wét alles you know everything van denémel about heaven endaarde and earth gij moettons you have to zegge tell us wiewast who it was die Laios who murdered hee gemoort Laios gij zij you are newijze man a wise man tri~esias. de wijsheid wisdom is blint is blind * assu ni dint if it’s of no use ikseg u niks I’ll tell you nothing dentyran. Gijwettet You know it Spreekttan speak then gij zouet you would wateruit squeeze water de rotse slaan out of a rock gij verrader you traitor tri~esias. gij zij zellefs you’re not even ni vanier from here en noemt mij and you call me

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ne verader a traitor entiert zo don’t rage at me ni op mij like that tiert liever better rage op die van u at the person die bij u woont who lives with you daarbinne in there dentyran. hoeist mochelijk I don’t believe it ebtgij misschin were you also mee beraamt in on the plan of ze mé uw hande or did you do it gedaan de moort with your hands, the murder gij blinderik you, you’re blind tri~esias. gij zijdier you’re the fool de zot here de moodenaar the murderer die ge zoekt you’re looking for zijt gij is yourself alle tekes the signs zeggenet all point to it de vogels the birds in de lucht in the air en de kleur and the colour vandin of their gewande intestines dentyran. heeft creon did Creon uaangezet put you up to it omier to come te kome here

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liege and lie diën heeftta he’s the one who gedaan did it delafaart the coward engoopt and hoped op dekroon for the crown ende macht and the power denafluizer the cheapskate wasij zo outni he wasn’t that old ik zou them I’ll show late voele him wie ier de who’s the king koning is around here en gij blinde and you blind mol mole zijnen boot his mess- schapper -enger ge moogt you can fier zijn be proud op uwerrek of your work kferban u I banish you uittet lant from the land gij ébttet it was you yourself zellef gedaan who did it madam. alda boos all that ranting geroep and raving hellept niks doesn’t help mijne man my husband waas. mé wijsheid it has nothing heefta niks to do te make with wisdom

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tri~esias. wette gij wel have you any idea in wa foor the shame schande gij you live in sameleeft together médduw with your kroost offspring daweet gijni you have no idea en ook uw neither do you know afkomst ni your origins daweet gijni you have no idea dache getroffe that you’ve been struck by zij door vader a father’s curse en door and by moedervloek a mother’s curse dache that you blinder will be zult sijn blinder dan ick than me en kruipe and crawl ninetol in the cave van daarde of the earth waarook uw which isn’t plaatsni is your place either daduw zone that your sons uw broers are your brothers en uw dochters and your daughters uw zusters sijn are your sisters uw moeder your mother uw vrouw your wife daweet chijni you don’t know that dentyran. gij misbaksel you monster

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van de natyyr of nature zellefs uwe even your mont mouth is blint is blind gij verrader you traitor gij scheven you deformed bedelaar beggar waar waart where were ge mettuw you with your vogels en birds and uw ingewande your intestines en medduwe and with your got god toen de when the sfinks ier sphinx brulde en vrat roared and devoured ikkébbet I’ve already al gekrege got mijn kroon my crown en tkoning and the king- schap en al -ship and all tri~esias. en toch and yet verliest ge you lose tal en wort everything and become ne schooier a vagabond gij koning you king van tmoeras of the swamp daddu opzuigt that sucks you up waas. hijga he goes mésij lief with his girlfriend

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ksén bang I’m scared madam. ne langen a long tijd time gelede ago voorspelde the oracle het orakel prophesied dammij kint that my child zij vader would kill zou vermoore his father zij vader Laios his father Laios wou gee kind didn’t want a child omdattem tat because he’d goort heard this maar kébbém but I got him zatgevoert drunk * ennij mij and he filled vol en toen me and tgebore when it heeft ij was born da borelinkske he had medeen pin a pin door zijn voete put through late steke its foot en tin de and threw berrege weg it out gegooit onto the mountain path gezie you see dakint that child heeft zij didn’t vader ni kill gemoort his father en wattorakel and what the oracle zei wasni prophesied

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gebeurt didn’t happen tkomt ni not everything al uit has come true ij is vermoort he was murdered door roovers by robbers bij den at the driesprong fork in the road dentyran. ik sijn I was gebore born innever lant in a far away land * bij de kooning in the king’s house en toen and then zegdeniemand someone said daddik that I was sijne zoon not ni was his son toen bennik I went ook naar to the torakel oracle chegaan too en da segde it said dakmij that I vader would kill zou moorde my father en mé mij and marry moeder trouwe my mother en kroost and bring up verwekke a family iksijn I gevlucht ran away méniks with nothing as de sterre but the stars en toenik and when I

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bij den driesprong arrived kwam at the fork in the road waas. den driesprong the fork in the road kksén bang I’m scared dentyran. liep daar there was nenheraut this herald die zei who said dakkuit de that I had to wech moest get out of his way gaanwant because datter nen an oude koning old king door moest wished to pass ik wilde ni I didn’t want opzij to get out of the way en sloeggèm and doot killed him den oude the old man nin de wage who had waited had gewacht in the coach en sloeg hit me mézijn zweep with his whip op mijne kop on my head en ik sloech and I hit trug back enij rolde and he rolled uitte wage out of the coach inne plas bloet in a pool of blood toen hebbik then I dander finished afgemaakt the other one off

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mémijne stok with my staff da was that was op den driesprong at the fork in the road maar uwe Laios but what did hoe zachem your Laios eruit look like madam. gelijk gij Like you maar ouder but older. mé grijsaar With grey hair elemaal Exactly the same eneen kroon and a crown. dentyran. en wassem and did he méveel volk have a lot op stap of retainers gelijk ne like a koning king madam. Mèéene just wagemaar one coach dentyran. gode waddébt god what do che mé mij you intend to voor do with me twasij maybe misschiensta it was diekdoot him that geslagenéb I beat to death waas.

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ene knecht a servant is ontsnapt escaped ijzei he said daddet that it roovers ware was robbers ni chij not you dentyran dan moette then we should wém ier have him late kome come here madam. ijis erder he’s a shepherd op tlant in the fields dentyran. we moette we have to némier have him late kome brought here madam. asgij het zij if it was you komttet the oracle’s orakel noch prophecy ni uit about Laios over Laios that he die door would be zijne zoon killed zou gemoort by his son worre still hasn’t come true orakels oracles das voor are de zotte for fools

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waas. ik gaanook I don’t go there nimmeer any more either dentyran. ik bennet It’s not me ni the denerder shepherd zalt zegge will say desfinks. en weetge and do you nual zeker know definitely wie u éé whose verwekt child you are gij wettani you don’t know dafraagtgu you’d better beter af ask yourself dentyran. de kooning the king vannever lant of a far away land ikkèbbettu I told chesecht you enzwijgtnu now shut up desfinks. ik zwijch I’ll shut up maar denkt but daaraan think about it madam. gijébt chenoech you’ve got enough om aan te denke to think about méuw duizent with all your

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zorrege troubles dentyran. ik willet I want wetenal to know now ikkan ni I can’t stil zijn concentrate mijne kop my mind’s raast rushing vanbinne from here en vanbuite to there wanneer is die when did this laios Laios gestorreve die waas. vlak voor just before da gij ier you came kwamt here daarkomt look there’s nen bodesie a messenger coming tis precies looks just like nenerder a shepherd waaserder. Isdadier is it here dadiemand that someone kooning is is king die van tlant who comes from van den hogen the land berreg komt of the high mountain madam. Dadisier it’s here Vreemdeling stranger

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tis mijne man it’s my husband waaserder. gaattém hale go and fetch him dan want then because keb nieuws I have news goedof good or slecht bad dentyran. Iksijnet It’s me Dentyran the tyrant waaserder. uw vader your father is daar died gestorreve there en nu wille ze and now they want da ge kooning you to be word king madam. Wasechtge what are you saying is sij vader is his father doot dead daar int there in that ver lant far away land waar hij where he gevlucht is fled to hoort ge da you hear that dentyran. Ikkooret I hear it en hoe is hij and how did he gestorreve die

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vrint friend zech het mij tell me ik zit op I’m impatient éte kole to know waaserder. Intbed in bed en van den and from ouderdom old age meneer sir en medde and with laatste zuchtje his last breath dentyran. dus ni mé so not by wapens en weapons and gruwelijk horribly ik was daar I wasn’t * ni omtrent around torakel komt the oracle hasn’t ni uit come true gewoon simply in tbed is in bed is ij gestorreve how he died maar mij moeder but I could ik zou haar still nog kunne marry trouwe my mother waaserder. Wasechtge what was that Heer sir medduw moeder marry trouwe your mother tzou schoon that would be

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zijn a fine thing dadis om te it’s a good lache joke madam. Lachtni don’t laugh en gij and anyway you gelooft toch don’t believe ni meer in oracles in orakels any more uw vader your father is doot is dead en zonder and without dat gij met you being armed with een wapen of a weapon or ander tuig anything else in de geburen being Waart anywhere near is da noch isn’t that nie chenoech enough wa twijfelt what doubts do you ge noch still have uw moeder ‘Your mother’, zegt ge you say zis ier ver is far away vandaen from here en waarom and why zou ze met u should she want wille trouwe to marry you gij zot you idiot gij kwistenbiebel you nincompoop torakel is the oracle ni waar isn’t right dadist that’s it

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waaserder. Wadisdadier what’s this all about van trouwe marrying méuw moeder your mother kverstaanet ni I don’t understand a thing madam. Torakel the oracle hij is naar he went to consult torakel geweest the oracle lang geleje a long time ago dentyran. en teeft mij and it told chezegd me dakmij vader that I would zou moorde murder my father en mémij and marry moeder trouwe my mother madam. laatafnu leave it be veel mense lots of people ware innun had dreams drome about de man being vannun the husband moederal of their mother laataf zeggik leave it be I say waaserder. Meneer sir de kooning the king van ons lant of our land en zijn vrouw and his wife

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waren were uw moeder not en uw vader your mother ni or you father ikzellef heb u it was me that gevonden found you als boreling as a baby in een kloof in a cleft in de berrege in the mountains ik kreeg u a slave of vanne slaaf Laios van Laios handed you to me toen nog when he was still kooning king ier here medden pin with a pin door uw voete through your feet ik heb zer I took it zellefa out uitgaald myself en u aant and gave you kinderloos to the koningspaar childless geschonke royal couple die u hebbe who nopgevoet brought you up uw voete your feet zijnet bewijs are the proof dentyran. och mijn voete o my feet dadout zeer hurt mijne kop my head tolt is spinning dus mijn so my

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ouders parents zijn mijn are not ouders ni my parents madam. ikkeb genoech I’ve heard gehoort enough dentyran. en dienerder and the shepherd van Laios of Laios’ izet dezellefde is that the same man als die as the wachter was guard was there bij zijn doot when he died madam. ik willer ni I don’t want van hore to hear tis ijle praat it’s idle talk dentyran. of schaamt or are you gu ashamed voor mijn of my lage afkomst lowly birth nu now madam. ik willer ni I don’t want van hore to hear another word kzeg u I tell you niets meer not a word ikbenwech I’m leaving

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dentyran. zis beschaamt she’s ashamed ochgot my goodness mijne kop my head is rolt en rolling and tolt spinning kben vrij nu I’m free now de maan is the moon is mijn broer my brother en kwor om and I Kante alternate between groot big en klein and small misschien perhaps ben ik het I am the kint wel the child vanne got of a god en een nimf and a nymph uitte from the berrege mountains knechtwaas. Zijdegijda is that you waaserder. Zijdegijda is that you tri~esias. kebbet altijt I always noch gezecht said van wie gij who you afstamt descended from denkt daaraan think about it dentyran.

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Gijzij you are Verbannen banished uit het lant from the land scheerdu get the hell wech out of here tri~esias. Ikkom I come azzik kan when I can hellepe help enkébbier and I have bij with me tlaatstebewijs the final proof de wachter Laios’s en de knecht guard van Laios and servant die zijn kudde whose flock door de he led berrege through the voerde mountains en dië ook and who was bij de moort also there was at the death knechtwaas. Ikkérkende I recognised Ném him die daar who wegging left hij wazzet he was the man asmijnooch if my eyes mij ni are not bedriegt deceiving me want ksijn because I’m al out already old

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dentyran. Waarvan how are you able herkent to recognise gém him spreekt speak knechtwaas. van tkint by the child mé vastgepinde with pinned voete feet dakkèm that I gave gaf him in de berrege in the mountains kmoesttet In fact eigelijks I was meant doottoen to kill it haddezemij that’s what they chezegd told me dentyran. Wieaddu who told da chezegt you that vanwie whose wast child da kint was it knechtwaas. Damachick I’m not allowed Nisegge to say tize geheim it’s a secret dentyran. Zegget tell me of ik trekku or I’ll

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elemaal slit you ope wide open tota from tbinneste the inside tbuiteste to the outside zie got it knechtwaas. ksijnout heer I am old sir mépijn in pain vanbinne inside houduw hold paarde your nopstal horses ksaltsegge I’ll tell you zijist it’s her daar vanbinne the one die daar zit sitting inside zij ee mij she gave tkint gegeve me the child en gesechgt and told me dattoot that it had moest to be killed wanttat because sij vader it would kill zou moorde its father maar twaarde but it was gij heer you sir die de moort who committed dee the murder alleen alone kebbet I saw it mémijnogea with my gezien own eyes ik wasserbij I was there

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toen gijém when you beat him dootsloeg to death médduwe stok with your staff dentyran. ikwasda kint I was the child médoorgeboorde with pinned voete feet ikwasda kint I was van haar her child en ikkéb Laios and I beat Laios dootgeslage to death mij vader my father ennikéb and I in tbloet laid schendig bed in the blood-desecrated gelege bed méhaar with her en kindere and begot verwekt children ik ben e I am a zwart beest black beast van schult of guilt enksal and I shall not gee licht see any light meer zien again tri~esias. Ikkébbet I always altijt noch said gezecht so tkomtuit nu it’s come out now tis waar it’s true chelijk altij as always

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madam. iksijn doot I’m dead kep niks I have nothing nimmeer te more to zegge say ik dans I prefer liever to dance dentyran. twas gelijck It was as if nen demon a demon die mij had hold voorttrok of me ik dee I opened de kamert the door ope of the room en zing daar and saw mé haar her voetjes naar with her feet pointed beneëe down `opgange hung up aan een on a koor rope mé aaraar with her hair overoop all messed up enaar and her gezicht blank look op nerreges giving nothing away eninaar and a sword staknesabel was stuck in her Tussenaar between her Bene legs Daaronder underneath en tbloet and the blood lag in nea in a

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plas puddle onder haar under her zat zich she had gestoke stuck herself daar there vande the place zonde of the sin waar twas where it gebeurt happened en ktrok and I pulled dië sabel the sword uittaar out of her en kstakkém and I stuck it in mijn oge in my eyes alletwee both of them da ze so that they tnimmeer never again moeste zien had to see dasse that she daaring was hanging there en alles and everything dakmij vader that I killed heb gekeeld my father en mé mij and also my moeder mother méaar with her kdurref et I don’t dare nisegge say wattak mé what I aar heb did chedaan with her zo erreg it was wazzet that ghastly en kindere and begot heb verwekt children

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en al and all mijn misdade my misdeeds dakse that I nimmeer didn’t want wou zien to see them ever again en niks and nothing nimmeer ever again tlicht the light van de zon of the sun of mijn or my dochterkes daughters of de mense or the people nier here of niks or nothing of niks or nothing of niks or nothing nu gaanik now I’m going wech away 20.VIII.1999 †