Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate
Encyclopedia
Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate (December 23, 1819 - December 24, 1889), Dutch
divine, prose writer and poet
, was born at The Hague
.
He started in life as a lawyer's clerk. It was his friend, Dr Heldring, pastor at Hemmen, in Gelderland
, who, discovering in Ten Kate the germs of poetical genius, enabled him to study theology
at the University of Utrecht
(1838-43).
Having completed his studies, Ten Kate became pastor at Middelburg, Amsterdam, and other places, meanwhile developing well-nigh ceaseless activity, both in prose and lyric poetry. Among his prose works may be mentioned the travel papers (Rhine, 1861; Italy, 1857-62), Christelijke Overdenkingen ("Thoughts of a Christian," 1840-52), and other religious studies.
His early poetry was in the main original. The best known of his poems were:
Ten Kate reached the pinnacle of his poetic fame in The Creation, The Planets, and The Seasons. These poems certainly show a masterly grasp of his mother tongue and a wonderful facility of expression, coupled with graceful vigour and fertile fancy. These qualities he also plentifully displayed in the innumerable translations he made of many of the masterpieces of foreign poetry in nearly every European language.
He had not only an extraordinary aptitude for learning alien idioms, but also the gift of translating foreign lyrics into clear, fluent and beautiful Dutch verse. Ten Kate's versatility in this respect has never been equalled; it extended from Tasso
and Andersen
to Dante
, Schiller
, Victor Hugo
, Milton
, Tennyson and Longfellow
. Ten Kate died in Amsterdam
in 1889.
His complete Poetic Works were published after his death in 12 volumes (Leiden, 1891).
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
divine, prose writer and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, was born at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
He started in life as a lawyer's clerk. It was his friend, Dr Heldring, pastor at Hemmen, in Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
, who, discovering in Ten Kate the germs of poetical genius, enabled him to study theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the University of Utrecht
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
(1838-43).
Having completed his studies, Ten Kate became pastor at Middelburg, Amsterdam, and other places, meanwhile developing well-nigh ceaseless activity, both in prose and lyric poetry. Among his prose works may be mentioned the travel papers (Rhine, 1861; Italy, 1857-62), Christelijke Overdenkingen ("Thoughts of a Christian," 1840-52), and other religious studies.
His early poetry was in the main original. The best known of his poems were:
- Ahasverus op de Grimsel ("Ahasuerus on the Grimsel," 1840)
- Zangen des Tijds ("Songs of the Times," 1841)
- Legenden en Mengelpoëzie ("Legends and Miscellaneous Poetry," 1846)
- In den Bloemkof ("In the Flower Garden," 1851)
- De Schepping ("The Creation," 1866)
- De Planeten ("The Planets," 1869)
- De Jaargetijden ("The Seasons," 1871)
- De Psalmen ("The Psalms," 1874)
- De Vrouw in het Nederlandsch Lied ("Woman in Dutch Song," 1882)
- Palm-takken en Dichtbloemen ("Palm Branches and Poetical Flowers," 1884)
Ten Kate reached the pinnacle of his poetic fame in The Creation, The Planets, and The Seasons. These poems certainly show a masterly grasp of his mother tongue and a wonderful facility of expression, coupled with graceful vigour and fertile fancy. These qualities he also plentifully displayed in the innumerable translations he made of many of the masterpieces of foreign poetry in nearly every European language.
He had not only an extraordinary aptitude for learning alien idioms, but also the gift of translating foreign lyrics into clear, fluent and beautiful Dutch verse. Ten Kate's versatility in this respect has never been equalled; it extended from Tasso
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso was an Italian poet of the 16th century, best known for his poem La Gerusalemme liberata , in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between Christians and Muslims at the end of the First Crusade, during the siege of Jerusalem...
and Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
to Dante
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
, Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
, Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
, Tennyson and Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
. Ten Kate died in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1889.
His complete Poetic Works were published after his death in 12 volumes (Leiden, 1891).