God Blessed You, First,
Gezelle wrote this communion poem for the son of the sexton.
Do Not Mix Dutch in It
Jozef Ketele, sexton in Diksmuide turned to Gezelle several times to obtain an occasional poem. Gezelle wrote these verses for the communion of Ketele’s son Joseph on April 29th, 1896. In addition to a draft and final manuscript, Gezelle’s accompanying letter was preserved in which he gave instructions: "You can print it in 16 or 32 verses, in any case do not mix Dutch in it." The same poem was used for another communion a month later.
