The Harvesters – A Poem

I find it hard to imagine The Harvesters was painted four-hundred-and-sixty years ago! It still teems with life.

Pieter Bruegel was nicknamed “peasant Bruegel” because he was one of the first artists to focus on painting the common people as the “heroes” in the work, and not just the background. Often, his paintings were humorous, and, as seen here, were lifelike and detailed. A generation earlier, another Netherlandish painter, Hieronymus Bosch, achieved recognition with his fantastical, moralising, religious and symbolic works. Though initially inspired by Bosch, Bruegel became more interested in just documenting the culture.

I encourage you to click on the source link below the caption and take a look in close up. Look at the people. Which one are you? The one asleep? The one smiling over her meal? One of the ones skinny-dipping in the pond? One of the hard workers?

Needless to say, four-hundred-and-sixty-years ago, food was different. Bruegel was born in an area that is now the Netherlands, but spent most of his life in what is present day Belgium, a distance of about a two-hour car trip. The food was probably pretty similar throughout the region.

The form is a decastich with an abab rhyme sequence. More of my ekphrastic poetry here.

The Harvesters

In August harvest, in the heat of the day
shade was scarce. We shared our rye bread and drank beer
flavoured with herb gruit. We savoured the way
a pottage of carrots and turnips appeared
a feast with salted meat or herring. We lay
replete, as the wheat was reaped and gathered near-
by, to be taken by cart to town. Like hay,
our skins dried and browned. Some of us lived freer,
swimming unclothed, in the pond. And at end day
we went home to eat porridge, fish, bread and beer.

©elsp 2025

You may also watch my YouTube version of this poem by clicking the link below.