Background
His youth was intemperate in a Bohemian fashion, and he wavered constantly between a full, rowdy enjoyment of life and a sense of remorse and piety. Bredero was the most personal, revealing lyricist of the Dutch poets of the 17th century, and his work reveals his problems and personality as very close to those of the sensitive present-day man. His poetry has a sweet, charming sentimentality, which is always moving without ever becoming vulgar; it is extremely melodious and supple, and, indeed, most of his lyrics were put to music or written to be sung to known arias. His amorous complaints, which are many and of great beauty, are never hampered by Classical or mythological allusions.
Several of Bredero's poems describe the rather violent kermises (outdoor festivals) of his countrymen, and he looks at these colorful and often bloody events with the ironic detachment of the city-dweller. He was deeply rooted in his native environment and he imitated nobody.
