Smelt water uit de bergen (Verwachting) = Meltwater, 1975 - 2016

The poet is Ida Gerhardt. She was born in Rotterdam, as was Bernard Huijbers. During her lifespan of 90 plus years (1905-1997) she studied classics at the Erasmus Gymnasium (High School), continued her studies in classical languages at higher level from 1924 to 1933 in Leiden and Utrecht. She graduated cum laude for her work as translator of Latin literature. She taught in the north, first in Groningen (where Oosterhuis was to later study literature) and then in the Protestant stronghold of Kampen.

Huijbers was especially attracted to her work, but she was unwilling to be published in a religious context. So none of Huijbers’ accompaniments is to be found among in his published works with Gooi en Sticht, other than two melodies in the 1975 peoples' edition of the 'Liturgical Songs for the Celebration of the Eucharist' published by Gooi en Sticht for the Dominicus and Student churches of Amsterdam. Thom Jansen recorded this in the Dominicus on his 2009 CD Smeltwater.