Belgians are about to find out whether it’s easier to write a haiku than form a government.

King Albert II has asked Herman Van Rompuy, the 61-year-old head of Belgium’s lower house of parliament, to put together a government following the collapse of Yves Leterme’s coalition a mere nine months after it took office.

Herman Van Who? Few people outside the Benelux countries will have the slightest clue who Van Rompuy is. But let me tell you something. Beneath the cool exterior of this 61-year-old Flemish Christian Democrat beats the heart of a man of passion, honour and intellect.

Oh, yeah? I hear you say. Well, let me direct all you sceptics to the website on which Van Rompuy publishes poetry … in the form of haikus.

With apologies in advance to Van Rompuy and to the worldwide community of specialists in the Dutch-language variant of this Japanese poetical form, here is my translation of a haiku he put out on November 3:

ALL SOULS

A dead leaf hangs weak/ on a branch. A dead person/ lies still forever.

Great stuff. So, once again with apologies to Van Rompuy, here is my personal effort:

THE STATE OF BELGIUM

Governing Belgium is a thankless/ Task. Please, let’s have/ An election.