Seven haiku composed by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy have been set to music by Belgian compatriot Dirk Brosse, local media said.
"I am honestly embarrassed. I am aware of the great disparity in quality between the poetry that I write as a hobby and the compositions of a top musician," Van Rompuy was cited as saying.
Van Rompuy attended the launch of the CD "Haiku Cycle One" at a concert at the Royal Conservatory in Ghent, Belgium, on Sept. 10.
"I never thought I'd inspire music. I am moved by the way these musicians brought my simple texts to sublime heights," he said afterward.
Brosse, conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, has worked in Japan and served as director of the now-defunct Tokyo Music Festival.