A poem by Alistar Crowley (1875-1947)
So it is eighteen years,
Helena, since we met!
A season so endears,
Nor you nor I forget
The fresh young faces that once clove
In that most fiery dawn of love.
We wandered to and fro,
Who knew not how to woo,
Those eighteen years ago,
Sweetheart, when I and you
Exchanged high vows in heaven’s sight
That scarce survived a summer’s night.
What scourge smote from the stars
What madness from the moon?
That night we broke the bars
Was quintessential June,
When you and I beneath the trees
Bartered our bold virginities.
Eighteen -years, months, or hours?
Time is a tyrant’s toy!
Eternal are the flowers!
We are but girl and boy
Yet -since love leapt as swift to-night
As it had never left the light!
For fiercer from the South
Still flames your cruel hair,
And Trojan Helen’s mouth
Still not so ripe and rare
As Helena’s -nor love nor youth
So leaps with lust or thrills with truth.
Helena, still we hold
Flesh firmer, still we mix
Black hair with hair as gold.
Life has but served to fix
Our hearts; love lingers on the tongue,
And who loves once is always young.
The stars are still the same;
The changeful moon endures;
Come without fear or shame,
And draw my mouth to yours!
Youth fails, however flesh be fain;
Manhood and womanhood attain.
Life is a string of pearls,
And you the first I strung.
You left -first flower of girls! –
Life lyric on my tongue,
An indefatigable dance,
An inexhaustible romance!
Blush of love’s dawn, bright bud
That bloomed for my delight,
First blossom of my blood,
Burn in that blood to-night!
Helena, Helena, fiercely fresh,
Your flesh flies fervent to my flesh.
What sage can dare impugn
Man’s immortality?
Our godhead swims, immune
From death and destiny.
Ignored the bubble in the flow
Of love eighteen short years ago!
Time -I embrace all time
As my arm rings your waist.
Space -you surpass, sublime,
As, taking me, we taste
Omnipotence, sense slaying sense,
Soul slaying soul, omniscience.
A few random poems:
- Юнна Мориц – Цветок
- Жан де Лафонтен – Старый Кот и Мышонок
- Memorials Of A Tour In Scotland, 1803 XII. Yarrow Unvisited by William Wordsworth
- To Be Carved On A Stone At Thoor Ballylee by William Butler Yeats
- Николай Глазков – Четыре времени года
- Searching by Mike Yuan
- Владимир Корнилов – Дом
- Myfanwy poem – John Betjeman poems
- The Double Vision Of Michael Robartes by William Butler Yeats
- Calling All Angels
- Icicles round a Tree in Dumfriesshire by Ruth Padel
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- Indian Summer by William Ellery Leonard
- Омар Хайям – Это время любви, словно тёплая осень
- was it you, mooon? by Raj Arumugam
External links
Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus
Talking Writing Monster’s Page –
Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh
Poems in English
- Sorrow’s Importunity poem – Alfred Austin
- Songs From “Prince Lucifer” I – Grave-Digger’s Song poem – Alfred Austin
- Songs From “Prince Lucifer” II – Mother-Song poem – Alfred Austin
- Songs From “Prince Lucifer” I – Grave-Digger’s Song poem – Alfred Austin
- Since We Must Die poem – Alfred Austin
- “`Shepherd swains that feed your flocks” poem – Alfred Austin
- Shelley’s Death poem – Alfred Austin
- Shelley’s Death poem – Alfred Austin
- “Sadder than lark when lowering” poem – Alfred Austin
- Sacred And Profane Love poem – Alfred Austin
- “`Roses crimson, roses white” poem – Alfred Austin
- On Returning To England poem – Alfred Austin
- Resignation poem – Alfred Austin
- Primacy Of Mind poem – Alfred Austin
- Primacy Of Mind poem – Alfred Austin
- Polyphemus poem – Alfred Austin
- Poet’s Corner poem – Alfred Austin
- Poet’s Corner poem – Alfred Austin
- Pax Britannica poem – Alfred Austin
- Outside The Village Church poem – Alfred Austin
More external links (open in a new tab):
Doska or the Board – write anything
Search engines:
Yandex – the best search engine for searches in Russian (and the best overall image search engine, in any language, anywhere)
Qwant – the best search engine for searches in French, German as well as Romance and Germanic languages.
Ecosia – a search engine that supposedly… plants trees
Duckduckgo – the real alternative and a search engine that actually works. Without much censorship or partisan politics.
Yahoo– yes, it’s still around, amazingly, miraculously, incredibly, but now it seems to be powered by Bing.
Parallel Translations of Poetry
The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works