Chorus of Youths and Virgins poem – Alexander Pope

A poem by Alexander Pope (1688-1744) , the greatest English poet of “Augustan” or Georgian period

Semichorus.

Oh Tyrant Love! hast thou possest

The prudent, learn’d, and virtuous breast?

Wisdom and wit in vain reclaim,

And Arts but soften us to feel thy flame.

Love, soft intruder, enters here,

But ent’ring learns to be sincere.

Marcus with blushes owns he loves,

And Brutus tenderly reproves.

Why, Virtue, dost thou blame desire,

Which Nature has imprest?

Why, Nature, dost thou soonest fire

The mild and gen’rous breast?

Chorus.

Love’s purer flames the Gods approve;

The Gods and Brutus bent to love:

Brutus for absent Portia sighs,

And sterner Cassius melts at Junia’s eyes.

What is loose love? a transient gust,

Spent in a sudden storm of lust,

A vapour fed from wild desire,

A wand’ring, self-consuming fire,

But Hymen’s kinder flames unite;

And burn for ever one;

Chaste as cold Cynthia’s virgin light,

Productive as the Sun.

Semichorus.

Oh source of ev’ry social tie,

United wish, and mutual joy!

What various joys on one attend,

As son, as father, brother husband, friend?

Whether his hoary sire he spies,

While thousand grateful thoughts arise;

Or meets his spouse’s fonder eye;

Or views his smiling progeny;

What tender passions take their turns,

What home-felt raptures move?

His heart now melts, now leaps, now burns,

With rev’rence, hope, and love.

Chorus.

Hence guilty joys, distastes, surmises,

Hence false tears, deceits, disguises,

Dangers, doubts, delays, surprises;

Fires that scorch, yet dare not shine

Purest love’s unwasting treasure,

Constant faith, fair hope, long leisure,

Days of ease, and nights of pleasure;

Sacred Hymen! these are thine.

Poetry Monster – Home

A few random poems:

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 

• Ольга Седакова – Луг, юго-западный ветер by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Липа by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Легенда шестая by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Кот, бабочка, свеча by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Когда говорю я: помилуй by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Как упавшую руку by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Из песни Данте by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Играющий ребенок by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – И меня удивило by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Госпожа и служанка by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Где-нибудь в углу запущенной болезни by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Филемон и Бавкида by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Элегия смоковницы by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Элегия осенней воды by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Две книги я несу by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Дикий шиповник by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Деревья, сильный ветер by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Давид поет Саулу by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Цивилизация by Поэзия На Русском
• Ольга Седакова – Болезнь by Поэзия На Русском

More external links (open in a new tab):

Russian Commerce Agency

Dealing Monster

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

Poems by Author and Category

The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works