Meditation on a Bone

A piece of bone, found at Trondhjem in 1901, with the following runic inscription (about A.D. 1050) cut on it: I loved her as a maiden; I will not trouble Erlend’s detestable wife; better she should be a widow.

Words scored upon a bone,

Scratched in despair or rage —

Nine hundred years have gone;

Now, in another age,

They burn with passion on

A scholar’s tranquil page.

The scholar takes his pen

And turns the bone about,

And writes those words again.

Once more they seethe and shout

And through a human brain

Undying hate rings out.

“I loved her when a maid;

I loathe and love the wife

That warms another’s bed:

Let him beware his life!”

The scholar’s hand is stayed;

His pen becomes a knife

To grave in living bone

The fierce archaic cry.

He sits and reads his own

Dull sum of misery.

A thousand years have flown

Before that ink is dry.

And, in a foreign tongue,

A man, who is not he,

Reads and his heart is wrung

This ancient grief to see,

And thinks: When I am dung,

What bone shall speak for me?

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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 

• Алексей Толстой – Рука Алкида тяжела by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Рондо by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Растянулся на просторе by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Пустой дом by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Пусть тот, чья честь не без укора by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Против течения by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Прогулка с подругой жизни by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Ржевский – Сонет, три разные системы заключающий by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Ржевский – Рондо (И всякий так живет) by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Ржевский – Рок все теперь свершил, надежды больше нет by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Ржевский – Прости, Москва by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Ржевский – Портрет by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Ржевский – Ода Императору Петру Феодоровичу by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Ржевский – Как я стал знать взор твой by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Ржевский – Долго ль прельщаться by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Ржевский стихи: читать все стихотворения, поэмы поэта Алексей Ржевский – Поэзия на Poetry Monster by Алексей Ржевский
• Алексей Плещеев – Знакомые звуки, чудесные звуки by Алексей Плещеев
• Алексей Плещеев – Ёлка в школе by Алексей Плещеев
• Алексей Плещеев – Весна (Песни жаворонков снова) by Алексей Плещеев
• Алексей Плещеев – Весна by Алексей Плещеев

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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.

 

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