Practising Anthem

A summer wind blows through the open porch,

And, ‘neath the rustling eaves,

A summer light of moonrise, calm and pale,

Shines through a vale of leaves.

The soft gusts bring a scent of summer flowers,

Fresh with the falling dew,

And round the doorway, glimmering white as snow,

The tender petals strew.

Clear through the silence, from a reedy pool

The curlew’s whistle thrills;

A lonely mopoke sorrowfully cries

From the far-folding hills.

O lovely night, and yet so sad and strange!

My fingers touch the key;

And down the empty church my Christmas song

Goes ringing, glad and free.

Each sweet note knocks at dreaming memory’s door,

And memory wakes in pain;

The spectral faces she had turn’d away

Come crowding in again.

The air seems full of music all around-

I know not what I hear,

The multitudinous echoes of the past,

Or these few voices near.

Ah me! the dim aisle vaguely widens out,

I see me stand therein;

A glory of grey sculpture takes the light

A winter morn brings in.

No more I smell the fragrant jessamine flowers

That flake a moonlit floor;

The rustling night-breeze and the open porch

I hear and see no more.

Great solemn windows, down a long, long nave

Their shadow’d rainbows fling;

Dark Purbeck shafts, with hoary capitals,

In carven archways spring.

And overhead the throbbing organ waves

Roll in one mighty sea,

Bearing the song the herald angels sang

Of Christ’s nativity.

Dear hands touch mine beneath the open book,

Sweet eyes look in my face,-

They smile, they melt in darkness; I am snatch’d

From my familiar place.

The summer night-wind blows upon my tears;

Its flowery scent is pain.

O cold, white day! O noble minster-when

May I come back again!

To hear the angels’ anthem shake the air,

Where never discord jars,-

The Christmas carols in the windy street,

Under the frosty stars;

The dream-like falling from the still, grey skies,

With falling flakes of snow,

Of mellow chimes from old cathedral bells,

Solemn and sweet and slow.

To hear loved footsteps beating time with mine

Along the churchyard path,-

To see that ring of faces once again

Drawn round the blazing hearth.

When may I come? O Lord, when may I go?

Nay, I must wait Thy will.

Give patience, Lord, and in Thine own best way

My hopes and prayers fulfil.

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External links

Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus

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Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh

Poems in English 

• Владимир Степанов – Хлопотунья by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Воробей by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Волнушки by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Весёлый транспорт by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – В лесу осиновом by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Утёнок (Буква У) by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Угадай-ка, это кто? by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Тула-город мастеров by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Телефон (Буква Т) by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Суворовец by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Следом за летом осень by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Синичка в электричке by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Шарик (Буква Ш) by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Рукавицы для лисицы by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Робот (Буква Р) by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Рассказ оружейника by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Про меня и муравья by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Праздник сентября by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Потемнели ветви by Владимр Степанов
• Владимир Степанов – Подберёзовик и подосиновик by Владимр Степанов

More external links (open in a new tab):

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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.

 

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