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

Poems in English 

• Limbo Under the Westway poem – André Rostant poems by André Rostant
• A Rainy Night poem – André Rostant poems by André Rostant
• “European Union” by the (Roman/German) Eagles by André Rostant
• 決定 by André Rodriguez
• Decision by André Rodriguez
• 我的妻子。 安德烈·布勒東一首關於自由戀愛的詩 by André Breton
• Less Time poem – Andre Breton poems by André Breton
• Freedom of Love poem | L’Union Libre (Ma Femme)  – Andre Breton poems by André Breton
• Le Verbe Etre poem – Andre Breton poems by André Breton
• Five Ways To Kill A Man poem – Andre Breton poems by André Breton
• Always for the first time by André Breton
• I have a dream by Glory Of Mankind
• Putin, Our Savior and Dear Friend by Poetry Slave
• Shame by Poetry Slave
• A Poem about Lemonade by Poetry Slave
• About Wedding Dress by Poetry Slave
• Spirituality of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Gerard Manley Hopkins: a shepherd poet by Fledermaus
• What Shall I Do For the Land that Bred Me poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems by Gerald Manley Hopkins
• What Being in Rank-Old Nature poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems by Gerald Manley Hopkins
• Tom’s Garland poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems by Gerald Manley Hopkins

More external links (open in a new tab):

Russian Commerce Agency

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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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