Reverie Of Ormuz The Persian

A poem by Violet Nicolson, Lawrence Hope, Adela Florence Cory Nicolson (1865 – 1904)

Softly the feathery Palm-trees fade in the violet Distance,

Faintly the lingering light touches the edge of the sea,

Sadly the Music of Waves, drifts, faint as an Anthem’s insistence,

Heard in the aisles of a dream, over the sandhills, to me.

Now that the Lights are reversed, and the Singing changed into sighing,

Now that the wings of our fierce, fugitive passion are furled,

Take I unto myself, all alone in the light that is dying,

Much of the sorrow that lies hid at the Heart of the World.

Sad am I, sad for your loss: for failing the charm of your presence,

Even the sunshine has paled, leaving the Zenith less blue.

Even the ocean lessens the light of its green opalescence,

Since, to my sorrow I loved, loved and grew weary of, you.

Why was our passion so fleeting, why had the flush of your beauty

Only so slender a spell, only so futile a power?

Yet, even thus ever is life, save when long custom or duty

Moulds into sober fruit Love’s fragile and fugitive flower.

Fain would my soul have been faithful; never an alien pleasure

Lured me away from the light lit in your luminous eyes,

But we have altered the World as pitiful man has leisure

To criticise, balance, take counsel, assuredly lies.

All through the centuries Man has gathered his flower, and fenced it,

–Infinite strife to attain; infinite struggle to keep,–

Holding his treasure awhile, all Fate and all forces against it,

Knowing it his no more, if ever his vigilance sleep.

But we have altered the World as pitiful man has grown stronger,

So that the things we love are as easily kept as won,

Therefore the ancient fight can engage and detain us no longer,

And all too swiftly, alas, passion is over and done.

Far too speedily now we can gather the coveted treasure,

Enjoy it awhile, be satiated, begin to tire;

And what shall be done henceforth with the profitless after-leisure,

Who has the breath to kindle the ash of a faded fire?

Ah, if it only had lasted! After my ardent endeavour

Came the delirious Joy, flooding my life like a sea,

Days of delight that are burnt on the brain for ever and ever,

Days and nights when you loved, before you grew weary of me.

Softly the sunset decreases dim in the violet Distance,

Even as Love’s own fervour has faded away from me,

Leaving the weariness, the monotonous Weight of Existence,–

All the farewells in the world weep in the sound of the sea.

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 

• Robert Burns: Address To The Woodlark: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Does Haughty Gaul Invasion Threat?: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Had I The Wyte? She Bade Me: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: The Lass That Made The Bed To Me : by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: The Cooper O’ Cuddy: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: The Cardin O’t, The Spinnin O’t: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Inscription For An Altar Of Independence: At Kerroughtree, the Seat of Mr. Heron. by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Ballads on Mr. Heron’s Election, 1795: Ballad Third – John Bushby’s Lamentation. by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Ballads on Mr. Heron’s Election, 1795: Second-Election Day by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: : by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Ballads on Mr. Heron’s Election, 1795: Ballad First by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: O Wat Ye Wha’s In Yon Town: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: I’ll Aye Ca’ In By Yon Town: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Her Answer: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: O Let Me In Thes Ae Night: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: The Lass O’ Ecclefechan: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: O Steer Her Up An’ Haud Her Gaun: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Gude Ale Keeps The Heart Aboon: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: O Aye My Wife She Dang Me: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Wee Willie Gray: by Robert Burns

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