A poem by Alexander Pope (1688-1744) , the greatest English poet of “Augustan” or Georgian period
A Shepherd’s Boy (he seeks no better name)
Led forth his flocks along the silver Thame,
Where dancing sun-beams n the waters play’d,
And verdant alders form’d a quiv’ring shade.
Soft as he mourn’d, the streams forgot to flow,
The flocks around a dumb compassion show,
The Naiads wept in ev’ry wat’ry bow’r,
And Jove consented in a silent show’r.
Accept, O Garth, the Muse’s early lays,
That adds this wreath of Ivy to thy Bays;
Hear what from Love unpractis’d hearts endure,
From Love, the sole disease thou canst not cure.
Ye shady beeches, and ye cooling streams,
Defence from Phoebus, not from Cupid’s beams,
To you I mourn, nor to the deaf I sing,
The woods shall answer, and their echo ring.
The gills and rocks attend my doleful lay,
Why art thou prouder and more hard than they?
The bleating sheep with my complaints agree,
They parch’d with heat, and I inflam’d by thee.
The sultry Sirius burns the thirsty plains,
While in thy heart eternal winter reigns.
Where stray ye, Muses, in what lawn or grove,
While your Alexis pines in hopeless love?
In those fair fields where sacred Isis glides,
Or else where Cam his winding vales divides?
As in the crystal spring I view my face,
Fresh rising blushes paint the wat’ry glass;
But since those graces please thy eyes no more,
I shun the fountains which I sought before.
Once I was skill’d in ev’ry herb that grew,
And ev’ry plant that drinks the morning dew;
Ah wretched shepherd, what avails thy art,
To cure thy lambs, but not to heal thy heart!
Let other swains attend the rural care,
Feed fairer flocks, or richer fleeces shear:
But nigh yon’ mountain let me tune my lays,
Embrace my Love, and bind my brows with bays.
That flute is mine which Colin’s tuneful breath
Inspir’d when living, and bequeath’d in death;
He said; Alexis, take this pipe, the same
That taught the groves my Rosalinda’s name:
But now the reeds shall hang on yonder tree,
For ever silent, since despis’d by thee.
Oh! were I made by some transforming pow’r
The captive bird that sings within thy bow’r!
Then might my voice thy list’ning ears employ,
And I those kisses he receives, enjoy.
And yet my numbers please the rural throng,
Rough Satyrs dance, and Pan applauds the song:
The Nymphs, forsaking ev’ry cave and spring,
Their early fruit, and milk-white turtles bring;
Each am’rous nymph prefers her gifts in vain,
On you their gifts are all bestow’d again.
For you the swains the fairest flow’rs design,
And in one garland all their beauties join;
Accept the wreath which you deserve alone,
In whom all beauties are compris’d in one.
See what delights in sylvan scenes appear!
Descending Gods have found Elysium here.
In woods bright Venus with Adonis stray’d,
And chaste Diana haunts the forest shade.
Come lovely nymph, and bless the silent hours,
When swains from shearing seek their nightly bow’rs;
When weary reapers quit the sultry field,
And crown’d with corn, their thanks to Ceres yield.
This harmless grove no lurking viper hides,
But in my breast the serpent Love abides.
Here bees from blossoms sip the rosy dew,
But your Alexis knows no sweets but you.
Oh deign to visit our forsaken seats,
The mossy fountains, and the green retreats!
Where-e’er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade,
Trees, where you sit, shall crowd into a shade,
Where-e’er you tread, the blushing flow’rs shall rise,
And all things flourish where you turn your eyes.
Oh! How I long with you to pass my days,
Invoke the muses, and resound your praise;
Your praise the birds shall chant in ev’ry grove,
And winds shall waft it to the pow’rs above.
But wou’d you sing, and rival Orpheus’ strain,
The wond’ring forests soon shou’d dance again,
The moving mountains hear the pow’rful call,
And headlong streams hang list’ning in their fall!
But see, the shepherds shun the noon-day heat,
The lowing herds to murm’ring brooks retreat,
To closer shades the panting flocks remove,
Ye Gods! And is there no relief for Love?
But soon the sun with milder rays descends
To the cool ocean, where his journey ends;
On me Love’s fiercer flames for every prey,
By night he scorches, as he burns by day.
A few random poems:
- Николай Глазков – Последний зимний
- Омар Хайям – Когда к жизни Любовь меня в мир призвала
- Владимир Высоцкий – Песня Вани перед студентами
- Orlando Furioso Canto 21 by Ludovico Ariosto
- Robert Burns: Composed In Spring:
- Юрий Верховский – Как раненый олень кидается в поток
- First Day at School by Roger McGough
- Омар Хайям – Египет, Рим, Китай держи ты под пятой
- Владимир Маяковский – Наши поправки в англо-советский договор (Красный перец)
- “Mike Teavee…” by Roald Dahl
- Ballade Of The Dead Cities poem – Andrew Lang poems
- Ольга Седакова – С нежностью и глубиной
- English Poetry. William Barnes. Second Collection. The Heäre. Уильям Барнс.
- Captain Hook by Shel Silverstein
- In My Own Shire, If I Was Sad poem – A. E. Housman
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
- Николай Гумилев – Лесной пожар
- Николай Гумилев – Леопарди (Набросок)
- Николай Гумилев – Леонард
- Николай Гумилев – Лаос
- Николай Гумилев – Куранты любви
- Николай Гумилев – Крыса
- Николай Гумилев – Крест
- Николай Гумилев – Корабль
- Николай Гумилев – Командиру 5-го Александровского полка
- Николай Гумилев – Колокол
- Николай Гумилев – Когда я был влюблен
- Николай Гумилев – Когда спокойно так и равнодушно мы
- Николай Гумилев – Ключ в лесу
- Николай Гумилев – Кенгуру
- Николай Гумилев – Кармен худа, коричневатый
- Николай Гумилев – Капитаны
- Николай Гумилев – Канцона вторая
- Николай Гумилев – Канцона (Лучшая музыка в мире)
- Николай Гумилев – Канцона (Бывает в жизни человека)
- Николай Гумилев – Какою музыкой мой слух взволнован
More external links (open in a new tab):
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
The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works
Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744) was a a post-Restoration English poet and satirist. He is a poet of the (British) Augustan period and one of its greatest artistic exponents.