Poetry Books

Good people all,with one accord,Lament forMadam Blaize,Who never wanteda good word—From thosewho spoke her praise. The needy seldom pass’d her door,And always found her kind;She freely lent to all the poor—Who lefta pledge behind. She strove the neighbourhood to pleaseWith manners wondrous winning;And never follow’d wicked ways—Unless when she was sinning.At church, in silks and satins... more...

CHAPTER I The Creation of the Heavens Jehovah has no beginning. He himself created time, and taught its principles to the living things he also created, giving to them comprehension, by which we ascribe, unto the infiniteness of Jehovah a time and a beginning. Before that there were not any man or angels or living creatures of any form created. When there were no worlds yet formed, nature stood in... more...

Homer's "Iliad" begins towards the close of the last of the ten years of the Trojan War: its incidents extend over some fifty days only, and it ends with the burial of Hector. The things which came before and after were told by other bards, who between them narrated the whole "cycle" of the events of the war, and so were called the Cyclic Poets. Of their works none have survived;... more...

INTRODUCTION A few days ago I said to a distinguished Bengali doctor of medicine, 'I know no German, yet if a translation of a German poet had moved me, I would go to the British Museum and find books in English that would tell me something of his life, and of the history of his thought. But though these prose translations from Rabindranath Tagore have stirred my blood as nothing has for years, I... more...

I Because I believe that many do not understand the verse ofLichtenstein, do not correctly understand, do not clearly understand— II The first eighty poems are lyric. In the usual sense. They are not much different from poetry that praises gardens. The content is the distress of love, death, universal longing. The impulse to formulate them in the "cynical" vein (like cabaret songs) may, for... more...

Second Fig   Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand:  Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand! Recuerdo   We were very tired, we were very merry—  We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.  It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable—  But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,  We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;  And the whistles... more...

PAR AVIUM. Two little birds were sitting on a stone, One flew away and then there was one, T’ other flew away and then there was none, So the poor stone was left all alone. One of the little birds back again flew, In came t’ other and then there were two; Says one bird to t’ other, “How do you do?” “Very well, I thank you; pray how do you?” Fama est par avium venisse insistere saxo,... more...

RIDE A COCK-HORSE            Ride a Cock-Horseto Banbury Cross,                    To see a fine LadyGet on a white Horse,                  With rings on her fingers,and bells on her toes,She shall have music wherever she goes.                   A FARMER WENT TROTTINGUPON HIS GREY MARE      A Farmer went trotting upon his grey Mare,Bumpety, bumpety, bump!With his... more...

P. DUJARDINHere foloweth the Interpretacoin of the namesof goddes and goddesses as is rehercedin this tretyse folowynge as Poetes wryte¶ Phebus is as moche to saye as the Sonne.¶ Apollo is the same or elles God of syght.¶ MorpleusShewer of dremis¶ PlutoGod of hell.¶ MynosIuge of hell.¶ CerberusPorter of hell.¶ Colus the wynde or God of the Eyre.¶ Dyana Goddesse of wode and chase.¶ Phebe the... more...

CANTO I.PRODUCTION OF LIFE. I. By firm immutable immortal lawsImpress'd on Nature by the Great First Cause,Say, Muse! how rose from elemental strifeOrganic forms, and kindled into life;How Love and Sympathy with potent charmWarm the cold heart, the lifted hand disarm;Allure with pleasures, and alarm with pains,And bind Society in golden chains. Four past eventful Ages then recite,And give the... more...