Poetry Corner

[Anoush]

Re: Poetry Corner

Thank you Anoush, that was a very moving piece.

Thank you and you are most welcomed dear jgk. I love most of Kh. Gibran's poems and especially this one!

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

A Winter Morning

It's frost and sunshine --wondrous morning!--
My lovely friend, and you're still snoring.
It's time, my beauty, open eyes!
Ope wide your bliss enveloped gazing
And to the North's Aurora blazing
As the North Star come forth, arise!

Last night, remember snowstorm's raging?
In murky skies that gloom rampaging?
The moon was but a faint, pale stain.
Through gloomy clouds it yellowed, flitting.
And, oh, how sadly you were sitting!
And now—look out our windowpane!

'Neath blue cerrulean heavens' gleaming
In wondrous carpets, softly keening,
In sunlight sparkling, the snow lies.
Transparent woods are all that darkens.
The fir greens o'er the frost and harkens,
The river shines beneath the ice.

And our whole room with amber sparkling
Glints in the dawn. With merry gargling
The hearth-stove crackles, wood piled high.
It's pleasant lying in bed thinking.
But say, though, shouldn't we be ringing
To yoke the brown mare to the sleigh?

As we on morning snow go sliding,
My darling, feeling the full riding,
As our horse runs impatiently,
We'll see the fields, their barren bleakness,
The woods, which recently were leafy,
The lakeshore, that’s so dear to me.

-- Alexander Pushkin


Зимнее утро

Мороз и солнце; день чудесный!
Еще ты дремлешь, друг прелестный—
Пора, красавица, проснись:
Открой сомкнуты негой взоры
Навстречу северной Авроры
Звездою севера явись!

Вечор, ты помнишь, вьюга злилась,
На мутном небе мгла носилась;
Луна, как бледное пятно,
Сквозь тучи мрачные желтела,
И ты печальная сидела—
А нынче…погляди в окно:

Под голубыми небесами
Великолепными коврами,
Блестя на солнце, снег лежит;
Прозрачный лес один чернеет,
И ель сквозь иней зеленеет,
И речка подо льдом блестит.

Вся комната янтарным блеском
Озарена. Веселым треском
Трещит затопленная печь.
Приятно думать у лежанки.
Но знаешь: не велеть ли в санки
Кобылку бурую запречь?

Скользя по утреннему снегу,
Друг милый, предадимся бегу
Нетерпеливого коня
И навестим поля пустые,
Леса, недавно столь густые,
И берег, милый для меня.

To a Poet

A poet! Do not prize the love of people around,
It soon will pass -- the glorifying hum --
And come a court of fools and laughing of cold crowd --
But you must always stay firm, morose and calm.

You're king: live lonesome. Along the freedom's road,
Stride there, to where just shows your free mind,
While modernizing fruits of thoughts, beloved,
And not demanding you to be awarded.

Awards inside of you. You are your highest court;
Severely then all, you value your effort.
Well, are you satisfied, oh, my severe artist?

You're satisfied. Then let the mob condemn your verse,
Spit at the altar, where your fire burns,
And toss your brass tripod with somewhat childish wildness.

-- Alexander Pushkin

The Shoemaker (A Parable)

Once a shoemaker, on the art’s creation,
In drown shoes had found a mistake;
With his fast brush, an artist made correction;
But the shoemaker went without a break:
“I think the face a little crooked is shown…
The breast’s much bared, as I’ve understood...”
Here Apelles stopped him (his patience gone):
“Friend, judge the things not higher than a boot!”

Mid friends of mine, I too see one, the clever;
I do not know in which a subject ever
He’d be an ace, tho’ his words of strong roots,
But just a fiend brings him to judge men’ level:
Let him make judgment only for their boots!

-- Alexander Pushkin

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

PROLOGUE

On seashore far a green oak towers,
And to it with a gold chain bound,
A .learned cat whiles away the hours
By walking slowly round and round.
To right he walks, and sings a ditty;
To left he walks, and tells a tale....

What marvels there! A mermaid sitting
High in a tree, a sprite, a trail
Where unknown beasts move never seen by
Man's eyes, a hut on chicken feet,
Without a door, without a wdndow,
An evil witch's lone retreat;
The woods and valleys there are teeming
With strange things.... Dawn brings waves that, gleaming,

Over the sandy beaches creep,
And from the clear and shining water
Step thirty goodly knights escorted
By their Old Guardian, of the deep
An ancient dweller.... There a dreaded
And hated tsar is captive ta'en;
There, as all watch, for cloud banks headed,
Across the sea and o'er a plain,
A warlock bears a knight. There, weeping,
A princess sits locked in a cell,
And Grey Wolf serves her very well;
There, in a mortar, onward sweeping
All of itself, beneath the skies
The wicked Baba-Yaga flies;
There pines Koshchei and lusts for gold....

All breathes of Russ, the Russ of old
There once was I, friends, and the с
As near him 'neath the oak I sat
And drank of sweet mead at my leisure,
Recounted tales to me.... With pleasure
One that I liked do I recall
And here and now will share with all...

-- Pushkin, Alexander. Ruslan and Lyudmila

"WHEN THE YELLOWING CORNFIELD
IS WAVING . . ."

When the yellowing cornfield is waving,
And the fresh forest murmurs to the wailing of the wind,
And the crimson berry hides itself in the garden
Under the sweet shade of the green leaflet ;

When, sprinkled with fragrant dew
In the purple evening or the golden hour of morning,
From under the bush the silvery lily-of-the-valley to me
In welcome beckons with its head ;

When the chilly fountain is playing along the ravine
And, sinking its thought into some sad dream,
Lisps to me a mysterious legend
About the peaceful land whence it hurries :

Then the throbbing of my heart is stilled.
Then the furrows on my forehead are smoothed,
And I can attain happiness on the earth,
And in the Heavens I see God . . .

-- Mikhail Lermontov

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

Under Moonshine

The dawn crept into by room
And stole my dream
Now I'll never know
Just what it means
Or what could have been
Yet still I try to lie
But I'm seen
Under moonshine that's where I've been
Under moonshine I'm clearly seen
Under moonshine that's where I've been
Under moonshine I'm clearly seen
Creator of dreams that melt with the sun
I'll send you the things this man has done
He was a saint and a sinner rolled in one
But I miss now that he's gone
I sure miss him now that he's gone
Sure I feel the pain
Deep inside I pour like rain
Remember when you smile
Love's in your eyes
The world keeps turning
The grass still grows green
The fruit on my tree
Is the biggest you've ever seen
Which way up you know when you're down
They've gotta stand tall
With your feet on the ground
You must stand tall
With your feet on the ground
Or maybe I'm crazy
Also they say I'm lazy
But I'll have my days
When I do as I please
For you won't see the woods
While you're a tree
No you'll never see the woods
While you're a tree
Yes I'm crazy
Also they say I'm lazy
But I'll have my days
When I do as I please
You won't see the woods
While you're a tree
No you'll never see the woods
While you're a tree

-- Ray Thomas

Take the Long Way Home

So you think youre a romeo
Playing a part in a picture-show
Take the long way home
Take the long way home

Cos youre the joke of the neighborhood
Why should you care if youre feeling good
Take the long way home
Take the long way home

But there are times that you feel youre part of the scenery
All the greenery is comin down, boy
And then your wife seems to think youre part of the
Furniture oh, its peculiar, she used to be so nice.

When lonely days turn to lonely nights
You take a trip to the city lights
And take the long way home
Take the long way home

You never see what you want to see
Forever playing to the gallery
You take the long way home
Take the long way home

And when youre up on the stage, its so unbelievable,
Unforgettable, how they adore you,
But then your wife seems to think youre losing your sanity,
Oh, calamity, is there no way out?

Does it feel that you lifes become a catastrophe?
Oh, it has to be for you to grow, boy.
When you look through the years and see what you could
Have been oh, what might have been,
If youd had more time.

So, when the day comes to settle down,
Whos to blame if youre not around?
You took the long way home
You took the long way home...........

-- Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

Cup of joe 7/22/09

Cup of joe
on the go
to the snow
or just in tow
to and fro
but never
just for show
no no no
cup of joe
go, go, go
every morn
sure
as
the shift
starting
horn
cup of joe
go, go, go

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

Trees

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

-- Joyce Kilmer. 1886–1918

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

Who Goes Amid the Green Wood

Who goes amid the green wood
With springtide all adorning her?
Who goes amid the merry green wood
To make it merrier?

Who passes in the sunlight
By ways that know the light footfall?
Who passes in the sweet sunlight
With mien so virginal?

The ways of all the woodland
Gleam with a soft and golden fire -- -
For whom does all the sunny woodland
Carry so brave attire?

O, it is for my true love
The woods their rich apparel wear -- -
O, it is for my own true love,
That is so young and fair.

-- James Joyce

The Twilight Turns

The twilight turns from amethyst
To deep and deeper blue,
The lamp fills with a pale green glow
The trees of the avenue.

The old piano plays an air,
Sedate and slow and gay;
She bends upon the yellow keys,
Her head inclines this way.

Shy thought and grave wide eyes and hands
That wander as they list -- -
The twilight turns to darker blue
With lights of amethyst.

-- James Joyce

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

People Who Died

Teddy sniffing glue, he was 12 years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-nine
Cathy was 11 when she pulled the plug
On 26 reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old
He looked like 65 when he died
He was a friend of mine

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
Two more friends that died

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
And I salute you brother

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Herbie pushed Tony from the Boys' Club roof
Tony thought that his rage was just some goof
But Herbie sure gave Tony some xxxxxen proof
"Hey," Herbie said, "Tony, can you fly?"
But Tony couldn't fly, Tony died

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Brian got busted on a narco rap
He beat the rap by rattin' on some bikers
He said, "Hey, I know it's dangerous, but it sure beats Riker's"
But the next day he got offed by the very same bikers

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Teddy sniffing glue, he was 12 years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-nine
Cathy was 11 when she pulled the plug
On 26 reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old
He looked like 65 when he died
He was a friend of mine

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
Two more friends that died

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
And I salute you brother

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

-- Carroll, Jim (8/1/1949 - 9/11/09)

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

Pop

Sitting in his seat, a seat broad and broken
In, sprinkled with ashes,
Pop switches channels, takes another
Shot of Seagrams, neat, and asks
What to do with me, a green young man
Who fails to consider the
Flim and flam of the world, since
Things have been easy for me;
I stare hard at his face, a stare
That deflects off his brow;
I'm sure he's unaware of his
Dark, watery eyes, that
Glance in different directions,
And his slow, unwelcome twitches,
Fail to pass.
I listen, nod,
Listen, open, till I cling to his pale,
Beige T-shirt, yelling,
Yelling in his ears, that hang
With heavy lobes, but he's still telling
His joke, so I ask why
He's so unhappy, to which he replies . . .
But I don't care anymore, cause
He took too damn long, and from
Under my seat, I pull out the
Mirror I've been saving; I'm laughing,
Laughing loud, the blood rushing from his face
To mine, as he grows small,
A spot in my brain, something
That may be squeezed out, like a
Watermelon seed between
Two fingers.
Pop takes another shot, neat,
Points out the same amber
Stain on his shorts that I've got on mine and
Makes me smell his smell, coming
From me; he switches channels, recites an old poem
He wrote before his mother died,
Stands, shouts, and asks
For a hug, as I shink, my
Arms barely reaching around
His thick, oily neck, and his broad back; 'cause
I see my face, framed within
Pop's black-framed glasses
And know he's laughing too.

-- Barack Obama

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Poetry Corner

All in Green

All in green went my love riding
on a great horse of gold
into the silver dawn.

Four lean hounds crouched low and smiling
the merry deer ran before.

Fleeter be they than dappled dreams
the swift red deer
the red rare deer.

Four red roebuck at a white water
the cruel bugle sang before.

Horn at hip went my love riding
riding the echo down
into the silver dawn.

Four lean hounds crouched low and smiling
the level meadows ran before.

Softer be they than slippered sleep
the lean lithe deer
the fleet flown deer.

Four fleet does at a gold valley
the famished arrow sang before.

Bow at belt went my love riding
riding the mountain down
into the silver dawn.

Four lean hounds crouched low and smiling
the sheer peaks ran before.

Paler be they than daunting death
the sleek slim deer
the tall tense deer.

Four tall stags at the green mountain
the lucky hunter sang before.

All in green went my love riding
on a great horse of gold
into the silver dawn.

Four lean hounds crouched low and smiling
my heart fell dead before.

-- ee cummings

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Democracy

Democracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.

Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.

-- Langston Hughes