After Our Likeness

Before me now a little picture lies-

A little shadow of a childish face,

Childishly sweet, yet with the dawning grace

Of thought and wisdom on her lips and eyes.

Fair, oval, broad-brow’d face-small, delicate head-

Transparent skin, with blue veins shining through-

All the soft outlines, beautiful and true,

Bring me the echo of the words “God said.”

Made “in our image”-sure ’tis that we see,

God’s likeness, in the fair face of a child,

By the world’s sin and passion undefiled-

Ay, as I look, it seems quite plain to me.

The light wherein the little features shine,

Strange, mystic light, so undefined and faint,

So far too pure for any words to paint-

‘Tis a reflection of the Face divine.

Some day the earthly shadows will be cast

Across that sunshine-it may be to dim

Awhile the visible countenance of Him;

But ’twill be there-the likeness-to the last.

Some day the lucid waters, in which lie

Pictured those glorious lineaments, will be

Stirred up and troubled like a stormy sea;-

But they will yet re-settle-by-and-by.

They will re-settle when the soul is still’d,

Its passions, its wild longings, and its pain;

The pure reflection will shine out again

When earth’s hopes are relinquish’d, unfulfill’d.

They will re-settle in those after-years

When life’s hard lessons have been conned and learn’d;

When this child’s beauty will have all return’d,

More lovely for the trouble and the tears.

They will re-settle in the calm of death,

When the sweet eyes are laid asleep, and when

The heart is hush’d. Truly God’s likeness then-

The mirror clear, unsullied by a breath.

Ah! while I look, and trace each tender line,

I think most of the day when I shall see

The dear face in that perfect purity,

Its mortal features clothed with the divine.

This self-same face, but with the image bright,

Nevermore undefined, and faint, and dim;

This self-same face, yet like the face of Him,

In glory and in beauty infinite.

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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 

• Иван Бунин – Не видно птиц by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – За рекой луга зазеленели by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – Надпись на могильной плите by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – Богиня by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – Безнадежность by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – Беру твою руку и долго смотрю by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – Балагула by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – Апрель by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – Алёнушка by Иван Бунин
• Иван Бунин – Пустыня, грусть в степных просторах by Иван Бунин
• Иван Барков – Выбор by Иван Барков
• Иван Барков – Вопрос без ответу by Иван Барков
• Иван Барков – Венерино оружие by Иван Барков
• Иван Барков – Улика подьячего by Иван Барков
• Иван Барков – Торжественным воротам by Иван Барков
• Иван Барков – Стихи с матом без цензуры: читать матерные нецензурные стихотворения Баркова – Poetry Monster by Иван Барков
• Исикава Такубоку – Дом by Takuboku (Такубоку) Ishikawa (Исикава) 石川 啄木
• Ирина Токмакова – Каша by Поэзия На Русском
• Иосиф Бродский – Бюст Тиберия by Иосиф Бродский
• Иосиф Бродский – Буров тракторист by Иосиф Бродский

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.

 

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