Famine Song

Death and Famine on every side

And never a sign of rain,

The bones of those who have starved and died

Unburied upon the plain.

What care have I that the bones bleach white?

To-morrow they may be mine,

But I shall sleep in your arms to-night

And drink your lips like wine!

Cholera, Riot, and Sudden Death,

And the brave red blood set free,

The glazing eye and the failing breath,–

But what are these things to me?

Your breath is quick and your eyes are bright

And your blood is red like wine,

And I shall sleep in your arms to-night

And hold your lips with mine!

I hear the sound of a thousand tears,

Like softly pattering rain,

I see the fever, folly, and fears

Fulfilling man’s tale of pain.

But for the moment your star is bright,

I revel beneath its shine,

For I shall sleep in your arms to-night

And feel your lips on mine!

And you need not deem me over cold,

That I do not stop to think

For all the pleasure this Life may hold

Is on the Precipice brink.

Thought could but lessen my soul’s delight,

And to-day she may not pine.

For I shall lie in your arms to-night

And close your lips with mine!

I trust what sorrow the Fates may send

I may carry quietly through,

And pray for grace when I reach the end,

To die as a man should do.

To-day, at least, must be clear and bright,

Without a sorrowful sign,

Because I sleep in your arms to-night

And feel your lips on mine!

So on I work, in the blazing sun,

To bury what dead we may,

But glad, oh, glad, when the day is done

And the night falls round us grey.

Would those we covered away from sight

Had a rest as sweet as mine!

For I shall sleep in your arms to-night

And drink your lips like wine!

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External links

Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus

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Poems in English 

• Вера Звягинцева – Шафрановым загаром by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Психея by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Пойдёте пешком на кладбище by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Околдовано сердце моё by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Не пастушка и не Психея by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – На смерть Есенина by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Моя любовь к Армении похожа by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Летите, летите зелёные долы by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Карусель by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Качаешься в гробу стеклянном by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – Другу-переводчику by Вера Звягинцева
• Вера Звягинцева – А если ты любишь не можешь by Вера Звягинцева
• Вергилий – Скопа by Poetae Romani
• Вергилий – Лидия by Poetae Romani
• Вергилий – Георгики by Poetae Romani
• Вергилий – Буколики by Poetae Romani
• Вероника Тушнова – Молчание by Вероника Тушнова
• Вероника Тушнова – Мне говорят, нету такой любви by Вероника Тушнова
• Вероника Тушнова – Мать by Вероника Тушнова
• Вероника Тушнова – Люблю by Вероника Тушнова

More external links (open in a new tab):

Russian Commerce Agency

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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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