Meditation on a Bone

A piece of bone, found at Trondhjem in 1901, with the following runic inscription (about A.D. 1050) cut on it: I loved her as a maiden; I will not trouble Erlend’s detestable wife; better she should be a widow.

Words scored upon a bone,

Scratched in despair or rage —

Nine hundred years have gone;

Now, in another age,

They burn with passion on

A scholar’s tranquil page.

The scholar takes his pen

And turns the bone about,

And writes those words again.

Once more they seethe and shout

And through a human brain

Undying hate rings out.

“I loved her when a maid;

I loathe and love the wife

That warms another’s bed:

Let him beware his life!”

The scholar’s hand is stayed;

His pen becomes a knife

To grave in living bone

The fierce archaic cry.

He sits and reads his own

Dull sum of misery.

A thousand years have flown

Before that ink is dry.

And, in a foreign tongue,

A man, who is not he,

Reads and his heart is wrung

This ancient grief to see,

And thinks: When I am dung,

What bone shall speak for me?

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Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh

Poems in English 

• Limbo Under the Westway poem – André Rostant poems by André Rostant
• A Rainy Night poem – André Rostant poems by André Rostant
• “European Union” by the (Roman/German) Eagles by André Rostant
• 決定 by André Rodriguez
• Decision by André Rodriguez
• 我的妻子。 安德烈·布勒東一首關於自由戀愛的詩 by André Breton
• Less Time poem – Andre Breton poems by André Breton
• Freedom of Love poem | L’Union Libre (Ma Femme)  – Andre Breton poems by André Breton
• Le Verbe Etre poem – Andre Breton poems by André Breton
• Five Ways To Kill A Man poem – Andre Breton poems by André Breton
• Always for the first time by André Breton
• I have a dream by Glory Of Mankind
• Putin, Our Savior and Dear Friend by Poetry Slave
• Shame by Poetry Slave
• A Poem about Lemonade by Poetry Slave
• About Wedding Dress by Poetry Slave
• Spirituality of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Gerard Manley Hopkins: a shepherd poet by Fledermaus
• What Shall I Do For the Land that Bred Me poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems by Gerald Manley Hopkins
• What Being in Rank-Old Nature poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems by Gerald Manley Hopkins
• Tom’s Garland poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems by Gerald Manley Hopkins

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Doska or the Board – write anything

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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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