English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Sorceress!. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Sorceress! I asked her, ”Is Aladdin’s lamp Hidden anywhere?” ”Look into your heart,” she said, ”Aladdin’s lamp is there.” She took my heart with glowing hands. It burned to dust and air And smoke and […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Blanche Sweet. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Blanche Sweet MOVING-PICTURE ACTRESS (After seeing the reel called ”Oil and Water.”) Beauty has a throne-room In our humorous town, Spoiling its hob-goblins, Laughing shadows down. Rank musicians torture Ragtime ballads vile, But we walk serenely Down the odorous aisle. We forgive […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Trap. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Trap She was taught desire in the street, Not at the angels’ feet. By the good no word was said Of the worth of the bridal bed. The secret was learned from the vile, Not from her […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Haughty Snail-King. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Haughty Snail-King Twelve snails went walking after night. They’d creep an inch or so, Then stop and bug their eyes And blow. Some folks . . . are . . . deadly . . . slow. Twelve snails went walking yestereve, Led […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Tree of Laughing Bells. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Tree of Laughing Bells [A Poem for Aviators] How the Wings Were Made From many morning-glories That in an hour will fade, From many pansy buds Gathered in the shade, From lily of the valley And […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Scissors-Grinder. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Scissors-Grinder The old man had his box and wheel For grinding knives and shears. No doubt his bell in village streets Was joy to children’s ears. And I bethought me of my youth When such men came around, And times I asked […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Gamblers. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Gamblers Life’s a jail where men have common lot. Gaunt the one who has, and who has not. All our treasures neither less nor more, Bread alone comes thro’ the guarded door. Cards are foolish in this jail, […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Epitaphs for Two Players. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Epitaphs for Two Players I. EDWIN BOOTH An old actor at the Player’s Club told me that Edwin Booth first impersonated Hamlet when a barnstormer in California. There were few theatres, but the hotels were provided with crude assembly rooms for strolling […]
English Poetry. Wilfred Owen. Asleep. Уилфред Оуэн.
Wilfred Owen (Уилфред Оуэн) Asleep Under his helmet, up against his pack, After so many days of work and waking, Sleep took him by the brow and laid him back. There, in the happy no-time of his sleeping, Death took him by the heart. There heaved a […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. What the Moon Saw. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) What the Moon Saw Two statesmen met by moonlight. Their ease was partly feigned. They glanced about the prairie. Their faces were constrained. In various ways aforetime They had misled the state, Yet did it so politely Their henchmen thought them great. They […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. On Reading Omar Khayyam. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) On Reading Omar Khayyam [During an anti-saloon campaign, in central Illinois] In the midst of the battle I turned, (For the thunders could flourish without me) And hid by a rose-hung wall, Forgetting the murder about me; And wrote, […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Sun Says His Prayers. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Sun Says His Prayers ”The sun says his prayers,” said the fairy, Or else he would wither and die. ”The sun says his prayers,” said the fairy, ”For strength to climb up through the sky. He leans on invisible angels, And Faith […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Caught in a Net. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Caught in a Net Upon her breast her hands and hair Were tangled all together. The moon of June forbade me not — The golden night time weather In balmy sighs commanded me To kiss them like a […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Incense. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Incense Think not that incense-smoke has had its day. My friends, the incense-time has but begun. Creed upon creed, cult upon cult shall bloom, Shrine after shrine grow gray beneath the sun. And mountain-boulders in our aged West […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. When Bryan Speaks. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) When Bryan Speaks When Bryan speaks, the town’s a hive. From miles around, the autos drive. The sparrow chirps. The rooster crows. The place is kicking and alive. When Bryan speaks, the bunting glows. The raw procession onward flows. The small dogs […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. How a Little Girl Sang. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) How a Little Girl Sang Ah, she was music in herself, A symphony of joyousness. She sang, she sang from finger tips, From every tremble of her dress. I saw sweet haunting harmony, An ecstasy, an ecstasy, […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Aladdin and the Jinn. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Aladdin and the Jinn ”Bring me soft song,” said Aladdin. ”This tailor-shop sings not at all. Chant me a word of the twilight, Of roses that mourn in the fall. Bring me a song like hashish That will comfort the stale and the […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. A Prayer to All the Dead among Mine Own People. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) A Prayer to All the Dead among Mine Own People Are these your presences, my clan from Heaven? Are these your hands upon my wounded soul? Mine own, mine own, blood of my blood be with me, Fly by my […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Queen of Bubbles. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Queen of Bubbles [Written for a picture] The Youth speaks: —: ”Why do you seek the sun In your bubble-crown ascending? Your chariot will melt to mist. Your crown will have an ending.” The Goddess replies: — […]
English Poetry. Wilfred Owen. A New Heaven. Уилфред Оуэн.
Wilfred Owen (Уилфред Оуэн) A New Heaven Seeing we never found gay fairyland (Though still we crouched by bluebells moon by moon) And missed the tide of Lethe; yet are soon For that new bridge that leaves old Styx half-spanned; Nor ever unto Mecca caravanned; Nor bugled Asgard, […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Booker Washington Trilogy. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Booker Washington Trilogy I. A NEGRO SERMON:—SIMON LEGREE (To be read in your own variety of negro dialect.) Legree’s big house was white and green. His cotton-fields were the best to be seen. He had strong horses and opulent cattle, And […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Black Hawk War of the Artists. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Black Hawk War of the Artists WRITTEN FOR LORADO TAFT’S STATUE OF BLACK HAWK AT OREGON, ILLINOIS To be given in the manner of the Indian Oration and the Indian War-Cry. Hawk of the Rocks, Yours is our cause […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Honor Among Scamps. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Honor Among Scamps We are the smirched. Queen Honor is the spotless. We slept thro’ wars where Honor could not sleep. We were faint-hearted. Honor was full-valiant. We kept a silence Honor could not keep. Yet this late […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Yet Gentle Will the Griffin Be. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Yet Gentle Will the Griffin Be (What Grandpa told the Children) The moon? It is a griffin’s egg, Hatching to-morrow night. And how the little boys will watch With shouting and delight To see him break the shell and stretch And creep across […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Buddha. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Buddha Would that by Hindu magic we became Dark monks of jeweled India long ago, Sitting at Prince Siddartha’s feet to know The foolishness of gold and love and station, The gospel of the Great Renunciation, The ragged […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. King Arthur’s Men Have Come Again. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) * * * [Written while a field-worker in the Anti-Saloon League of Illinois] King Arthur’s men have come again. They challenge everywhere The foes of Christ’s Eternal Church. Her incense crowns the air. The heathen knighthood cower and […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The King of Yellow Butterflies. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The King of Yellow Butterflies (A Poem Game) The King of Yellow Butterflies, The King of Yellow Butterflies, The King of Yellow Butterflies, Now orders forth his men. He says ”The time is almost here When violets bloom again.” Adown the road the […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Darling Daughter of Babylon. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Darling Daughter of Babylon Too soon you wearied of our tears. And then you danced with spangled feet, Leading Belshazzar’s chattering court A-tinkling through the shadowy street. With mead they came, with chants of shame. DESIRE’S red flag before them flew. And Istar’s […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Here’s to the Mice!. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Here’s to the Mice! Written with the hope that the socialists might yet dethrone Kaiser and Czar.) Here’s to the mice that scare the lions, Creeping into their cages. Here’s to the fairy mice that bite The elephants fat and wise: […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Popcorn, Glass Balls, and Cranberries. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Popcorn, Glass Balls, and Cranberries I. THE LION The Lion is a kingly beast. He likes a Hindu for a feast. And if no Hindu he can get, The lion-family is upset. He cuffs his wife and bites her ears Till […]
English Poetry. Wilfred Owen. Exposure. Уилфред Оуэн.
Wilfred Owen (Уилфред Оуэн) Exposure I Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knife us … Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent … Low drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient … Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous, But […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. St. Francis of Assisi. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) St. Francis of Assisi Would I might wake St. Francis in you all, Brother of birds and trees, God’s Troubadour, Blinded with weeping for the sad and poor; Our wealth undone, all strict Franciscan men, Come, let us chant […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Mark Twain and Joan of Arc. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Mark Twain and Joan of Arc When Yankee soldiers reach the barricade Then Joan of Arc gives each the accolade. For she is there in armor clad, today, All the young poets of the wide world say. Which of our freemen […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. A Dirge for a Righteous Kitten. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) A Dirge for a Righteous Kitten To be intoned, all but the two italicized lines, which are to be spoken in a snappy, matter-of-fact way. Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong. Here lies a kitten good, who kept A kitten’s proper place. He stole […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Mysterious Cat. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Mysterious Cat A chant for a children’s pantomime dance, suggested by a picture painted by George Mather Richards. I saw a proud, mysterious cat, I saw a proud, mysterious cat Too proud to catch a mouse or rat— Mew, mew, […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. A Curse for Kings. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) A Curse for Kings A curse upon each king who leads his state, No matter what his plea, to this foul game, And may it end his wicked dynasty, And may he die in exile and black shame. If there is vengeance […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Leaden-Eyed. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Leaden-Eyed Let not young souls be smothered out before They do quaint deeds and fully flaunt their pride. It is the world’s one crime its babes grow dull, Its poor are ox-like, limp and leaden-eyed. Not that they starve; but starve so […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Firemen’s Ball. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Firemen’s Ball SECTION ONE ”Give the engines room, Give the engines room.” Louder, faster The little band-master Whips up the fluting, Hurries up the tooting. He thinks that he stands, [*] The reins in his hands, In the fire-chief’s place […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. The Chinese Nightingale. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) The Chinese Nightingale A Song in Chinese Tapestries ”How, how,” he said. ”Friend Chang,” I said, ”San Francisco sleeps as the dead— Ended license, lust and play: Why do you iron the night away? Your big clock speaks with a deadly […]
English Poetry. Vachel Lindsay. Ghosts in Love. Вэчел Линдсей.
Vachel Lindsay (Вэчел Линдсей) Ghosts in Love ”Tell me, where do ghosts in love Find their bridal veils?” ”If you and I were ghosts in love We’d climb the cliffs of Mystery, Above the sea of Wails. I’d trim your gray […]