The Thraldom

I came, I saw, and was undone;

Lightning did through my bones and marrow run;

A pointed pain pierc’d deep my heart;

A swift cold trembling seiz’d on every part;

My head turn’d round, nor could it bear

The poison that was enter’d there.

So a destroying angel’s breath

Blows-in the plague, and with it hasty death;

Such was the pain, did so begin,

To the poor wretch, when Legion enter’d in.

“Forgive me, God!” I cry’d; for I

Flatter’d myself I was to die.

But quickly to my cost I found,

‘T was cruel Love, not Death, had made the wound;

Death a more generous rage does use;

Quarter to all he conquers does refuse:

Whilst Love with barbarous mercy saves

The vanquish’d lives, to make them slaves.

I am thy slave then; let me know,

Hard master! the great task I have to do:

Who pride and scorn do undergo.

In tempests and rough seas thy galleys row;

They pant, and groan, and sigh; but find

Their sighs increase the angry wind.

Like an Egyptian tyrant, some

Thou weariest out in building but a tomb;

Others, with sad and tedious art,

Labour i’ th’ quarries of a stony heart:

Of all the works thou dost assign

To all the several slaves of thine,

Employ me, mighty Love! to dig the mine.

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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 

• Ольга Берггольц – Мой дом by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Мне не поведать о моей утрате by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Марш оловянных солдатиков by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Майя by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Лучший город by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Ленинградская осень by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Ласточки над обрывом by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Кирову by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Какая тёмная зима by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Как на озёрном хуторе by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – К сердцу Родины руку тянет by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Из “Писем с дороги” by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – И вновь одна, совсем одна в дорогу by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Февральский дневник by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Два стихотворения дочерям by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Дорога на фронт by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Детскосельский парк by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Церковь “Дивная” в Угличе by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Борису Корнилову by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Беатриче (строгая любовь) by Ольга Берггольц

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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