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.

Poetry Monster – Home

A few random poems:

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 – Бабье лето (надо любить, жалеть, прощать) by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Анна Ахматова в 1941 году в Ленинграде by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – А помнишь by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – 27 января 1945 года by Ольга Берггольц
• Олег Широв – Она бесценна, просто ангел by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Зимний кот by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Задумал слово я такое by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Храбрый червячок by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Воробышек и крошки by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Во дворе by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Угадай, в какой руке by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – У сосульки льет из носа by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Стой, кто идет by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Птенчик by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Пришли цыплята в первый класс by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Перемена by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Облачко by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Мошка Машка by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Кузнечик by Поэзия На Русском
• Олег Сердобольский – Корова и божья коровка by Поэзия На Русском

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.

 

Parallel Translations of Poetry

Poems by Author and Category

The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works