The Virgin Martyr

Every wild she-bird has nest and mate in the warm April weather,

But a captive woman, made for love – no mate, no nest has she.

In the spring of young desire, young men and maids are wed together,

And the happy mothers flaunt their bliss for all the world to see:

Nature’s sacramental feast for these – an empty board for me.

I, a young maid once, an old maid now, deposed, despised, forgotten –

I, like them have thrilled with passion and have dreamed of nuptial rest,

Of the trembling life within me of my children unbegotten,

Of a breathing new-born body to my yearning bosom prest,

Of the rapture of a little soft mouth drinking at my breast.

Time, that heals so many sorrows, keeps mine ever freshly aching;

Though my face is growing furrowed and my brown hair turning white,

Still I mourn my irremediable loss, asleep or waking –

Still I hear my son’s voice calling “mother” in the dead of night,

And am haunted by my girl’s eyes that will never see the light.

O my children that I might have had! my children, lost for ever!

O the goodly years that might have been – now desolate and bare!

O malignant God or Fate, what have I done that I should never

Take my birthright like the others, take the crown that women wear,

And possess the common heritage to which all flesh is heir?

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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 

• Sir Philip Sidney; Astrophel and Stella: XXIII by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Ring Out Your Bells by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Psalm 19: Coeli Enarrant by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Philomela by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Loving In Truth, And Fain In Verse My Love To Show by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Leave Me, O Love Which Reachest But To Dust by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Come Sleep, O Sleep! The Certain Knot Of Peace by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella: XXXIX by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella: XXXIII by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella: XX by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella: XV by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella: XLI by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella: XCII by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella VII: WhenNature Made her Chief Work by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel And Stella-Sonnet XXXI by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel And Stella-Sonnet LIV by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel And Stella; Sonnet CVIII by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella LXXXIV: HIGHWAY by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella: LXXI by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney
• Astrophel and Stella: LXIV by Sir Philip Sidney by Philip Sidney

More external links (open in a new tab):

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Search engines:

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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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