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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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 – Слышала, приедешь к нам не скоро ты by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Синеглазый мальчик, синеглазый by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Сибиринка by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Сестре by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Родине by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Разговор с соседкой by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Простите бедность этих строк by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Придешь, как приходят слепые by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Потеряла я вечером слово by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Порука by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Полуночная by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Покуда небо сумрачное меркнет by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Подбирают фомки и отмычки by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Письмо из Ленинграда by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Песня о жене патриота by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Песня о ленинградской матери by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Песня дочери by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Первое письмо на Каму by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Пахнет соснами, гарью, тленьем by Ольга Берггольц
• Ольга Берггольц – Память (Всей земною горечью и болью) 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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