We are a people living in shells and moving
Crablike; reticent, awkward, deeply suspicious;
Watching the world from a corner of half-closed eyelids,
Afraid lest someone show that he hates or loves us,
Afraid lest someone weep in the railway train.

We are coiled and clenched like a foetus clad in armour.
We hold our hearts for fear they fly like eagles.
We grasp our tongues for fear they cry like trumpets.
We listen to our own footsteps. We look both ways
Before we cross the silent empty road.

We are a people easily made uneasy,
Especially wary of praise, of passion, of scarlet
Cloaks, of gesturing hands, of the smiling stranger
In the alien hat who talks to all or the other
In the unfamiliar coat who talks to none.

We are afraid of too-cold thought or too-hot
Blood, of the opening of long-shut shafts or cupboards,
Of light in caves, of X-rays, probes, unclothing
Of emotion, intolerable revelation
Of lust in the light, of love in the palm of the hand.

We are afraid of, one day on a sunny morning,
Meeting ourselves or another without the usual
Outer sheath, the comfortable conversation,
And saying all, all, all we did not mean to,
All, all, all we did not know we meant.

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 

• София Парнок – Ты помнишь коридорчик узенький by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Триолеты by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Тихо плачу и пою by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Сегодня с неба день поспешней by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Рондель by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Он ходит с женщиной в светлом by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Об одной лошаденке чалой by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Кипящий звук неторопливых арб by София Парнок
• София Парнок – И голос окликнул тебя среди ночи by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Газэлы by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Екатерине Гельцер by София Парнок
• София Парнок – Белой ночью by София Парнок
• Шекспир – Ты утоляешь мой голодный взор – Сонет 75 by William Shakespeare
• Шекспир – Запечатленный в слове лик твой милый – Сонет 59 by William Shakespeare
• Шекспир – Сонет 50 by William Shakespeare
• Шекспир – Я так тебя люблю – Сонет 36 by William Shakespeare
• Шекспир – Я не хочу хвалить любовь мою – Сонет 21 by William Shakespeare
• Шекспир – Я лью потоки горьких слез – Сонет 44 by William Shakespeare
• Шекспир – Я дорого ценю любовь твою – Сонет 87 by William Shakespeare
• Шекспир – Весну не перельешь в хрусталь – Сонет 6 by William Shakespeare

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