The British
by A. S. J. Tessimond
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.

A few random poems:
- To Mr. Lawrence poem – John Milton poems
- Proclamation Without Pretension by Tristan Tzara
- The Bald-Pated Welshman and the Fly by William Somervile
- A Birthday Song. To S. G. by Sidney Lanier
- Алексей Жемчужников – Уже давно иду я, утомленный
- Memoriam A. H. H.: 72. Risest thou thus, dim dawn, again poem – Lord Alfred Tennyson poems
- Robert Burns: On The Death Of Robert Dundas, Esq., Of Arniston,: Late Lord President of the Court of Session.
- Владимир Маяковский – Собственную революцию удушив… (РОСТА №443)
- Николай Заболоцкий – Футбол
- The Taxi poem – Amy Lowell poems | Poems and Poetry
- Lohengrin poem – Amy Levy poems | Poems and Poetry
- Валерий Брюсов – К портрету Лермонтова
- Иван Бунин – Алёнушка
- Blistering Attack by Satish Verma
- Sheep In Fog by Sylvia Plath
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
- София Парнок – Триолеты
- София Парнок – Тихо плачу и пою
- София Парнок – Сегодня с неба день поспешней
- София Парнок – Рондель
- София Парнок – Он ходит с женщиной в светлом
- София Парнок – Об одной лошаденке чалой
- София Парнок – Кипящий звук неторопливых арб
- София Парнок – И голос окликнул тебя среди ночи
- София Парнок – Газэлы
- София Парнок – Екатерине Гельцер
- София Парнок – Белой ночью
- Шекспир – Ты утоляешь мой голодный взор – Сонет 75
- Шекспир – Запечатленный в слове лик твой милый – Сонет 59
- Шекспир – Сонет 50
- Шекспир – Я так тебя люблю – Сонет 36
- Шекспир – Я не хочу хвалить любовь мою – Сонет 21
- Шекспир – Я лью потоки горьких слез – Сонет 44
- Шекспир – Я дорого ценю любовь твою – Сонет 87
- Шекспир – Весну не перельешь в хрусталь – Сонет 6
More external links (open in a new tab):
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
The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works