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 

• Алексей Толстой – Ушкуйник by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Угораздило кофейник by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Ты знаешь, я люблю by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Ты жертва жизненных тревог by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Ты почто, злая кручинушка by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Ты не спрашивай, не распытывай by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Ты любишь в нем лишь первую любовь by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Три побоища by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – То было раннею весной by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Темнота и туман застилают мне путь by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Тебя так любят все by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Сватовство by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Стасюлевич и Маркевич by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Средь шумного бала, случайно by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Смеркалось, жаркий день бледнел неуловимо by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Слова для мазурки by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Слепой by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Сижу да гляжу я всe, братцы, вон в эту сторонку by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – Шумит на дворе непогода by Алексей Константинович Толстой
• Алексей Толстой – С тех пор как я один by Алексей Константинович Толстой

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