The Last Leap
by Adam Lindsay Gordon
ALL is over! fleet career,
Dash of greyhound slipping thongs,
Flight of falcon, bound of deer,
Mad hoof-thunder in our rear,
Cold air rushing up our lungs,
Din of many tongues.
Once again, one struggle good,
One vain effort;—he must dwell
Near the shifted post, that stood
Where the splinters of the wood,
Lying in the torn tracks, tell
How he struck and fell.
Crest where cold drops beaded cling,
Small ear drooping, nostril full,
Glazing to a scarlet ring,
Flanks and haunches quivering,
Sinews stiffening, void and null,
Dumb eyes sorrowful.
Satin coat that seems to shine
Duller now, black braided tress
That a softer hand than mine
Far away was wont to twine,
That in meadows far from this
Softer lips might kiss.
All is over! this is death,
And I stand to watch thee die,
Brave old horse! with bated breath
Hardly drawn through tight-clenched teeth,
Lip indented deep, but eye
Only dull and dry.
Musing on the husk and chaff
Gathered where life’s tares are sown,
Thus I speak, and force a laugh,
That is half a sneer and half
An involuntary groan,
In a stifled tone—
‘Rest, old friend! thy day, though rife
With its toil, hath ended soon;
We have had our share of strife,
Tumblers in the masque of life,
In the pantomime of noon
Clown and pantaloon.
‘With a flash that ends thy pain,
Respite and oblivion blest
Come to greet thee. I in vain
Fall: I rise to fall again:
Thou hast fallen to thy rest—
And thy fall is best

A few random poems:
- A Work Of Artifice by Marge Piercy
- For the Bed at Kelmscott by William Morris
- Гавриил Державин – К Анжелике Кауфман
- Василий Жуковский – Младенец: Стих, который легко учится, 28 строк – Стихотворения Жуковского на Poetry Monster
- Sea World by Nin Andrews
- Money by William Henry Davies
- Robert Burns: Carle, An The King Come:
- Иосиф Бродский – Бюст Тиберия
- Progress by Michael McGovern
- Николай Глазков – Про чертей
- English Literature for Shaping Your Ideas
- Джон Мильтон – Новым гонителям свободы
- M for Man, Money and Moon by Raj Arumugam
- Must Work by Steve Downes
- Orlando Furioso Canto 9 by Ludovico Ariosto
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
- Nature’s Law: A Poem by Robert Burns
- My Highland Lassie, O by Robert Burns
- My Heart’s In The Highlands by Robert Burns
- My Girl she’s Airy: A Fragment by Robert Burns
- My Father was a Farmer: A Ballad by Robert Burns
- Mr. William Smellie: A Sketch by Robert Burns
- Motto prefixed to the Author’s first Publication by Robert Burns
- Monody on a Lady, famed for her Caprice by Robert Burns
- Masonic Song—Ye Sons of Old Killie by Robert Burns
- Mary Morison by Robert Burns
- Man was made to Mourn: A Dirge by Robert Burns
- Lord Gregory: A Ballad by Robert Burns
- Lines Written under the Picture of Miss Burns by Robert Burns
- Lines written on a Bank-note by Robert Burns
- Lines to Sir John Whitefoord, Bart by Robert Burns
- Lines to Mr. John Kennedy by Robert Burns
- Lines to John Syme, Esq., with a dozen of Porter by Robert Burns
- Lines to John M’Murdo of Drumlanrig by Robert Burns
- Lines to an Old Sweetheart by Robert Burns
- Lines to a Gentleman who sent a Newspaper by Robert Burns
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
Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833 – 1870) was an Australian or British-Australian poet, horseman, police officer and politician. He is considered to be one of the first national Australian poets.