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:
- Lines from Endymion poem – John Keats poems
- Михаил Ломоносов – Богиня, дщерь божеств, науки основавших
- Алексей Толстой – Средь шумного бала, случайно
- If A Tree Could Wander by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
- English Poetry. Madison Julius Cawein. He Who Loves. Мэдисон Джулиус Кавейн.
- Fancy poem – John Keats poems
- Rich Days by William Henry Davies
- Robert Burns: Twas Na Her Bonie Blue E’e:
- Юрий Галансков – Он к нам придёт
- Manure by Mark R Slaughter
- In Abeyance by Satish Verma
- Crossroads by Roger Hayes
- Robert Burns: Thou Fair Eliza:
- Recollection
- The Tables Turned by William Wordsworth
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
- Crowdie ever mair (Song) by Robert Burns
- Inscription to Chloris by Robert Burns
- Yonder pomp of costly fashion (Song) by Robert Burns
- Robert Bruce’s March to Bannockburn (Song) by Robert Burns
- My Spouse Nancy by Robert Burns
- Forlorn, my love, no comfort here (Song) by Robert Burns
- Behold the hour by Robert Burns
- Impromptu on Mrs. Riddell’s Birthday by Robert Burns
- On Chloris being ill (Song) by Robert Burns
- How cruel are the parents by Robert Burns
- Had I a cave by Robert Burns
- Craigieburn Wood by Robert Burns
- Poem on Pastoral Poetry by Robert Burns
- Lines of John M’Murdo by Robert Burns
- Inscription for an Alter of Independence by Robert Burns
- Epitaph on a Lap-dog by Robert Burns
- Epigram on Miss Davies by Robert Burns
- Out over the Forth (Song) by Robert Burns
- O aye my wife she dang me (Song) by Robert Burns
- Hey, the Dusty Miller (Song) 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.