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:
- Laus Mariae by Sidney Lanier
- Нина Воронель – Мудрая стерва природа
- Владимир Маяковский – Врангеля мы добили… (РОСТА №621)
- Огюст Барбье – Бук
- Epigram on Parting with a kind Host in the Highlands by Robert Burns
- Владимир Британишский – Меня благословил старик Бажов
- A Friend Forever
- Sonnet 05
- Civil War Songs
- Константин Бальмонт – Мы шли в золотистом тумане
- innocence.html
- Владимир Маяковский – Про это
- The Mocking Fairy by Walter de la Mare
- God Neither Known Nor Loved By The World by William Cowper
- Sonnet 43: When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see by William Shakespeare
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
- Hope by Swaraj Prasad
- Ematiated Souls by Suuk Simon Subinimah
- Curtis by Susan King Saunders
- Caught by Susan Adams
- A soldier’s Pledge by Sylvan Lightbourne
- A character of it’s own by Sylvan Lightbourne
- Zoo-Keeper’s Wife by Sylvia Plath
- You’re by Sylvia Plath
- Yadwigha, On A Red Couch, Among Lillies by Sylvia Plath
- Yaddo : The Grand Manor by Sylvia Plath
- Wreath For A Bridal by Sylvia Plath
- Words Heard, By Accident, Over The Phone by Sylvia Plath
- A Winter’s Tale by Sylvia Plath
- Winter Landscape, With Rooks by Sylvia Plath
- Watercolor Of Grantchester Meadows by Sylvia Plath
- Waking In Winter by Sylvia Plath
- Virgin In A Tree by Sylvia Plath
- Two Views Of Withens by Sylvia Plath
- Two Views Of A Cadaver Room by Sylvia Plath
- Two Sisters Of Persephone by Sylvia Plath
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.