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:
- Федор Сологуб – В иных веках, в иной отчизне
- Михаил Лермонтов – Всевышний произнес свой приговор
- The Copper Beech by Marie Howe
- Виктор Гончаров – Когда тебя бессонной ночью
- If you should tire of loving me by Margaret Widdemer
- Jerusalem Delivered – Book 03 – part 05 by Torquato Tasso
- The Affliction Of Margaret by William Wordsworth
- Геннадий Айги – БЕЗ НАЗВАНИЯ
- Fast Anchor’d, Eternal, O Love. by Walt Whitman
- Words Unspoken by Mark Olynyk
- A Ballad Of The Two Knights by Sara Teasdale
- Angel Of Christmas Love Shining Bright
- Yell of Pain by Maria Ivana Trevisani Bach
- The Call To Arms In Our Street by Winifred Mary Letts
- Sonnet 79: Whilst I alone did call upon thy aid 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
- The Eagle That is Forgotten by Vachel Lindsay
- The Drunkards in the Street by Vachel Lindsay
- The Dandelion by Vachel Lindsay
- The Cornfields by Vachel Lindsay
- The Congo: A Study of the Negro Race by Vachel Lindsay
- The City That Will Not Repent by Vachel Lindsay
- The Chinese Nightingale by Vachel Lindsay
- The Broncho That Would Not Be Broken by Vachel Lindsay
- The Booker Washington Trilogy by Vachel Lindsay
- The Beggar’s Valentine by Vachel Lindsay
- The Bankrupt Peace-Maker by Vachel Lindsay
- The Amaranth by Vachel Lindsay
- The Alchemist’s Petition by Vachel Lindsay
- Sweethearts of the Year by Vachel Lindsay
- Sweet Briars of the Stairways by Vachel Lindsay
- Sunshine by Vachel Lindsay
- Star of My Heart by Vachel Lindsay
- St. Francis of Assisi by Vachel Lindsay
- Springfield Magical by Vachel Lindsay
- Shakespeare by Vachel Lindsay
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.