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:
- Владимир Степанов – Рукавицы для лисицы
- The Thousandth Man by Rudyard Kipling
- Владимир Костров – Письмо в никуда
- In The Well poem – Andrew Hudgins poems | Poems and Poetry
- Владимир Маяковский – Весь провел советский план… (Главполитпросвет №41)
- On Friendship by Phillis Wheatley
- Владимир Степанов – Кто хозяин
- Olive Branch by Satish Verma
- For the Young Who Want To by Marge Piercy
- Robert Burns: Rattlin’, Roarin’ Willie:
- The Sea Wind by Sara Teasdale
- Conviction (iii) by Stevie Smith
- A Winter Twilight poem – Angelina Weld Grimke poems | Poems and Poetry
- Possibilities by Rudyard Kipling
- A Jewish Family In A Small Valley Opposite St. Goar, Upon The Rhine 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
- Fallen Majesty by William Butler Yeats
- Ephemera by William Butler Yeats
- Ego Dominus Tuus by William Butler Yeats
- Easter, 1916 by William Butler Yeats
- Down By The Salley Gardens by William Butler Yeats
- Demon And Beast by William Butler Yeats
- Dedication To A Book Of Stories Selected From The Irish Novelists by William Butler Yeats
- Death by William Butler Yeats
- Cuchulan’s Fight With The Sea by William Butler Yeats
- Cuchulain Comforted by William Butler Yeats
- Crazy Jane Talks With The Bishop by William Butler Yeats
- Crazy Jane Reproved by William Butler Yeats
- Crazy Jane On The Mountain by William Butler Yeats
- Crazy Jane On The Day Of Judgment by William Butler Yeats
- Crazy Jane On God by William Butler Yeats
- Crazy Jane Grown Old Looks At The Dancers by William Butler Yeats
- Crazy Jane And Jack The Journeyman by William Butler Yeats
- Coole Park, 1929 by William Butler Yeats
- Consolation by William Butler Yeats
- Come Gather Round Me, Parnellites by William Butler Yeats
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.