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:
- 歐盟
- of spiritual matters by Raj Arumugam
- The Rape of the Lock: Canto 4 poem – Alexander Pope poems | Poetry Monster
- Sonnet LXI by William Shakespeare
- A VOW TO VENUS by Robert Herrick
- Ballade Of Sleep poem – Andrew Lang poems
- Владимир Британишский – Царство – одно, но России-то – две
- Exit by Rita Dove
- The Grave of the Hundered Head by Rudyard Kipling
- Don039t Lose Hope
- Inside/Outside The Window
- Владимир Британишский – Несбывшееся
- Alexander E. Musset
- Song of the Bowmen of Shu poem – Ezra Pound poems
- The Internet Romance
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
- God Neither Known Nor Loved By The World by William Cowper
- Glory To God Alone by William Cowper
- From The Greek Of Julianus by William Cowper
- From Menander by William Cowper
- Epitaph On Mrs. M. Higgins, Of Weston by William Cowper
- Epitaph On Johnson by William Cowper
- Epitaph On Fop, A Dog Belonging To Lady Throckmorton by William Cowper
- Epitaph On A Free But Tame Redbreast, A Favourite Of Miss Sally Hurdis by William Cowper
- Epitaph On Mr. Chester Of Chicheley by William Cowper
- Epigram : To Leonora Singing At Rome (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Epigram : To Christina, Queen Of Sweden, With Cromwell’s Picture (Translation) by William Cowper
- Epigram : The Cottager And His Landlord. A Fable (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Epigram : On The Inventor Of Gunpowder (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Epigram : To Leonora Singing At Rome 2 (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Elegy VII. Anno Aetates Undevigesimo (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Elegy VI. To Charles Diodati, When He Was Visiting In The Country (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Elegy V. Anno Aet. 20. On The Approach Of Spring (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Elegy III. Anno Aet. 17. On The Death Of The Bishop Of Winchester (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Elegy II. On The Death Of The University Beadle At Cambridge (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
- Elegy I. To Charles Deodati (Translated From Milton) by William Cowper
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.