A poem by Alec Derwent-Hope (1907–2000)
by Alec Derwent Hope
What pleasures have great princes? These: to know
Themselves reputed mad with pride or power;
To speak few words — few words and short bring low
This ancient house, that city with flame devour;
To make old men, their father’s enemies,
Drunk on the vintage of the former age;
To have great painters show their mistresses
Naked to the succeeding time; engage
The cunning of able, treacherous ministers
To serve, despite themselves, the cause they hate,
And leave a prosperous kingdom to their heirs
Nursed by the caterpillars of the state;
To keep their spies in good men’s hearts; to read
The malice of the wise, and act betimes;
To hear the Grand Remonstrances of greed
Led by the pure; cheat justice of her crimes;
To beget worthless sons and, being old,
By starlight climb the battlements, and while
The pacing sentry hugs himself for cold,
Keep vigil like a lover, muse and smile,
And think, to see from the grim castle steep
The midnight city below rejoice and shine:
“There my great demon grumbles in his sleep
And dreams of his destruction, and of mine.”

A few random poems:
- Pegasus at Wanlockhead by Robert Burns
- Invictus by William Ernest Henley
- Miscast I poem – Amy Lowell poems | Poems and Poetry
- Sonet 33 by William Alexander
- Hurry by Marie Howe
- Шекспир – Ты положи с моей любовью рядом – Сонет 117
- Ione, Dead the Long Year poem – Ezra Pound poems
- On The Death Of Sir Henry Wootton
- Aunt Jennifers Tigers
- In The Metropolitan Museum by Sara Teasdale
- Владимир Корнилов – Дождь обычный
- The Gardener XXXIV: Do Not Go, My Love by Rabindranath Tagore
- Comus poem – John Milton poems
- Legacy by Vinko Kalinić
- Sonnet # 10 by Luis A. Estable
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
- As a Beam O’er the Face of the Waters May Glow by Thomas Moore
- And Doth Not a Meeting Like This by Thomas Moore
- An Incantation by Thomas Moore
- An Expostulation to Lord King by Thomas Moore
- An Argument by Thomas Moore
- Alone in Crowds to Wander On by Thomas Moore
- All In a Family Way by Thomas Moore
- After the Battle by Thomas Moore
- Which way does the wind blow? by Thomas J Camp
- Virgule by Thomas Lux
- Unlike, For Example, The Sound Of A Riptooth Saw by Thomas Lux
- Torn Shades by Thomas Lux
- The Road That Runs Beside The River by Thomas Lux
- The Progress of Poesy by Thomas Gray
- The Man Into Whose Yard You Should Not Hit Your Ball by Thomas Lux
- The Inheritance by Thomas J Camp
- The Holy Mountain of Hope by Thomas Ziemer
- The Curse Upon Edward by Thomas Gray
- The Bard by Thomas Gray
- Sonnet On The Death Of Mr Richard West by Thomas Gray
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
Alec Derwent-Hope (1907–2000) was an Australian poet and essayist known for his satirical slant. He was also a critic, teacher and academic.