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:
- On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley
- Mother by Sachin Yadav (Pen Name: Rahul Nachhiketa)
- In The Valley Of The Elwy poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems
- Song—Sweet Afton by Robert Burns
- It was a Lover and his Lass by William Shakespeare
- Robert Burns: The Lovely Lass O’ Inverness:
- Владимир Корнилов – Гумилев
- Sonnet 143: Lo, as a careful huswife runs to catch by William Shakespeare
- Sonnet II. To ****** poem – John Keats poems
- 10 Valentine’s Day Scrapbooking Ideas With or Without Photos
- September 1, 1802 by William Wordsworth
- Robert Burns: Another [Epigram On The Said Occasion… On A Henpecked Country Squire]:
- Николай Гумилев – Людям будущего
- Жан де Лафонтен – Лес и Дровосек
- The Coo Of The Cushat
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
- Morning Poem #6 by Wanda Phipps
- Morning Poem #59 by Wanda Phipps
- Morning Poem #43 by Wanda Phipps
- Morning Poem #40 by Wanda Phipps
- Morning Poem #39 by Wanda Phipps
- Morning Poem #39 by Wanda Phipps
- Morning Poem #1 by Wanda Phipps
- Your Voice by Walter William Safar
- The Land Beyond the Rainbow by Walter William Safar
- Old Homeless Man by Walter William Safar
- Ode to Poetry by Walter William Safar
- Ode to Mother Nature by Walter William Safar
- Mother Nature by Walter William Safar
- Me, The Wind and the Old Shadow by Walter William Safar
- Lonely Nights by Walter William Safar
- Life by Walter William Safar
- It’s Beautiful to See Through the Eyes of the Sky by Walter William Safar
- In The Name of Eternal Love by Walter William Safar
- In the Name of Eternal Love by Walter William Safar
- Immigrant by Walter William Safar
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.