A poem by Alec Derwent-Hope (1907–2000)
by Alec Derwent Hope
What did I study in your School of Night?
When your mouth’s first unfathomable yes
Opened your body to be my book, I read
My answers there and learned the spell aright,
Yet, though I searched and searched, could never guess
What spirits it raised nor where their questions led.
Those others, familiar tenants of your sleep,
The whisperers, the grave somnambulists
Whose eyes turn in to scrutinize their woe,
The giant who broods above the nightmare steep,
That sleeping girl, shuddering, with clenched fists,
A vampire baby suckling at her toe,
They taught me most. The scholar held his pen
And watched his blood drip thickly on the page
To form a text in unknown characters
Which, as I scanned them, changed and changed again:
The lines grew bars, the bars a Delphic cage
And I the captive of his magic verse.

A few random poems:
- English Poetry. Charles Lockhart. Epistle to a Friend, with a Copy of Burns’s Letters. Чарльз Локкарт. Послание другу при возвращении ему томиков стихов Бернса
- Tony Harrison – Tony Harrison
- Lapis Lazuli by William Butler Yeats
- Aubade by Philip Larkin
- The Elphin Nourrice poem – Andrew Lang poems
- Dawn
- Иннокентий Анненский – Еврипид. Вакханки (перевод)
- Robert Burns: Song Composed In August:
- The Poet And The Muse poem – Alfred Austin
- Doomes-Day: The First Houre by William Alexander
- Aquamarine Butterfly by Nina Gabriel
- Immaculacy by Satish Verma
- On the Religious Memory of Mrs. Catherine Thomson, my Christian Friend, Deceased Dec. 16, 1646 poem – John Milton poems
- Robert Burns: In The Prospect Of Death:
- Weaving waves by Shailendra Singh
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
- Commemoration of Rodney’s Victory by Robert Burns
- Coming Through The Rye by Robert Burns
- Caledonia: A Ballad by Robert Burns
- Burlesque Lament fo Wm. Creech’s Absence by Robert Burns
- Bonnie Lesley by Robert Burns
- Bonie Jean: A Ballad by Robert Burns
- Boat Song—Hey, Ca’ Thro’ by Robert Burns
- Birthday Ode for 31st December, 1787 by Robert Burns
- Ballad on the American War by Robert Burns
- Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 4 by Robert Burns
- Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 3 by Robert Burns
- Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 2 by Robert Burns
- Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 1 by Robert Burns
- Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns
- Apology to Mr. Syme for not dining with him by Robert Burns
- Another on the said Occasion by Robert Burns
- Ah, woe is me, my Mother dear by Robert Burns
- Ae Fond Kiss, And Then We Sever by Robert Burns
- Address to Wm. Tytler, Esq., of Woodhouselee by Robert Burns
- Address to the Unco Guid by Robert Burns
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.