A poem by Alec Derwent-Hope (1907–2000)
by Alec Derwent Hope
At noon thepaper tigers roar
— Miroslav Holub
The paper tigers roar at noon;
The sun is hot, the sun is high.
They roar in chorus, not in tune,
Their plaintive, savage hunting cry.
O, when you hear them, stop your ears
And clench your lids and bite your tongue.
The harmless paper tiger bears
Strong fascination for the young.
His forest is the busy street;
His dens the forum and the mart;
He drinks no blood, he tastes no meat:
He riddles and corrupts the heart.
But when the dusk begins to creep
From tree to tree, from door to door,
The jungle tiger wakes from sleep
And utters his authentic roar.
It bursts the night and shakes the stars
Till one breaks blazing from the sky;
Then listen! If to meet it soars
Your heart’s reverberating cry,
My child, then put aside your fear:
Unbar the door and walk outside!
The real tiger waits you there;
His golden eyes shall be your guide.
And, should he spare you in his wrath,
The world and all the worlds are yours;
And should he leap thejungle path
And clasp you with his bloody jaws,
Then say, as his divine embrace
Destroys the mortal parts of you:
I too am of that royal race
Who do what we are born to do.
A few random poems:
- Sonnet 52: So am I as the rich whose blessèd key by William Shakespeare
- Lying Down by Robert Desnos
- Bothwell Castle by William Wordsworth
- At The Wedding March poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems
- Олег Бундур – Тополёк
- Noon by Philip Levine
- Ape And Coffee by Russell Edson
- Robert Burns: Delia, An Ode : “To the Editor of The Star.-Mr. Printer-If the productions of a simple ploughman can merit a place in the same paper with Sylvester Otway, and the other favourites of the Muses who illuminate the Star with the lustre of genius, your insertion of the enclosed trifle will be succeeded by future communications from-Yours, &c., R. Burns. Ellisland, near Dumfries, 18th May, 1789.”
- Camp Followers Song Gomal River
- The Merciful Hand by Vachel Lindsay
- Verdad Innegable by Victoria Luisa Mora Paoli
- The Sonnet, The Lady, And The Prince by William Alexander
- Love and Law by Vachel Lindsay
- To England poem – Alfred Austin
- To The King’s Most Excellent Majesty by Phillis Wheatley
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
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Липы
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Леля
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Л. Е. Ф.
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Слезы и звуки
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Скажите
- Владимир Бенедиктов – С могучей страстию в мучительной борьбе
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Роза и дева
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Ревность
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Ребенку
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Развалины
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Разлука
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Раздумье
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Распутие
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Радуга
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Пытки
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Прощание с саблею
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Прометей
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Привет старому 1858-му году
- Владимир Бенедиктов – При иллюминации
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Предостережение
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.