Whispering in Wattle -Boughs
by Adam Lindsay Gordon
OH, gaily sings the bird! and the wattle-boughs are stirred
And rustled by the scented breath of Spring;
Oh, the dreary wistful longing! Oh, the faces that are thronging!
Oh, the voices that are vaguely whispering!
Oh, tell me, father mine, ere the good ship crossed the brine,
On the gangway one mute handgrip we exchanged,
Do you, past the grave, employ, for your stubborn reckless boy,
Those petitions that in life were ne’er estranged?
Oh, tell me, sister dear—parting word and parting tear
Never passed between us: let me bear the blame—
Are you living, girl, or dead? bitter tears since then I’ve shed
For the lips that lisped with mine a mother’s name.
Oh, tell me, ancient friend, ever ready to defend
In our boyhood, at the base of life’s long hill,
Are you waking yet or sleeping? Have you left this vale of weeping,
Or do you, like your comrade, linger still?
Oh, whisper, buried love, is there rest and peace above?—
There is little hope or comfort here below;
On your sweet face lies the mould, and your bed is strait and cold—
Near the harbour where the sea-tides ebb and flow.
All silent—they are dumb—and the breezes go and come
With an apathy that mocks at man’s distress;
Laugh, scoffer, while you may! I could bow me down and pray
For an answer that might stay my bitterness.
Oh, harshly screams the bird, and the wattle-bloom is stirred;
There’s a sullen weird-like whisper in the bough:
‘Aye, kneel and pray and weep, but HIS BELOVED SLEEP
CAN NEVER BE DISTURBED BY SUCH AS THOU!’

A few random poems:
- our_refuge.html
- Омар Хайям – Люди тлеют в могилах, ничем становясь
- Аля Кудряшева – Какое там говорить. Я дышу с трудом
- Владимир Маяковский – Дожмем! В России буржуазия побеждена… (РОСТА №841)
- Still Life by Reena Ribalow
- Time And The Garden by Yvor Winters
- The Key Note poem – Ambrose Bierce poems | Poems and Poetry
- An Abandoned Factory, Detroit by Philip Levine
- Виталий Кодрян – 31 августа
- In A Station Of The Metro poem – Ezra Pound poems
- Зинаида Александрова – Мне рукою машет маленький сынок
- Николай Языков – Жизни баловень счастливый
- Fairy Land ii by William Shakespeare
- The Campera, the Foreigner y el Novio by Marjorie Kanter
- So Soon Done! by Luis 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
- Crowdie ever mair (Song) by Robert Burns
- Inscription to Chloris by Robert Burns
- Yonder pomp of costly fashion (Song) by Robert Burns
- Robert Bruce’s March to Bannockburn (Song) by Robert Burns
- My Spouse Nancy by Robert Burns
- Forlorn, my love, no comfort here (Song) by Robert Burns
- Behold the hour by Robert Burns
- Impromptu on Mrs. Riddell’s Birthday by Robert Burns
- On Chloris being ill (Song) by Robert Burns
- How cruel are the parents by Robert Burns
- Had I a cave by Robert Burns
- Craigieburn Wood by Robert Burns
- Poem on Pastoral Poetry by Robert Burns
- Lines of John M’Murdo by Robert Burns
- Inscription for an Alter of Independence by Robert Burns
- Epitaph on a Lap-dog by Robert Burns
- Epigram on Miss Davies by Robert Burns
- Out over the Forth (Song) by Robert Burns
- O aye my wife she dang me (Song) by Robert Burns
- Hey, the Dusty Miller (Song) 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
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.