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:
- Envoi poem – Ezra Pound poems
- Галина Гампер – Забываю я все
- A London Plane-Tree poem – Amy Levy poems | Poems and Poetry
- October by William Cullen Bryant
- Николай Глазков – 9-е мая
- In The Forum poem – Alfred Austin
- Epigram on Dr. Babington’s looks by Robert Burns
- Кондратий Рылеев – Князю Смоленскому
- София Парнок – Сегодня с неба день поспешней
- On Passing The New Menin Gate by Siegfried Sassoon
- Ghost House by Robert Frost
- Ольга Берггольц – Полуночная
- South London Sketch poem – John Betjeman poems
- Николай Глазков – Поэзия! Ты не потерпишь фальши
- Red Roses by Nithin Purple
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
- Bantams In Pine-Woods by Wallace Stevens
- Gray Room by Wallace Stevens
- A Postcard From The Volcano by Wallace Stevens
- A High-Toned Old Christian Woman by Wallace Stevens
- A Rabbit As King Of The Ghosts by Wallace Stevens
- Final Soliloquy Of The Interior Paramour by Wallace Stevens
- Domination Of Black by Wallace Stevens
- Disillusionment Of Ten O’clock by Wallace Stevens
- Anecdote Of The Jar by Wallace Stevens
- Not Ideas About The Thing But The Thing Itself by Wallace Stevens
- Metaphors Of A Magnifico by Wallace Stevens
- Looking Across The Fields And Watching The Birds Fly by Wallace Stevens
- Life Is Motion by Wallace Stevens
- Le Monocle de Mon Oncle by Wallace Stevens
- Infanta Marina by Wallace Stevens
- Hymn From A Watermelon Pavilion by Wallace Stevens
- Gubbinal by Wallace Stevens
- Frogs Eat Butterflies, Snakes Eat Frogs, Hogs Eat Snakes, Men Eat Hogs by Wallace Stevens
- Farewell To Florida by Wallace Stevens
- Fabliau Of Florida by Wallace Stevens
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.