In 200 B. C

Related poetry:

1. How We Heard the Name The river brought down Dead horses, dead men And military debris, Indicative of war Or official acts upstream, But it went by, it all Goes by, that is the thing About the river. Then A soldier on a log Went by. He seemed drunk And we asked him Why Had he and this junk Come […]...
2. Poseidonians The Poseidonians forgot the Greek language After so many centuries of mingling With Tyrrhenians, Latins, and other foreigners. The only thing surviving from their ancestors Was a Greek festival, with beautiful rites, With lyres and flutes, contests and wreaths. And it was their habit toward the festival’s end To tell each other about their ancient […]...
3. Incantation Human reason is beautiful and invincible. No bars, no barbed wire, no pulping of books, No sentence of banishment can prevail against it. It establishes the universal ideas in language, And guides our hand so we write Truth and Justice With capital letters, lie and oppression with small. It puts what should be above things […]...
4. The Saint And The Hunchback Hunchback. Stand up and lift your hand and bless A man that finds great bitterness In thinking of his lost renown. A Roman Caesar is held down Under this hump. Saint. God tries each man According to a different plan. I shall not cease to bless because I lay about me with the taws That […]...
5. Futurity AND, O beloved voices, upon which Ours passionately call because erelong Ye brake off in the middle of that song We sang together softly, to enrich The poor world with the sense of love, and witch, The heart out of things evil, I am strong, Knowing ye are not lost for aye among The hills, […]...
6. In Harbor A young man, twenty eight years old, on a vessel from Tenos, Emes arrived at this Syrian harbor With the intention of learning the perfume trade. But during the voyage he was taken ill. And as soon As he disembarked, he died. His burial, the poorest, Took place here. A few hours before he died, […]...
7. Alexandrian Kings The Alexandrians were gathered To see Cleopatra’s children, Caesarion, and his little brothers, Alexander and Ptolemy, whom for the first Time they lead out to the Gymnasium, There to proclaim kings, In front of the grand assembly of the soldiers. Alexander they named him king Of Armenia, Media, and the Parthians. Ptolemy they named him […]...
8. Boy and Father THE BOY Alexander understands his father to be a famous lawyer. The leather law books of Alexander’s father fill a room like hay in a barn. Alexander has asked his father to let him build a house like bricklayers build, a house with walls and roofs made of big leather law books. The rain beats […]...
9. Prologue 1 To sing of Wars, of Captains, and of Kings, 2 Of Cities founded, Common-wealths begun, 3 For my mean Pen are too superior things; 4 Or how they all, or each their dates have run, 5 Let Poets and Historians set these forth. 6 My obscure lines shall not so dim their worth. 7 […]...
10. Trinity Place THE GRAVE of Alexander Hamilton is in Trinity yard at the end of Wall Street. The grave of Robert Fulton likewise is in Trinity yard where Wall Street stops. And in this yard stenogs, bundle boys, scrubwomen, sit on the tombstones, and walk on the grass of graves, speaking of war and weather, of babies, […]...
11. Darius The poet Phernazis is composing The important part of his epic poem. How Darius, son of Hystaspes, Assumed the kingdom of the Persians. (From him Is descended our glorious king Mithridates, Dionysus and Eupator). But here Philosophy is needed; he must analyze The sentiments that Darius must have had: Maybe arrogance and drunkenness; but no […]...
12. Hymn 134 Religion vain without love. 1 Cor. 13:1-3. Had I the tongues of Greeks and Jews, And nobler speech, that angels use, If love be absent, I am found, Like tinkling brass, an empty sound. Were I inspired to preach and tell All that is done in heav’n and hell; Or could my faith the world […]...
13. Stars Wheel in Purple Stars wheel in purple, yours is not so rare As Hesperus, nor yet so great a star As bright Aldeboran or Sirius, Nor yet the stained and brilliant one of War; Stars turn in purple, glorious to the sight; Yours is not gracious as the Pleiads are Nor as Orion’s sapphires, luminous; Yet disenchanted, cold, […]...
14. Alexander It was the Great Alexander, Capped with a golden helm, Sate in the ages, in his floating ship, In a dead calm. Voices of sea-maids singing Wandered across the deep: The sailors labouring on their oars Rowed as in sleep. All the high pomp of Asia, Charmed by that siren lay, Out of their weary […]...
15. Near Keokuk THIRTY-TWO Greeks are dipping their feet in a creek. Sloshing their bare feet in a cool flow of clear water. All one midsummer day ten hours the Greeks stand in leather shoes shoveling gravel. Now they hold their toes and ankles to the drift of running water. Then they go to the bunk cars and […]...
16. In Church I love the church: its labara, Its silver vessels, its candleholders, The lights, the ikons, the pulpit. Whenever I go there, into a church of the Greeks, With its aroma of incense, Its liturgical chanting and harmony, The majestic presence of the priests, Dazzling in their ornate vestments, The solemn rhythm of their gestures- My […]...
17. On An Italian Shore Kimos, son of Menedoros, a young Greek-Italian, Devotes his life to amusing himself, Like most young men in Greater Greece Brought up in the lap of luxury. But today, in spite of his nature, He is preoccupied, dejected. Near the shore He watched, deeply distressed, as they unload Ships with booty taken from the Peloponnese. […]...
18. On Reading Omar Khayyam [During an anti-saloon campaign, in central Illinois.] In the midst of the battle I turned, (For the thunders could flourish without me) And hid by a rose-hung wall, Forgetting the murder about me; And wrote, from my wound, on the stone, In mirth, half prayer, half play: – “Send me a picture book, Send me […]...
19. The Visionary If fortune had not granted me To suck the Muse’s teats, I think I would have liked to be A sweeper of the streets; And city gutters glad to groom, Have heft a bonny broom. There as amid the crass and crush The limousines swished by, I would have leaned upon my brush With visionary […]...
20. Amelia Garrick Yes, here I lie close to a stunted rose bush In a forgotten place near the fence Where the thickets from Siever’s woods Have crept over, growing sparsely. And you, you are a leader in New York, The wife of a noted millionaire, A name in the society columns, Beautiful, admired, magnified perhaps By the […]...
21. Hymn 40 The business and blessedness of glorified saints. Rev. 7:13ff. “What happy men, or angels, these, That all their robes are spotless white? Whence did this glorious troop arrive At the pure realms of heav’nly light?” From torturing racks, and burning fires, And seas of their own blood, they came; But nobler blood has washed their […]...
22. Those Who Fought For The Achaean League Valiant are you who fought and fell gloriously; Fearless of those who were everywhere victorious. Blameless, even if Diaeos and Critolaos were at fault. When the Greeks want to boast, “Our nation turns out such men” they will say Of you. And thus marvellous will be your praise. Written in Alexandria by an Achaean; In […]...
23. 'Twas fighting for his Life he was ‘Twas fighting for his Life he was That sort accomplish well The Ordnance of Vitality Is frugal of its Ball. It aims once kills once conquers once There is no second War In that Campaign inscrutable Of the Interior....
24. Naenia Even the beauteous must die! This vanquishes men and immortals; But of the Stygian god moves not the bosom of steel. Once and once only could love prevail on the ruler of shadows, And on the threshold, e’en then, sternly his gift he recalled. Venus could never heal the wounds of the beauteous stripling, That […]...
25. Might and Right If Might made Right, life were a wild-beasts’ cage; If Right made Might, this were the golden age; But now, until we win the long campaign, Right must gain Might to conquer and to reign....
26. Caesarion Partly to verify an era, Partly also to pass the time, Last night I picked up a collection Of Ptolemaic epigrams to read. The plentiful praises and flatteries For everyone are similar. They are all brilliant, Glorious, mighty, beneficent; Each of their enterprises the wisest. If you talk of the women of that breed, they […]...
27. A wild Blue sky abreast of Winds A wild Blue sky abreast of Winds That threatened it did run And crouched behind his Yellow Door Was the defiant sun Some conflict with those upper friends So genial in the main That we deplore peculiarly Their arrogant campaign...
28. An EPISTLE from Alexander to Hephaestion In His Sickness WITH such a Pulse, with such disorder’d Veins, Such lab’ring Breath, as thy Disease constrains; With failing Eyes, that scarce the Light endure, (So long unclos’d, they’ve watch’d thy doubtful Cure) To his Hephaestion Alexander writes, To soothe thy Days, and wing thy sleepless Nights, I send thee Love: Oh! that I could impart, As […]...
29. Love (I) Immortal love, authour of this great frame, Sprung from that beautie which can never fade; How hath man parcel’d out thy glorious name, And thrown it on that dust which thou hast made, While mortall love doth all the title gain! Which siding with invention, they together Bear all the sway, possessing heart and brain, […]...
30. The Battle of Omdurman Ye Sons of Great Britain! come join with me And King in praise of the gallant British Armie, That behaved right manfully in the Soudan, At the great battle of Omdurman. ‘Twas in the year of 1898, and on the 2nd of September, Which the Khalifa and his surviving followers will long remember, Because Sir […]...
31. Ziyi Song Chang-an one slip of moon; In ten thousand houses, the sound of fulling mallets. Autumn winds keep on blowing, All things make me think of Jade Pass! When will they put down the barbarians And my good man come home from his far campaign?...
32. Hymn 41 The same; or, The martyrs glorified. Rev. 7:13ff. “These glorious minds, how bright they shine! Whence all their white array? How came they to the happy seats Of everlasting day?” From torturing pains to endless joys On fiery wheels they rode, And strangely washed their raiment white In Jesus’ dying blood. Now they approach a […]...
33. Hymn 128 The apostles’ commission. Mark 16:15ff; Matt. 28:18ff. “O preach my gospel,” saith the Lord, “Bid the whole earth my grace receive; He shall be saved that trusts my word, He shall be damned that won’t believe. “I’ll make your great commission known, And ye shall prove my gospel true, By all the works that I […]...
34. Anna Comnena In the prologue to her Alexiad, Anna Comnena laments her widowhood. Her soul is dizzy. “And with rivers Of tears,” she tells us “I wet My eyes… Alas for the waves” in her life, “alas for the revolts.” Pain burns her “to the the bones and the marrow and the cleaving of the soul.” But […]...
35. Psalm 145 part 1 v.1-7,11-13 C. M. The greatness of God. Long as I live I’ll bless thy name, My King, my God of love; My work and joy shall be the same In the bright world above. Great is the Lord, his power unknown, And let his praise be great; I’ll sing the honors of thy throne, Thy […]...
36. The Battle fought between the Soul The Battle fought between the Soul And No Man is the One Of all the Battles prevalent By far the Greater One No News of it is had abroad Its Bodiless Campaign Establishes, and terminates Invisible Unknown Nor History record it As Legions of a Night The Sunrise scatters These endure Enact and terminate...
37. Heel & Toe To The End Gagarin says, in ecstasy, He could have Gone on forever He floated At and sang And when he emerged from that One hundred eight minutes off The surface of The earth he was smiling. Then he returned To take his place Among the rest of us From all that division and Subtraction a measure To […]...
38. A Quarrel After that failed intercourse she asked if something had been wrong. She coiled in muteness and ventured an old book from the shelf in my mind. I dived into her seabed where corals petrified among untrampled seaweeds. When I emerged gasping, our bedroom had grown black; she had fallen asleep; her tears, another ocean....
39. Alexandreis I Sing the Man that never Equal knew, Whose Mighty Arms all Asia did subdue, Whose Conquests through the spacious World do ring, That City-Raser, King-destroying King, Who o’re the Warlike Macedons did Reign, And worthily the Name of Great did gain. This is the Prince (if Fame you will believe, To ancient Story any […]...
40. Dream Song 48: He yelled at me in Greek He yelled at me in Greek, My God! —It’s not his language And I’m no good at—his Aramaic, Was—I am a monoglot of English (American version) and, say pieces from A baker’s dozen others: where’s the bread? But rising in the Second Gospel, pal: The seed goes down, god dies, A rising happens, Some crust, […]...