Words of Comfort to Be Scratched on a Mirror
Helen of Troy had a wandering glance;
Sappho's restriction was only the sky;
Ninon was ever the chatter of France;
But oh, what a good girl am I!
poem by Dorothy Parker
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Troy Town
HEAVENBORN Helen, Sparta's queen,
(O Troy Town!)
Had two breasts of heavenly sheen,
The sun and moon of the heart's desire:
All Love's lordship lay between.
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
Helen knelt at Venus' shrine,
(O Troy Town!)
Saying, “A little gift is mine,
A little gift for a heart's desire.
Hear me speak and make me a sign!
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
“Look, I bring thee a carven cup;
(O Troy Town!)
See it here as I hold it up,—
Shaped it is to the heart's desire,
Fit to fill when the gods would sup.
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
“It was moulded like my breast;
(O Troy Town!)
He that sees it may not rest,
Rest at all for his heart's desire.
O give ear to my heart's behest!
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
“See my breast, how like it is;
(O Troy Town!)
See it bare for the air to kiss!
Is the cup to thy heart's desire?
O for the breast, O make it his!
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
“Yea, for my bosom here I sue;
(O Troy Town!)
Thou must give it where 'tis due,
Give it there to the heart's desire.
Whom do I give my bosom to?
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
“Each twin breast is an apple sweet.
(O Troy Town!)
Once an apple stirred the beat
Of thy heart with the heart's desire:—
Say, who brought it then to thy feet?
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
“They that claimed it then were three:
(O Troy Town!)
For thy sake two hearts did he
Make forlorn of the heart's desire.
Do for him as he did for thee!
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
“Mine are apples grown to the south,
(O Troy Town!)
Grown to taste in the days of drouth,
Taste and waste to the heart's desire:
Mine are apples meet for his mouth.”
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
Venus looked on Helen's gift,
(O Troy Town!)
Looked and smiled with subtle drift,
Saw the work of her heart's desire:—
“There thou kneel'st for Love to lift!”
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
Venus looked in Helen's face,
(O Troy Town!)
Knew far off an hour and place,
And fire lit from the heart's desire;
Laughed and said, “Thy gift hath grace!”
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
Cupid looked on Helen's breast,
(O Troy Town!)
Saw the heart within its nest,
Saw the flame of the heart's desire,—
Marked his arrow's burning crest.
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
Cupid took another dart,
(O Troy Town!)
Fledged it for another heart,
Winged the shaft with the heart's desire,
Drew the string and said, “Depart!”
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
Paris turned upon his bed,
(O Troy Town!)
Turned upon his bed and said,
Dead at heart with the heart's desire—
“Oh to clasp her golden head!”
(O Troy's down,
Tall Troy's on fire!)
poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
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To any army wife
To any army wife, in Sardis:
Some say a cavalry corps,
some infantry, some again,
will maintain that the swift oars
of our fleet are the finest
sight on dark earth; but I say
that whatever one loves, is.
This is easily proved: did
not Helen --- she who had scanned
the flower of the world's manhood ---
choose as first among men one
who laid Troy's honor in ruin?
warped to his will, forgetting
love due her own blood, her own
child, she wandered far with him.
So Anactoria, although you
being far away forget us,
the dear sound of your footstep
and light glancing in your eyes
would move me more than glitter
of Lydian horse or armored
tread of mainland infantry
Sappho
tr. Barnard
The Anactoria Poem
Some say thronging cavalry, some say foot soldiers,
others call a fleet the most beautiful of
sights the dark earth offers, but I say it's what-
ever you love best.
And it's easy to make this understood by
everyone, for she who surpassed all human
kind in beauty, Helen, abandoning her
husband--that best of
men--went sailing off to the shores of Troy and
never spent a thought on her child or loving
parents: when the goddess seduced her wits and
left her to wander,
she forgot them all, she could not remember
anything but longing, and lightly straying
aside, lost her way. But that reminds me
now: Anactória,
she's not here, and I'd rather see her lovely
step, her sparkling glance and her face than gaze on
all the troops in Lydia in their chariots and
glittering armor.
Helen of Troy - Clerihew
Helen of Troy
In Paris, found her blue-eyed boy.
Short lived was her joy,
Greeks destroyed Troy.
poem by Khadim Hussain
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Real Live Girl
Pardon me miss
But I've never done this
With a real live girl
What could be harmful
In holding an armful
Of a real live girl
Pardon me if you're affectionate squeeze
Fogs up my goggles and
Buckels my knees
I'm simply drown in the sight, and the sounds,
And the scent and the feel
Of a real live girl
Nothing can beat getting swept off your feet
By a real live girl
Dreams of you but don't compare with a hunk
Of a real live girl
Girl's were to girlish
Was once my belief
Whata reversal and what a relief
I'll take the flowering hat
And the towering hill
And the squeal of a real live girl
I've seen photographs and fax similies
That have set my heart off in a whirl
But I over look everyone in the book
For a real live girl
Take your vernecion or romanaprrection
Ideal live girl
Go be a hold out for Helen of Troy
I am a healthy American Boy
And I rather gape at the dear little shape of the stir
And the kill of a real live girl
Full time, occasional all operational girl
song performed by by Barry Manilow
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My Christine Joy
In my life, only one girl gives me joy;
A joy i had always dreamed no one can ever destroy.
Especially when in our life, every second we would enjoy,
That's why i consider her as my helen of troy,
She has the beauty that would attract every boy.
I hope and pray that i will never lose my joy,
My one and only love, my dear CHRISTINE JOY.
poem by Michael B. Ventura
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Hey Hey Helen
So at last youre free
Its the way you wanted it to be
And the price you pay
To become a woman of today
Is it worth the pain to see the children cry
Does it hurt when they ask for daddy
Hey hey helen
Now you live on your own
Hey hey helen
Can you make it alone
(yes you can)
So youre free at last
And beginning to forget the past
Does it make you sad
When you think about the life you ha-ha-had
But youre right, you had to take a second chance
So you fight to find your freedom
Hey hey helen
Now you live on your own
Hey hey helen
Can you make it alone
Hey hey helen (hey hey helen)
Whats the matter with you
Hey hey helen (hey hey helen)
Dont you know what to do
(yes you do)
(ahah, yes you do yes you do)
(ahah, yes you do yes you do)
Hey hey helen
Now you live on your own
Hey hey helen
Can you make it alone
Hey hey helen (hey hey helen)
Whats the matter with you
Hey hey helen (hey hey helen)
Dont you know what to do
Hey hey helen (hey hey helen)
Now you live on your own
Hey hey helen (hey hey helen)
(fade)
song performed by by ABBA
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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To any army wife, in Sardis:
To any army wife, in Sardis:
Some say a cavalry corps,
some infantry, some again,
will maintain that the swift oars
of our fleet are the finest
sight on dark earth; but I say
that whatever one loves, is.
This is easily proved: did
not Helen -- she who had scanned
the flower of the world's manhood --
choose as first among men one
who laid Troy's honor in ruin?
warped to his will, forgetting
love due her own blood, her own
child, she wandered far with him.
So Anactoria, although you
being far away forget us,
the dear sound of your footstep
and light glancing in your eyes
would move me more than glitter
of Lydian horse or armored
tread of mainland infantry
My Stories Of You (chapter eleven)
The whales are fishing our hearts, from the other side of the world
proof that the giants were missing something important
as we all do.
It's almost like the battle of Troy,
heroes killing one another on the Plains of Love,
for the chance that maybe
maybe
you love them too.
And you are white and freckled, as the creatures on the moon,
that dance with the sun in his great eclipses.
You're a miracle of a girl,
beyond the beauty of Cleopatra or Helen of the Troy.
Even the great Babylon lost, in it's bet to reach you, so
how can you expect me
to remain untouched
by this impossible love of yours.
Grilling my heart in hell, at the cost of your love,
I break all the bottles,
and let the sins come out once again.
Mouth full of love, I take all I can get
before you'll refuse my kisses forever.
This land of brave words,
and eleventh part of a love,
is not even close to a masterpiece,
but it is the way I love you.
INSANELY
poem by Serban Raducu Bogdan
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I want to be the girl
I want to be the girl who u call when everything goes wrong
I want to be the girl who u come to for advice
I want to be the girl who u tell everything to
I want to be the girl who want you
I want to be the girl who needed you
I want to be the girl who your parents love
I want to be the girl who has answers for everything
I want to be the girl who is your best friend
I AM the girl who will say goodbye with tears in my eyes
I want to be the girl who u will call when everything has went wrong
poem by Helen Michaels
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This girl...
This girl has a smile that lights up the world
and sends darkness fleeing from my soul
This girl has a laugh that makes angel's sing
and allows me to smile again
This girl caught my eye with a quick little wink
i never saw one before
This girl might just cause me some unwated pain
but she's worth it all the same
This girl oh my
This girl...she might just be my rain.
poem by Troy Nichols
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I have a girl
I have a girl
~
I have a girl, a good one
a girl who looks after me
a girl with a winning smile
a girl who makes me laugh
a girl who is beautiful
a girl who is kind and strong
I have a girl who ticks boxes
a girl who is something special
a girl who is loving
a girl who has great patience
a girl I'm lucky to know
a girl you'd dream about
I have a girl I'd fight for
a girl who makes me think
a girl who feeds me
a girl I'd write poetry for
I have a girl, a good one
a girl I wouldn't swap for the world
poem by Matthew Holloway
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It was you, Atthis, who said
It was you, Atthis, who said
"Sappho, if you will not get
up and let us look at you
I shall never love you again!
"Get up, unleash your suppleness,
lift off your Chian nightdress
and, like a lily leaning into
"a spring, bathe in the water.
Cleis is bringing your best
pruple frock and the yellow
"tunic down from the clothes chest;
you will have a cloak thrown over
you and flowers crowning your hair...
"Praxinoa, my child, will you please
roast nuts for our breakfast? One
of the gods is being good to us:
"today we are going at last
into Mitylene, our favorite
city, with Sappho, loveliest
"of its women; she will walk
among us like a mother with
all her daughters around her
"when she comes home from exile..."
But you forget everything
Love Sonnet 52 My Love Is Reigning Queen Among Roses
My love is reigning queen among roses,
Regal and prim in each and every stance,
Cleopatra looks plain when she chooses,
She is Helen of Troy held at first glance;
I pause, afraid to start a ten-year-war,
Before I dare to venture in her dreams,
Content to view her island from afar,
Although my heart with yearning madly screams;
Will Aphrodite help further my cause?
And sway the gods to guide my ship in course,
I may yet see one short godly applause,
And get assured, this love they too endorse;
.......Would Trojan Horse be fitting gift to spare?
.......The one without soldiers, empty and bare.
poem by Reyvrex Questor Reyes
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Helen of Greece - Clerihew
Helen of Greece
Felt like a trophy on a mantle piece
With lover Paris, set sail
For Troy, her land of fairytale.
poem by Khadim Hussain
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To Anactoria, Who Has Forsaken A Once-Loved Girlfriend Of Sappho
Rushing war-hosts, horsemen or foot or galleys —
These doth one call, those doth another, fairest
Sights on earth: I say that my love of all is
Sweetest and rarest.
Hear the proof, which lightly, I wot, convinces: —
'Mid the comely, Helen would fain discover
One without peer, and of the goodly princes
Chose for her lover
Him who brought the glory of Troy to ruin!
Reckless all of parent and child, she lavished
On the alien love for her own undoing;
Troyward was ravished.
Anactoria — she who contemns the blessing
Near at hand, is like to a reed wind-shaken.
Such are you! — love held in secure possessing
You have forsaken.
Her whose footfall's music myself had rather
Hear, and see her face in its beauty beaming.
Than to gaze where horsemen and footmen gather
Panoply-gleaming.
What is best is set above man's attaining;
Yet, if Fortune smiled on us once, 'tis better
To recall with prayer and with upward-straining
Than to forget her.
I took my lyre
I took my lyre and said:
Come now, my heavenly
tortoise shell: become
a speaking instrument
Sappho
tr. Barnard
The Girl Of The U.S.A.
Oh! the maidens of France are certainly fine,
And I think every fellow will state
That the 'what-you-may-call-it' coiffured way
They put up their hair is great!
And they know how to dress, and they wear their clothes
In a fetching, frenchy way;
And yet to me, there is just one girl-
The girl of the U.S.A.
I like to listen when French girls talk,
Though I'm weak in the 'parlez-vous' game;
But the language of youth in every land
Is somehow about the same,
And I've learned a regular code of shrugs,
And they seem to know what I say!
But the girl whose voice goes straight to my heart
Is the girl of the U.S.A.
I haven't a word but words of praise
For these dear little girls of France;
And I will confess that I've felt a thrill
As I faced their line of advance!
But I haven't been taken a prisoner yet,
And I won't be, until the day
When I carry my colours to lay at the feet
Of a girl of the U.S.A.
poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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Pantomime
They feel theyve raised her
The new queen of evolution
Her fate wont see to that
Cause were gonna know her later
Grab that girl
Get her home
Lets put her on restriction
Last time we let her go
She missed 2 days of school
Lets get her back
Get her back
Chorus
This feels like a real life fantasy
It feels like you
Relaxed in vermin life
Applause takes place of feeling bad
So you tried it
Recalling memories
Of charm school pantomime turned so bad
Dainty socialite
She changed her point of view
And now shes bad
Cant hide it
I think she really liked
All the things that she learned
Chorus
Be a good girl like your supposed to
Dominate your fears
Be a good girl like your supposed to
Dominate your fears
Good girls like you should be
I think you better know
Chorus
song performed by by Orgy
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Leto and Niobe
Before they were mothers
Leto and Niobe
had been the most
devoted of friends
Sappho
tr. Barnard