I
A paleness, resting in the shadow of decayed staircases -
It rises at night in silver guise
And wanders under the cloister.
In coolness of a tree and without pain
The perfect breathes
And does not need the autumnal stars -
Thorns over which the other falls.
Lovers ponder long after
His sad fall.
poem by Georg Trakl
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Related quotes
Sonnet 101: Stella Is Sick
Stella is sick, and in that sickbed lies
Sweetness, which breathes and pants as oft as she:
And Grace, sick too, such fine conclusions tries
That Sickness brags itself best grac'd to be.
Beauty is sick, but sick in so fair guise
That is that paleness Beauty's white we see,
And Joy, which is inseparate from those eyes,
Stella now learns (strange case) to weep in thee.
Love moves thy pain, and like a faithful page,
As thy looks stir, runs up and down to make
All folks press'd at thy will thy pain t'assuage.
Nature with care sweats for her darling's sake,
Knowing worlds pass, ere she enough can find
Of such heav'n stuff, to clothe so heav'nly mind.
poem by Philip Sidney
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Let me keep watch
Let me keep watch
Over your body when
You are resting in peace.
Let me sacrifice
My meditation to you
When you are resting in peace
Let me protect your body
From rotting
When you are resting in peace.
Let me protect your memories
And dreamless dreams
When you are resting in peace.
Let me plant a fruit tree
Above you that I may still eat
When you are resting in peace.
Let me storm the gates of heaven
When you are resting in peace.
Let me give you oblation
Of our experience
When you are resting in peace.
Let me breathe for you
When you are resting in peace.
Let me douse the fires of hell
When you are resting in peace.
Let me glorify your name
When you are resting in peace.
Let me be your counterpoint
When you are resting in peace.
Let me overcome the light
When you are resting in peace.
Let me touch your organs
When you are resting in peace.
Let me drink your water
When you are resting in peace.
Let me describe your bones
When you are resting in peace.
Let me dream your dreams
When you are resting in peace.
poem by David E. Patton
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The Shadow
The shadow of your threshold is so full
Of meaning, that the stranger knows what home
Is yours, if peace dwell here, or strife, or restless
Unsatisfied ambition. As the tree's
Deep shadow meaneth rest and comfort, or
Is poison, sleep eternal, such the house
That is a home's sweet shadow or a dark
Abode of sin, of lurking lie and danger.
The shadow of your life, that is so small
In bright midday and summer's burning sun,
Begins to lengthen when your evening comes,
And shows the beauty of the tree in outline,
Its graceful forms, its harmony and power;
And never did its beauty strike before,
As now, when lost in thought, you contemplate
The shadow on the lawn. The golden rays
That flood it, make it higher, nobler, and
Its shadow ever greater, till the night
Calls forth the moon, to make it deep and weird
As if unspoken pain had darkened it,
As if the silvery paleness of the moon
Sharpened its features into hardness almost.
Behold the shadow of thy life! Look well if
It be a threshold that reveals the strong
Unbending will, the height of all your aims,
Your passions' darkness, and the harmony
Of all the branches that were put into
Your care! Look at the shadow when your day
Is done, and winter's moon will draw its line
In naked truth, without the flattering leaves
Upon your windingsheet's unruffled snow.
poem by Carmen Sylva
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Silver And Gold
Silver, silver and gold
Silver and gold, silver and gold
Ev'ryone wishes for silver and gold
How do you measure its worth?
Just by the pleasure it gives here on earth.
Silver and gold, silver and gold
Mean so much more when I see
Silver and gold decorations
On ev'ry Christmas tree.
Silver, silver and gold
Silver, silver and gold
Silver and gold
Silver and gold
Silver and gold
Wise men brought gifts to the mange I'm told
Mary was humble to see
Shepherds and kings there on bended knees
It's silver and gold, silver and gold
Feeling the world with their lives
Silver and gold how they shimmer on ev'ry Christmas night
On ev'ry Christmas night
Silver, silver and gold
song performed by by Vanessa Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silver & Gold
Words and Music by Johnny Marks.
Silver, silver and gold
Silver and gold, silver and gold
Ev'ryone wishes for silver and gold
How do you measure its worth?
Just by the pleasure it gives here on earth.
Silver and gold, silver and gold
Mean so much more when I see
Silver and gold decorations
On ev'ry Christmas tree.
Silver, silver and gold
Silver, silver and gold
Silver and gold
Silver and gold
Silver and gold
Wise men brought gifts to the mange I'm told
Mary was humble to see
Shepherds and kings there on bended knees
It's silver and gold, silver and gold
Feeling the world with their lives
Silver and gold how they shimmer on ev'ry Christmas night
On ev'ry Christmas night
Silver, silver and gold
song performed by by Vanessa Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Moonset
Idles the night wind through the dreaming firs,
That waking murmur low,
As some lost melody returning stirs
The love of long ago;
And through the far, cool distance, zephyr fanned.
The moon is sinking into shadow-land.
The troubled night-bird, calling plaintively,
Wanders on restless wing;
The cedars, chanting vespers to the sea,
Await its answering,
That comes in wash of waves along the strand,
The while the moon slips into shadow-land.
O! soft responsive voices of the night
I join your minstrelsy,
And call across the fading silver light
As something calls to me;
I may not all your meaning understand,
But I have touched your soul in shadow-land.
poem by Emily Pauline Johnson
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Shadow Me
Shadow me oh my
Dark emotion.
Shadow me all the way!
Shadow me to rock
In cradle heart,
To sway and just to sway!
Shadow me as a
Shady love tree,
In my hot, scorching day!
Shadow me must in,
Middle of night,
Like a gleaming pure ray!
Shadow me, shadow,
My foggy love,
Shadow wild me to tame.
Shadow to follow
My every step,
Shadow me in each poem!
poem by Nilakshi Das
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Fantasy...
A tree and its shadow
And a dreamy meadow
Waiting for someone....
The Shadow asks ' how is she doing? '
Tree whispers ' shhh! sleeping'
'oops! sorry' says shadow and waits
waiting...they are for the flower that sleeps
on a thin green brunch of the tree
The tree, now drowsy, as sun
Readies itself to set, for the night
and the little shadow? it grows unwatched
With the dimming light
The Tree sleeps,
The meadow sleeps
Huts sleep
and the man inside it
Is in slumber too
Tiny little shadow grows into night
Embraces life with darkness punctured with lights
Dawn Awakes
Sun rays come running back to the tree
Tree asks 'my shadow? where IS he? '
the Tallest palm tree, sky abreast
says 'i think I saw him running northwest! '
The Shadow creeps in and stands upon a pebble
Says ' i wana see...i wana see! ' with boyish charm
Then The flower finally falls
Into shadow's lap
'shh! she's still taking a nap! '
says tree to his friend
Wind blows, it wants to play with her
The sleeping beauty, The flower
'Look! Look! ...she's smiling!
She's happy! she must be dreaming! '
The shadow hushes, excited!
A girl comes out of the hut...
Takes the flower, the sweet, from Shadows lap
What will you do with her, little girl?
She's taking a nap! '
'I'll play with it', the little girl says
The Shadow starts crying
The tree wishpers...
' dont cry dear...let it be...
Tommorrow morning You'll see
Our flower is back with us
On your lap she's lying!
Night comes again
Tree and its shadow sleeps
with Dreamy smiles on their lips
Dawn brings light to the tree and shadow
They wake up and see
Adorned with Dew drops like some rare gems
Their Sweet little flower is back with them!
poem by Saurabh Som
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Death of a Perfect Day
She smiles at me through crimson skies
with passion burning in her weary eyes.
This day has a perfect aura
A perfect sun, today to savour.
Each dying second gives a moment pause
Its almost time, she will not last.
This day will make a sure descend
and be replaced by a mistress's shadow soon.
Say your good-byes and wave to her now
A sudden end, no more time will allow.
The death of the day breathes life for another
Tommorow be blessed to see one other.
Another just as kind as she
still I fear it will not be
as the perfect one I knew
The sun may yet rise again
- Its the death of a perfect day.
poem by Godfrey Morris
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Foxes and wolfs
Foxes and wolfs wanders
In dense forest
No moon no sun
The ages of history
Being turned.
Playing of light shadow
Continued under the tree
The tree keep me free
And I live
Water and air there
And I being
Transparent dissolved.
poem by Gajanan Mishra
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Faraway From You
i have traversed so much distance,
got that this sense of being far away
where no intimacy can reach me as i
avoided that which is so near that which i cannot touch
because nearness is blindness
and when i become so blind how can i see the beauty of color
the coolness of the wind in you
the blueness of your affection
it is this distance that makes me see the rainbow
which i carried in my heart
it has the scent of longing
the you
so far away from me and yet still becomes my own shadow
when i sleep and dream
you are still beside me, and then we are one again
in wanting to forget
i shall fool love again and make it believe that
there is you
there is none
really there is none
what is there is this pain
my own shadow in your shadow
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Perfect World
In my perfect world
The sky is a perfect blue
The grass is a soft green
And together are me and you
In my perfect world
The sun is a perfect heat
No global warming
It would be a treat
In my perfect world
There would be no disease
The flowers would bloom everyday
And no one would cut down trees
In my perfect world
No one would be poor
The streets paved with gold
Silver for the floor
In my perfect world
Death would never come
Pain would go away
And no one would be dumb
In my perfect world
The government would not rule
We’d chose for ourselves
What we thought was cool
In my perfect world
Racism would not exist
Discrimination would be over
And nothing would end with fists
But then I remember
I can’t believe it’s true
But my world really is perfect
Because I spend it with you
Fog
Old movie morning...
The sun barely breathes, silver & grey colours.
Black & white grass heads, crying dew tears.
The land wakes with mugs of stemming smoke.
Revealing absorbing true shapes
Of tree grey morning bones
Wet tongue on my ears.
Whisper shadow from the lamp light.
Blind eyes draw, unintelligible figures.
Not much to see, on the walls' house.
Trapped in mimic cage.
The fog tricks silver and grey hats.
Of smoking breaths.
poem by Luca Menin
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Table For Two
Beautiful evening, red sky at night –
A warm greeting for a perfect venue.
Silver spoons and candles glint with delight,
As our fingers danced around the menu.
Perfect, utterly sublime is the food.
Lots to admire about the decor –
A bottle of red wine sweetens the mood,
While sunset’s leaving through an open door.
Glowing candles against plum-coloured walls.
Soft notes float from a mesmeric guitar –
As dusk wanders from view when moonlight calls,
Silver buttons on blue velvet – a star.
Timeless dinner under the cherry moon –
The guitar sweetly plays another tune.
(A poem from the book 'Mr Blue Sky' by O. Phillips © 2009)
poem by Orville Phillips
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Dreamy densed forest
Where am I
Foxes wolfs
Wanders in this
Dreamy densed forest.
No sun no moon
Enter and I
Assaulted day night
Turning pages of history
Not read by anybody.
Light shadow
Played in brief.
I insearch of that tree
That keep me free
Assured me alive.
Nothing but water
And air flowing
And I dissolved
claiming transparent.
poem by Gajanan Mishra
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August Rain
The heavens open
And the rain errupts
The sky has spoken
There's no way to interrupt
Diagonally they fall
All fast and thick
The ground demands more
So they wet and slick
The heat, it suffocates
The sun shines bright
So the coolness, we appreciate
Raining on us through the night
We'll flaunt our short shorts
With an umbrella in hand
And we will tan of course
And enjoy both as much as we can
I love the August rain
It's the perfect balance of weather
A coolness I can't explain
Until it's August and we are right under
poem by Francisca Darko
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To My Friend - Ode I
TRANSPLANT the beauteous tree!
Gardener, it gives me pain;
A happier resting-place
Its trunk deserved.
Yet the strength of its nature
To Earth's exhausting avarice,
To Air's destructive inroads,
An antidote opposed.
See how it in springtime
Coins its pale green leaves!
Their orange-fragrance
Poisons each flyblow straight.
The caterpillar's tooth
Is blunted by them;
With silv'ry hues they gleam
In the bright sunshine,
Its twigs the maiden
Fain would twine in
Her bridal-garland;
Youths its fruit are seeking.
See, the autumn cometh!
The caterpillar
Sighs to the crafty spider,--
Sighs that the tree will not fade.
Hov'ring thither
From out her yew-tree dwelling,
The gaudy foe advances
Against the kindly tree,
And cannot hurt it,
But the more artful one
Defiles with nauseous venom
Its silver leaves;
And sees with triumph
How the maiden shudders,
The youth, how mourns he,
On passing by.
Transplant the beauteous tree!
Gardener, it gives me pain;
Tree, thank the gardener
Who moves thee hence!
poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Phoenix Dawn
Apollo in the guise of a sun beam feathered phoenix rises from his grave,
The night is done and twilight over run by the rays of a new day dawning.
The green is restored as the valley lifts its weary head from dreamtime sanctuary.
The animals of the sun rejoice as the creatures of the night return to their homes.
The valley breathes as an emerald glow emits in radiance from the hills.
Everything around is still, all is settled and a natural silence hangs lightly upon the air.
Kissed by the wisdom of some starry eyed goddess I find myself at perfect rest.
The world is turning, all memories of the sickened rose are burning upon a funeral pyre.
The fires are red hot and smouldering away at the Earth. Shadows dance to unknown Tunes whilst I undress to know creation as my nature. A voice upon the wind
Whispers melodies upon a breeze that seems as ancient as the mountain range, still
They are fresh to the mind at ease and still I believe in the beauty of this land.
Still I believe that within the palms of our hands we conceal the key to the illumination
To this kingdom of dancing shadows, I believe we may cast new light upon any realm
Just as I believe that we may remain steady at the helm throughout the most tempestuous
Of storms. Through the art of meditation and through the turning of seven circles we may
Chance upon the final sphere and we may rise within this lifetime towards the glory of one, we may rise as we may balance in the sun and the moon in our stride, never hiding
From the tides of Fate that will sometimes crash upon our shorelines. I believe that in our given time we may perfect ourselves and be as one with the world in which we live.
poem by David Lacey
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Fairy Tale (2)
Now folds the Tree of Day its perfect flowers,
And every bloom becomes a bud again,
Shut and sealed up against the golden showers
Of bees that hover in the velvet hours....
Now a strain
Wild and mournful blown from shadow towers,
Echoed from shadow ships upon the foam,
Proclaims the Queen of Night.
From their bowers
The dark Princess fluttering, wing their flight
To their old Mother, in her huge old home.
poem by Katherine Mansfield
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Untitled: Figure which has long dwelt in the coolness of sinister stone
Figure which has long dwelt in the coolness of sinister stone
Opens the pale mouth sounding
Round owl's eyes - sounding gold.
Those found the cave of the forest decayed and empty
The shadow of a doe in the rotten branches
At the border of the spring the darkness of his childhood.
Long at the forest border a bird sings your decline
The anxious showers of your brown coat;
The shadow of the owl appears in the rotten branches.
Long at the forest border a bird sings your decline
The anxious showers of your blue coat
The shadow of the mother appears in the spiky grass.
Long at the forest border a bird sings your decline
The anxious showers of your black coat
The shadow of the black horse appears in the mirror of the spring.
poem by Georg Trakl
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