The English language is very melodic and pleasant to the ear, and therefore learning it can easily be called an exciting activity. But if you are a beginner, and it is still a very, very long time to reach the pinnacle of mastery, over time, learning English may cease to bring joy, and lessons - or rather, self-study will become less interesting and productive. To prevent this risk, there is an effective way, which in all respects is suitable for both children and adults. It's about about learning English through poetry in English - that's where a truly diverse vocabulary is found!
Studying poetry in English is not easy, but at the same time it has several advantages:
- You will immediately learn a lot of new words, which, thanks to the presence of rhyme, are not difficult to memorize and master;
- You see how sentences are formed - knowing each word separately will help less in life than the ability to express a thought in English words;
- You get acquainted with creativity in English - in particular, the work of famous American and British poets, who gave the world poems in english that have become widely known.
Poems of poets
If you decide to look for poems in English to learn it faster, you will most likely look for them on the Internet or in a library. In both cases, it is the poems of famous poets that are the first thing that comes to your hand.
Through the use of beautiful poems in English in teaching, it turns out that it is most effective to replenish the literary stock, and at the same time remember for yourself the existing grammatical rules and constructions. Even if the verse does not differ in special sizes, it will be of great service in learning the language, and the learning process itself will bring absolute pleasure.
Nevertheless, when starting to study English poetry, be sure to understand an important point for yourself - it will be easier for an adult to learn poetry in English than for a child. The main reason for this is more developed intellectual abilities and memory. Therefore, if a small child is engaged in English lessons, you should not try to learn the language through the poems of famous poets. For this case, short children's poems, which we will discuss later in the article, will be effective.
As for the poems that are the creation of real British poets, you can find some nuances in them. First, remember that poetry is predominantly an artistic style, and mastering it will be useful for scientific purposes. If you are learning a language for everyday conversational use, use this option, but at the same time think about more suitable ones.
Another nuance that is important to know about when taking on English poetry is that authors can use abbreviations in poems, so be prepared for the fact that you will not immediately understand every word, as well as the meaning of individual sentences.
To be convinced of the beauty of English poetry, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the work of several poets known for their poems. We offer their poems in English with translation — try to check for yourself whether you understand the meaning of the poem correctly.
Lord Byron's poem
Byron is one of the most popular representatives of English poetry. The famous "Sun of the Sleepless" is a perfect example of melodic poetry with deep meaning. The poem was written at the end of 1814, and after that it was completely set to music.
Sun of the Sleepless!
Sun of the sleepless! melancholy star!
(Sleepless sun, sad star)
Whose tearful beam glows tremulously far!
(How tearfully your beam always flickers),
That show's the darkness thou canst not dispel,
(How the darkness is even darker with him),
How like art thou to joy remember'd well!
(How it resembles the joy of former days)!
So gleams the past, the light of other days,
(So the past shines on us in the night of life)
which shines, but warms not with its powerless rays;
(But powerless rays do not warm us),
A nightbeam Sorrow watcheth to behold,
(The star of the past is so visible to me in grief),
Distinct, but distant - clear - but, oh how cold!
(Visible, but far away - bright, but cold)!
English poetry by Charlotte Brontë
His own style and special melody can be traced in the work of Charlotte Brontë. The British novelist poetess is often found in English textbooks today, because her poems are the best suited for mastering foreign vocabulary. Try to read the following poem aloud and figure out what its sentences are about:
LIFE, believe, is not a dream
(Believe that life is not a dream game)
So dark as sages say;
(Not fairy tales dark forest).
Oft a little morning rain
(How often light rain in the morning)
Foretells a pleasant day.
(He promises us a day of miracles)!
Sometimes there are clouds of glow
(Let the sky look gloomy) -
But these are transient all;
(The clouds will rush);
If the shower will make the roses bloom,
(And a shower of roses will revive)
Why lament its fall?
(withered slightly).
Rapidly, merrily,
(Crazy, irrevocable)
Life's sunny hours fly by
(The days of life are leaving);
Gratefully, cheerily,
(Cheerful, pleasant),
Enjoy them as they fly!
(They will leave us).
What though death at times steps in
(So what if death is always)
And calls our best away?
(Goes after life)?
What though sorrow seems to win
(After all, trouble seems terrible),
O'er hope, a heavy sway?
(When there is no hope)
Yet hope again elastic springs,
(Hope in spite of difficulties)
Unconquered, though she fell;
(We are held by every moment);
Still buoyant are her golden wings,
(She is the wing of calm)
Still strong to bear us well.
(And a spring of fresh strength).
Manfully, fearlessly
(Although many and difficult)
The day of trial bear,
(Obstacles will meet here),
For gloriously, victoriously,
(But nice and wonderful)
Can courage quell despair!
(Years of life are waiting for us)!
Short poems
Now that you already have an idea of \u200b\u200breal British poems, it's time to decide where to start learning poems in english with small children. Agree, the above poems were difficult even for your perception - therefore, there is no doubt that a novice child cannot cope with such a volume of information. In this regard, the best option is the gradual development of short poems that use the simplest words and phrases. Often in books that involve independent study of a foreign language, those poems are specially published where the words are easy to pronounce and, in principle, light and often encountered - so it will be easier for the child to understand the meaning of the poem.
Analyze small sizes poems in english which are offered below. Will you be able to quickly understand the meaning of the poem on your own - or will you need additional help in this?
Snow on the ground.
(Snow on the ground).
Snow on the tree.
(Snow on the trees).
Snow on the house.
(Snow on the house).
(Snow on me)!
Just a few words mentioned in the poem, without any extra effort and without much difficulty, formed into melodic sentences in a rhymed version!
And here is another version of a short poem in English for memorization:
The leaves are falling
(Leaves are falling)
(In sequence).
(Summer is over)
School's begun.
(School has started).
The proposed version of the poem is light and exciting. This is the perfect option for learning English in the lower grades!
By the same principle, you can compose or find many more poems. A complete meaning, accessible to understanding, can be made up of only four lines of a poem. If the child does not have difficulties with quatrains, one can gradually take on longer poems:
(on a summer day)
has rain or sun,
(It happens rain or shine).
(But anyway),
(It's fun).
to stand in the rain
(Stand in the rain)
That's pouring down
(which pours from the sky),
(Or lie under the sun)
That paints me brown.
(Sunbathe).
The more poems you and your child can master, the more vocabulary and previously unknown words will remain in memory. Therefore, do not stop there - periodically study new poems in english- both children's short ones and more professional ones from real poets.
Congratulations in verse
Probably, in life, absolutely every person sooner or later faces the need to congratulate someone close on an important holiday. And it’s good if this is a person living in your country - in this case it’s not difficult to compose and beautifully present congratulations.
Nevertheless, there are more and more situations when you need to congratulate a person “abroad” on an important date. If one of your relatives and friends lives in an English-speaking country, be prepared to congratulate him not in Russian, but in your "native" English - and you must definitely prepare for this in advance.
Any person, be it a relative, colleague, partner, client, will be pleased to receive English congratulations. This is an original way to emphasize your predisposition and strengthen trusting relationships. And given that English is the most common and popular language in the world, it is doubly necessary to know and be able to compose congratulations in English. Besides, what if not congratulations in English - the perfect way to demonstrate your knowledge and success in learning the language!
You can decide for yourself whether this congratulation will be in prose or in poetic form. However, we guarantee that a poetic greeting will make a double sensation - after all, you need to spend twice as much time and effort on this. Your relatives or friends will definitely appreciate such a gesture.
We bring to your attention several common congratulations in English in poetic form. For example - a beautiful and pleasant birthday greeting:
Birthday girl, today's your day!
(Birthday girl, today is your day)!
Time to eat cake, sing songs and play!
(Time to eat cake, sing songs and play).
There are so many ways to have birthday fun.
(There are so many ways to have fun on your birthday).
Here's hoping you get to do every one!
(I hope you try them all)!
Another version of a creative poetic congratulation in English is given below:
Have an amazing birthday!
(May your birthday be amazing)
Have a wonderful life every day
(May every day life seem beautiful)
May you have plans for success
(And all things are shrouded in amazing success),
And try to avoid making a mess.
(You avoid polemics in vain).
Save problems with the "cold" reaction,
(You look at all the problems calmly)
Take from love hot satisfaction.
(And enjoy the passion from love).
May all dreams really come true!
(All dreams come true let them worthy)!
All the best! Happy birthday to you!
(Best birthday, Se lja Vi)!
Why do you need to know English poems?
So, we have seen with you that English poems exist in a wide variety of variants and can have the most diverse purpose. Poems themselves are an integral part in the culture of every country and in every language. Using the poetic form, you can creatively express emotions and feelings, in addition, poems are always full of verbal variety. And rhyme, which is the main feature in any poem, helps to memorize words and set expressions in the best possible way. In English, both beginners and those who have been mastering the language for a long time use the poetic form for development. The more verses you learn, the more words remain in your memory - and in combination with various other words, they can acquire new meanings and meanings.
It does not matter at what age you start learning the language, but it is recommended to start classes as early as childhood. From an early age, you will be able to remember more information, although at first it will be given with great difficulty. Therefore, if your child has started learning English, offer him as many interesting exercises as possible. Small nursery rhymes can be an excellent basis for effective practice.
Finally, here are the main reasons why poetry in English is not only possible, but also necessary to study:
- All learned poems are deposited in long-term memory to one degree or another, which gives positive results in vocabulary replenishment;
- Each traditional poem contains patterns for constructing English sentences. The language is unique in that it has a clear order in which the members of a sentence are used. Thus, you learn in verse not only vocabulary, but also master grammar;
- By studying poems in a foreign language, you help develop memory and learn associative thinking. Poems in Russian are not always easy to come by, and for convenience we use associations, comparing words with certain pictures “in our head”. The same thing happens in English speech - this will certainly have a positive effect on your intellectual abilities.
Finally, learning English in poetic form is always interesting and fun! Many poems are playful and positive in their content. Such poems will help improve and improve the emotional mood, charge everyone with optimism, which means they will do their own, positive work in advancing linguistics. In schools, higher educational institutions, they also always practice the way of learning the language through the study of poems, allowing students to independently choose a poem to their liking.
It is not difficult to learn poetry in English. Look for simple poems right now and try to learn a few - just imagine with what pride you will recite the first English verse to your family and friends! We wish you success in your endeavors. And then - more: try to compose your own poem in English.
» Poems in English with translation
The reasons for learning poetry in English are the same as when using songs: any authentic material allows you to hear how “real English” sounds, not adapted for foreigners.
Why learn poetry in English
Memory and pronunciation training are far from all the advantages of English-language poetry as an element of learning. Working with poetry gives you many opportunities to personalize your lessons: you can write an essay based on a poem you like, discuss poetry in English with friends or classmates, practice the artistic style of writing and get to know the culture of English-speaking countries better. Poems will dilute boring classes and bring a touch of aesthetics to the learning process.
How to teach poetry
- Choose a poem. The first thing you should focus on is your level of language proficiency. If you are just at the beginning of your English learning journey, long classical poems will be beyond your power, as they contain a lot of obsolete words and complex speech patterns. Therefore, choose short rhymes with short lines. However, it is important to maintain a balance here, because very simple nursery rhymes will not be interesting to learn and read. Stop at poems that you can get the gist of or that have a Russian translation.
- Write or print the selected poem on a piece of paper and cut it line by line to make a kind of puzzle. Shuffle all the lines and try to put them in the correct order. This will help you learn the poem and memorize new vocabulary along the way.
- Read English poems aloud to develop correct pronunciation and learn to speak without unnecessary pauses.
- Record on a tape recorder how you read the poem with expression. Listen to your own voice, try to find mistakes in pronunciation and correct them. Repeat this until you can read the poem perfectly.
- Write your own poem. Choose a simple topic and try to make at least a couple of rhyming quatrains. Do not chase deep meaning, your task is to learn how to choose a rhyme for English words. To make it more interesting, write a playful epigram to your friend.
- Choose a poem with dialogue and act it out as a small performance with friends or family. Let everyone learn a small part and try to play it like in the theater. Excerpts from the classic plays of Shakespeare are suitable for this purpose.
Free lesson on the topic:
Irregular verbs of the English language: table, rules and examples
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5 short poems for children
5 short poems for beginners
| A Farewell |
|---|
| My fairest child, I have no song to give you; No lark could pipe to skies so dull and gray; Yet, ere we part, one lesson I can leave you For every day Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever; Do noble things, don't dream them all day long: And so make life, death, and that vast forever One grand, sweet song. Charles Kingsley |
| Parting |
| My wonderful child, I don't have a song to give you; There is no joke to dispel the dullness and boredom of the sky; But before we part, one lesson I can leave you On every day. Be kind, dear, and let the other be smart; Do noble deeds, don't dream about them: And thus make life, death, and all that comes after, One big, beautiful song. Charles Kingsley |
5 short poems for intermediate level
5 difficult poems
| Damœtas |
|---|
| In law an infant, and in years a boy, In mind a slave to every vicious joy; From every sense of shame and virtue wean'd, In lies an adept, in deceit a fiend; Vers'd in hypocrisy, while yet a child; Fickle as wind, of inclinations wild; Woman his dupe, his heedless friend a tool; Old in the world, though scarcely broke from school; Damœtas ran through all the maze of sin, And found the goal, when others just begin: Ev'n still conflicting passions shake his soul, And bid him drain the dregs of Pleasure's bowl; But, pall'd with vice, he breaks his former chain, And what was once his bliss appears his bane. Lord Byron |
| Damet |
| Disenfranchised, like a child, and a boy in years, Soul devoted to murderous passions, Knowing no shame, not believing in virtue, Deception demon and lies sympathetic witness, Artful hypocrite from the earliest days, Changeable, like a whirlwind on the liberties of the fields, Deceiver of modest maidens, careless friends, From school years, a connoisseur of the conditions of false light, - Damet has tasted the path of vice to the end And before the rest reached his crown. But passions, still tormenting the heart, domineeringly They tell him to eat the bastards of the passionate cup; Permeated with lust, he breaks chain after chain And in the cup of former bliss he drinks his death. Lord Byron |
| The heart of a song |
|---|
| Dear love, let this my song fly to you: Perchance forget it came from me. It shall not vex you, shall not woo you; But in your breast lie quietly. Only beware, when once it tarries I cannot coax it from you, then. This little song my whole heart carries, And ne'er will bear it back again. For if its silent passion grieve you, My heart would then grow too heavy;- And it can never, never leave you, If joy of yours must go! George Parsons Lathrop |
| The heart of the song |
| My love! Let this song come to you You will probably forget that she is my creation ... I do not ask for love and affectionate speeches in return, I only know that your heart will become a little warmer. My love won't stay with you forever Evaporate, turn into a gray haze on a rainy day ... With this song I wanted to tell about the soul, I do not expect your reciprocity at all, my dear ... Tell me, please, to throw off a heavy stone from my soul, Tell me, I pray, do I offend with submissive quiet passion? You are glad - and a furious flame blazes in your heart! It will be with you on a hot day, and on a rainy day ... George Parsons Lasrop |
| Nurse's Song |
|---|
| When voices of children are heard on the green, And laughing is heard on the hill, My heart is at rest within my breast, And everything else is still. 'Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down, 'No, no, let us play, for it is yet a day, 'Well, well, go and play till the light fades away, William Blake |
| evening song |
| Echoes of the game come from the mountain The darkening meadow is announced. After a hard day, I have no worries. Quiet in the heart, and quiet around. “Children, children, go home!” The day goes out behind the mountain, “No, oh no, not now! The bright day has not faded. - Okay, let's wait, but with the last beam William Blake |
Video about poems in English:
Friends, welcome.
I always say: English should be taught with interest. Everything should be simple, understandable, comfortable, and most importantly – interesting. And one of the easiest ways to learn a language is to teach poetry for children in English.
So let's go!
For beginners
Here I have collected the shortest and simplest poems. It is very easy to learn them.
You can find even more poems, songs and other interesting and exciting materials in English for children on my favorite site. LinguaLeo. Register for free and start your journey to the country “Oh, how interesting and informative everything is here!”
In general, in this excellent service, you can find excellent online courses for students of all ages: for example, English for the little ones (suitable for elementary school - 1st, 2nd grades), Grammar for Beginners (suitable for high school - 5th - 7th grades - depending on the program and goals), About yourself and loved ones in English (suitable for middle school children who want to improve their speaking skills) and others.
About New Year
How to create a New Year's mood? Start learning poetry early. Get ready together for the arrival of the New Year and Santa Claus. I'm sure your child will love it.
 |
New Year's Day, happy day! We are happy and want to play. We all dance, sing and shout: “Welcome New Year's Day!” |
|
December is the best of all, Snowflakes dance, snowflakes fall. People see the New Year in, When December ends, it will begin. |
December is the best month ever. Snowflakes are dancing, snowflakes are falling. people celebrate new year When December ends, the New Year begins. |
 |
Something is about to happen. When we have a big holiday. New Year usually comes at midnight And brings us gifts So sweet and bright. |
About animals
The simplest and most interesting activity for a child is to study animals. Combine these rhymes with some interesting game and your child will memorize the material much faster.
 |
I am a little turtle I crawl so slowly And I drag my house Wherever you go. When I get tired I hide my head My legs and tail And I go to sleep! |
 |
From the window of my house I saw a little mouse Did she run? Did she jump? She was laughing? Above what? |
|
lady bird lady bird your house is on fire, And your children all gone. And that's little Ann, And she has crept under The warming pan. |
Ladybug, ladybug Fly home. Your house is on fire. All your children have flown away All but one. Little Ann She crawled under the heat. |
|
A wise-old owl sat in an oak, The more he heard, the less he spoke. The less he spoke the more he heard, Why aren't all like that wise old bird? |
A wise old owl sat on an oak tree. The more she heard, the less she spoke. The less she spoke, the more she listened. Why are we all so unlike the wise old owl? |
|
Who's that ringing at my doorbell? A little pussycat that isn't very well. Rub its little nose with a little mutton fat. That's the best cure for a little pussy cat. |
Who is that ringing at my door? A kitten that is unwell. Rub his nose with mutton fat, This is the best medicine for a kitten. |
About winter
Poems about winter are popular before the new year. Especially if your school organizes contests and gives kids prizes for telling a verse.
My T-shirt is blue, my hat is pink.
My pants are yellow, my socks are green.
Tell me what do you think about it?
My jacket is purple, my boots are white.
Tell me what do you think about?
My gloves are brown
My scarf is black.
Tell me what do you think about it?
Is she good or bad, what do you think?
Do you like the clothes I'm wearing?
Or do you think I look stupid?
About autumn
Thematic poems about autumn create a special atmosphere. Most often they are asked at school, so here is a selection of interesting and not difficult poems.
 |
Autumn is coming I see the birds are flying south And the days are gray and cool. Do the birds look down at me and see That I go to school? |
|
Leaves are floating Some are red and The wind goes "swish" through the air; When you look back there are no leaves there. |
Leaves swaying descend slowly; Some of them are red and some are brown. The wind is blowing "shhh" in the air; When you look back There are no more leaves. |
 |
Little leaves fall slowly Red and yellow, orange and brown Spinning around, spinning around Falling silently to the ground. Little leaves fall slowly And a carpet appears on the ground. Then "shhh" the wind appears, howling, And raises the leaves in a dance to the sky. |
Are these poems suitable for a reading contest? Certainly. They are clear and moderate in complexity.
By the way, recently published new manual for additional English lessons with elementary school children . It is suitable for both classes with a tutor, and for homework with a child. Having briefly studied it, I can recommend it. Fun, exciting and useful!
But how do you remember all this?
Here are some tips.
- Poems must be translated. When the child clearly understands what these unfamiliar words are about, it will be easier for him.
- Look for audio verses where you can immediately put the correct pronunciation.
- The child should be interested. He will not teach because he “needs” or you feel like it. Try to make the learning process an interesting game. I blogged a lot about this.
- Use modern methods of memory development for yourself and children, for example, using a special service Brainapps . I wrote about his cool opportunities and our successes with Milan.
On this I say goodbye.
In the meantime, I am preparing new useful materials for you, you can subscribe to my newsletter so as not to miss anything.
See you soon!
As you know, foreign languages are easiest to learn in childhood. The rhymes we have collected in English for children will be a good helper in this process.
And do not worry if you yourself are not friends with foreign words. You can read these verses with your baby without any problems.
Each verse in English is written with a translation. However, the translation is not exact, as they say word for word, but approximate. This is done in order to keep the rhyme.
In brackets it is written in Russian letters how to pronounce certain words correctly. Thanks to this, any adult, even if he himself does not know a foreign language, will be able to more or less correctly pronounce all the words without any problems.
By the way, my six-year-old nephew is delighted with teaching English on the computer. You can also try to work with children, this is a very good investment in the future of the child. Now without this it is difficult to get a good job in life) To register for the classes I am talking about, follow this link.
Poems can be found a little lower on this page. We also recommend looking at this topic:
D. Byron "Romance" (Stances for music)
There be none of Beauty's daughters
With a magic like Thee;
And like music on the waters
Is your sweet voice to me:
When, as if its sound were causing
The charm'd ocean's pausing,
The waves lie still and gleaming
And the lull'd winds seem dreaming:
And the midnight moon is weaving
Her bright chain o'er the deep,
Whose breast is gently heaving
As an infant's asleep:
So the spirit bows before them
to listen and adore thee;
With a full but soft emotion,
Like the swell of Summer's ocean.
None will be in dispute
Beauty is with you.
And like music on the sea
Your voice is sweet!
The noisy sea calmed down
As if obeyed the sounds
Quietly the bosom of the waters glistens,
Lulled, the wind sleeps.
The expanse trembles on the sea
A beam of the moon, shining.
Quietly chest uplifts the sea,
Like a child in a dream.
So the soul is full of attention
Before you in enchantment;
Everything is quiet, but it is full in it,
Like the swell of the seas in summer.
J. G. Byron "She Walks In Beauty"
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow "d to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less
Had half impair "d the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o "er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o "er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
"She walks in all her glory"
She walks in all her glory -
Bright as the night of her country.
All the depths of heaven and all the stars
In her eyes are enclosed.
Like the sun in the morning dew
But only gloom softened.
Add a ray or take away a shadow -
And it won't be the same
Hair agate strand,
Wrong eyes, wrong mouth
And the forehead, where thoughts seal
so flawless, so pure.
And this look, and the color is lying,
And light laughter, like a splash of the sea, -
Everything in it speaks of the world.
She keeps peace in her soul.
And if happiness gives
With the most generous hand.
Robert Lee Frost
two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted to wear;
Thought as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubt if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Another road
In the autumn forest, at the fork in the road,
I stood, thinking, at the turn;
There were two ways, and the world was wide,
However, I could not split
And something had to be done.
I chose the road that led to the right
And, turning, disappeared into the thicket.
Unworn, or something, she was.
And more, it seemed to me, overgrown;
And yet, both were overgrown.
And both beckoned, pleasing to the eye
Dry yellowness of loose foliage.
I left the other in reserve,
Although I guessed at that hour,
That it is unlikely that a chance will come back.
Still I will remember sometime
Far this forest morning:
After all, there was another way before me,
But I decided to turn right -
And that solved everything else.
Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream and not make dreams your master;
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
to serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!
If you don't lose your head,
Though everyone is crazy, blaming you for that,
If you completely trust yourself,
At the same time, loving their critics;
If you know how to wait tirelessly,
Or, being slandered, do not lie,
Or, hatred forgiving patiently,
Do not try to show superiority;
If you dream, you are not enslaved by a dream,
If you think not for the sake of thoughts themselves,
Kohl, having met with Triumph and Trouble,
You will equally doubt them;
Kohl endure, when your own word,
Having altered, they will feed fools,
Or the ruined business of life again
With dried glue, fasten in pieces;
If you are able to put everything at stake,
Risking everything that I managed to win,
And, having lost, return to the start,
Without making it clear that he regretted it;
If you make the heart, nerve and veins
Serve you, though they can no longer bear,
Though everything in you is dead, only Will with power
He repeats: "Hold on!" in order to help them;
If you remember who you are, talking to the crowd,
With kings you do not lose simplicity,
If an enemy or friend has no power over you,
If you appreciate everyone, without preferences, you;
If you know the importance of each second,
Like a sprinter running
Then you receive the whole Earth as a gift,
And above all, son, you are a Man!
Adrian Mitchell
I was running over by the truth one day.
Ever since the accident I've walked this way
So stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
Heard the alarm clock screaming with pain,
Couldn't find myself so I went back to sleep again
So fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
Every time I shut my eyes all I see is flames.
Made a marble phone book and I carved out all the names
So coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
I smell something burning, hope it's just my brains.
They're only dropping peppermints and daisy-chains
So stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
Where were you at the time of the crime?
Down by the Cenotaph drinking slime
So chain my tongue with whiskey
Stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
You put your bombers in, you put your conscience out,
You take the human being and you twist it all about
So scrub my skin with women
Chain my tongue with whiskey
Stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
One day the truth knocked me down
And I've been walking around crippled since that day
So fill my legs with plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
I heard the alarm clock, he squealed in pain
I did not comprehend myself and dozed off again
So put pearls in my ears
Fill my legs with plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
I close my eyes and see one fire
I made a marble directory of all names
So glue my eyelids with honey
Put pearls in my ears
Fill my legs with plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
Something is smoking, I hope my brains
Flower petals scatter from them
So stuff my nostrils with onions
Glue my eyelids with honey
Put pearls in my ears
Fill my legs with plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
Where were you at the time of the crime?
Near the Cenotaph * did you knead the slurry?
So hammer my whiskey jaw
Stuff my nostrils with onions
Glue my eyelids with honey
Put pearls in my ears
Fill my legs with plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
To the bombers! Don't blame yourself
All human carefully wring out
And scrape my skin with a woman
Forge my whiskey jaw
Stuff my nostrils with onions
Glue my eyelids with honey
Put pearls in my ears
Fill my legs with plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
Adrian Mitchell "The Castaways or Vote for the Caliban"
A Pacific Ocean-
A blue demi-globe.
Islands like punctuation marks.
A cruising airliner;
Passengers unwrapping pats of butter.
A hurricane arises
Tosses the plane into the sea.
Five of them flung onto an island beach
Survived.
Pacific Ocean -
blue hemisphere
Below, like punctuation marks, islands,
The plane is buzzing.
Passengers rustle oil wrappers.
Suddenly a hurricane is coming
He throws the plane into the ocean.
Five passengers
Cast ashore on the sandy shore
Saved.
Tom the reporter.
Susan the botanist.
Jim the high jump champion.
Bill the carpenter.
Mary the eccentric widow.
Reporter Vol.
Botanist Susan.
Jim, high jump champion.
Carpenter Bill.
And the eccentric widow Mary.
Tom the reporter sniffed out a stream of drinkable water.
Susan the botanist identified the banana tree.
Jim the high-jump champion jumped up and down and gave them each a bunch.
Bill the carpenter knocked up a table for their banana supper.
Mary the eccentric widow buried the banana skins, but only after they had asked her twice.
Reporter Tom immediately knew where to look for drinking water.
Botanist Susan easily recognized the banana tree.
The champion jumper, Jim, picked a bunch of bananas from the top.
Carpenter Bill made a table for their banana dinner.
Mary, an eccentric widow, buried the banana skins, but only after being asked to do so twice.
They all gathered sticks and lit a fire.
There was an incredible sunset.
Next morning they held a committee meeting.
Tom, Susan, Jim and Bill
Voted to make the best of things.
Mary, the eccentric widow, abstained.
They were all looking for firewood, and then they lit a fire.
The sunset was incredible.
The next morning they held a meeting.
Tom, Susan, Jim and Bill
We voted on how best to arrange everything.
Mary, an eccentric widow, abstained.
Tom the reporter killed several dozen wild pigs.
Tanned their skins into parchment
And printed the Island News with the ink of squids.
Susan the botanist developed the new strains of banana
Which tasted of chocolate, beefsteak, peanut butter,
Chicken and boot polish.
Reporter Tom killed several dozen wild pigs,
Made parchment out of their skins
And wrote on it in octopus ink the news of the island.
Botanist Susan has developed new varieties of bananas,
Flavored with chocolate, steaks, peanut butter,
Chicken and shoe polish.
Jim the high jump champion organized organized games
Which he always won easily.
Bill the carpenter constructed a wooden water wheel
And converted the water's energy into electricity
Using iron ore from the hills, he constructed lamppost.
They're all worried about Mary, the eccentric widow,
Her lack of confidence and her-
But there wasn't time to coddle her.
Jumping champion Jim organized sports competitions,
And henceforth they easily won.
Carpenter Bill built a wooden water wheel
And he began to turn the energy of water into electricity
With the help of iron ore, so he built a street lamp.
Everyone was worried about Mary, the eccentric widow,
For her self-doubt -
But anyway, there was no time to babysit her.
The volcano erupted, but they dug a trench
And diverted the lava into the sea
Where it found a spectacular pier
They were attacked by the pirates but defeated them
With bamboo bazookas firing
Sea-urchins packed with home-made nitro-glycerin.
There was a volcanic eruption, but they dug a trench,
sent lava into the sea
Where she, frozen, became a beautiful marina.
They were attacked by pirates, but they defeated them.
With bamboo bazookas
That they shot sea urchins on homemade nitroglycerin.
They gave the cannibals a dose of their own medicine
And survived an earthquake thanks to their skill in jumping.
Tom had been a court reporter
So he became a magistrate and solved disputes
Susan the Botanist established
A University which also served as a museum.
Jim the high-jump champion
Was put in charge of law enforcement
Jumped on them when they were bad.
Bill the carpenter built himself a church,
Preached there every Sunday.
They treated the cannibals to their new medicine
Survived the earthquake thanks to the ability to jump.
Tom used to report from the courtroom,
Therefore, he became a judge and settled all disputes.
Botanist Susan founded the university,
Which also serves as a museum.
High jump champion led
Law enforcement -
With a swoop, he stopped any disobedience.
Carpenter Bill built himself a church
I read sermons there on Sundays.
But Mary the eccentric widow…
Each evening she wandered down the island's main street,
Past the Stock Exchange, the Houses of Parliament,
The prison and the arsenal.
Past the Prospero Souvenir Shop,
Past the Robert Louis Stevenson Movie Studios, past the Daniel Defoe Motel
She nervously wandered and sat on the end of the pier of lava,
breathing heavy,
As if at a loss,
As if at a lover
She opened her eyes wide
To the usual incredible sunset.
Only Mary, the eccentric widow...
Every evening she wandered through the central streets of the island,
Past the currency exchange, past the Parliament House,
Past the prison, past the armory
Past the Robert Louis Stevenson Motion Picture Studios, past the Daniel Dafoe motel.
She wandered nervously and then sat down on the edge of the lava jetty.
Breathing heavily,
As if confused
As if looking at a lover
Wide eyed
She contemplated the usual incomparable sunset.
Rudyard Kipling
Rome never looks where she treads.
Always her heavy hooves fall
On our stomachs, our hearts or our heads;
And Rome never heads when we bawl.
Her sentries pass on--that is all,
And we gather behind them in hordes,
And plot to reconquer the Wall,
With only our tongues for our swords.
We are the Little Folk--we!
Too little to love or to hate.
Leave us alone and you'll see
How can we drag down the State!
We are the worm in the wood!
We are the rot at the root!
We are the taint in the blood!
We are the thorn in the foot!
Mistletoe killing an oak--
Rats gnawing cables in two--
Moths making holes in a cloak--
How they must love what they do!
Yes--and we Little Folk too,
We are busy as they--
Working our works out of view--
Watch, and you'll see it some day!
No indeed! We are not strong
But we know Peoples that are.
Yes, and we'll guide them along
To smash and destroy you in War!
We shall be slaves just the same?
Yes, we have always been slaves,
But you--you will die of the shame,
And then we shall dance on your graves!
Song of the Picts
Rome doesn't want to look
Dropping the weight of hooves
On our heads and on our chests, -
Our cry is silent for him.
The sentries go - one, two, -
And we are because of the copper shoulders
Buzzing, how to recapture Val
With tongues against swords.
We are very small, God knows
Small for good and evil
But give us only time -
We are destroying the state.
We are the rot that rots the roots,
We are the thorn that entered the foot,
We are the poison that burns in the blood.
The mistletoe suffocates the oak,
Moths make holes in rags,
Rubs fetters rat tooth -
To each his own business.
We are a small creature lair,
We are also not too lazy to work -
What is sharpening under the guise
That will be revealed on the due day.
We are weak, but there will be a sign
To all the hordes beyond your Wall -
We will gather them into a fist,
To fall on you with a war.
Bondage will not bother us,
We will live forever in slaves,
But when shame chokes you
We will dance on your coffins
We are very small, God knows
Small for good and evil
But give us only time -
We are destroying the state.
We are the worm that gnaws at your trunk
We are the rot that the root rots,
We are the thorn that entered the foot,
We are the poison that burns in the blood!
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer "s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines
And often is his gold complexion dimm "d,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or natures changing course untrimm"d:
But your eternal summer shall not fade,
nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,
Nor shall death brag thou wandrest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see
So long lives this, and this gives life to them.
Sonnet 18. Shakespeare
Can I compare your features with a summer day?
But you are sweeter, more moderate and more beautiful.
The storm breaks May flowers,
And our summer is so short-lived!
Then the heavenly eye blinds us,
That bright face hides bad weather.
Caresses, undead and torments us
By its random whim, nature.
And your day does not decrease,
The sunny summer does not fade.
And a mortal shadow will not hide you -
You will live forever in the lines of the poet.
Among the living you will be until then,
As long as the chest breathes and sees the gaze.
