Best Symbolist Poems

THE LADY OF SHALOTT
mirror-images were her curse
so wove her pictures in reverse
LA BELLE ISEULT
William's 'stunner',became wife Jane
but for painting,he found no acclaim
MADONNA
Madonna's personna
a single reflection-
gives meaning to life
PAVONIA
Leighton's lovely
Italian beauty we all,can see
LONELY LASS
closing her door
in her mind-
she slowly withdraws
MAXENCE
pretty as a prescence
with her auburn...

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ENTICEMENT
Allurement,in her look
come hither-Franz Stuck
JUDITH
with Judith 1
Klimt's fame had began
TEMPTATION
Temptation's face
with whispers so ofteensnare + enlace
NIMIANE
Merlin knew the future and the past
but she lulled him to sleep,so fast
DRYOPE
Alas,alas poor Hylas
trapped by love
of this beautiful lass
APRIL LOVE
Tryphena set his heart ablaze
upon her beauty each day did...

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SYMBOLIST SWEETHEARTS
In looking we see and
in seeing we now will
be . As part of the art.
This pleasure evolves, 
as we participate ,hear 
with our eye to resolve a
mystery ; sensations symbolize,
then synthesize the illusion
into a new experience
A momentary intercourse
of minds imaged again
with perceptive intuition
by our...

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These are my modern English translations of sonnets by the French poet Stephane Mallarme.

The Tomb of Edgar Poe
by Stéphane Mallarmé
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Transformed into himself by Death, at last,
the Bard unsheathed his Art’s recondite blade
to duel with dullards, blind & undismayed,
who’d never heard...

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