Long Cheerless Poems

Medieval Poems



Deor's Lament (Anglo Saxon poem, circa 10th century AD)
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Weland knew the agony of exile.
That indomitable smith was wracked by grief.
He endured countless troubles:
sorrows were his only companions
in his frozen...

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On the night before Christmas, alone in my house, 
Sorrow gnawed at my soul, like a ravenous mouse.
Entombed in my blankets, I struggled to sleep,
Ready to snap if I counted more sheep.

I rose at the...

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I will begin my story with this concise summary,
Of the amazing things that have happened to me;

After I had lost a home, where I'd lived my life long,
So they could build a highway, for the...

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I was a zealous meteorologist, which I had been for a long time,
As the roving years work diligently, to create a very fine wine.

So content in my fond vocation, many deemed me tops in my...

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Once upon a time there lived a girl that everyone called Sun Ray.
Truly, her smile was like a ray of golden sun,
for this young girl was always happy.
Each day, she ran to greet her forest...

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"The Wife's Lament" or "The Wife's Complaint" is an Old English/Anglo Saxon poem found in the Exeter Book, which has been dated to 960-990 AD, making it the oldest English poetry anthology. "The Wife's Lament"...

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The poor boy heard Christmas beckoning at the door
He saw every house bright with many a lamp
And streets illumined with colorful lights and stars
But his tiny hut looked dismal n’ dark like a prison camp

With...

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My faithful quill recumbent
Motionless
Stark against the virgin parchment posed upon my desk
The peeping moon breaks through grimy windows
Mocking me as the mantel clock chimes the cheerless Midnight
Another day laid to waste
The poet’s canvas unblemished
Harmonizing with...

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In a small café, customers stream through the door. I jot down orders that pile up as I wonder what’s happening in the back kitchen. The patrons are looking more and  more displeased. I...

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Twas the night before Christmas - came like a flash,
Mob of gingerbread reindeer prodding elves for cache.

The Clausman reigning, doling out orders this stint.
Lady of his, keeps his tongue supplied with peppermints.

The vainglorious list of...

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The blue horizons growing blacker by the momentIt is like fading away into nothingnessno place to go and no one comesThe future is smeared by raindrops from these bluesI would still be crying on the...

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The wolves race through the woods...
A melancholic night breathing...
The moon weeping its elegant light...
 As I drown in the lake of uncertainty...

A prodigious night...
Procreating melancholy...
A deceiver at command...
Portraying images of the divine...

The nature decaying to...

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Who of us by late September long to be in bleak November?
A month that in this frigid clime is dark and dreary, out of rhyme.
Leaves all spent and soggy lie beneath a gray and grizzled...

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My little child was like a butterfly.
She was fond of butterflies as well.
This was why I called her: butterfly. 
She ran to me commanding me to tell her stories.
I obeyed as she had been the...

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We approach the house, to trick-or-treat, but wonder if we dare
The porch is dark, no light or spark, to help us find the way
We peek inside, ........does the old man hide?  We see no...

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“A person who is remorseful over his past actions without any inclination to change just punishes himself. On the other hand, remorse with a desire to change is so constructive and will yield wonderful results”-...

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When their very young dad went to jail,
they surely lived in a realistic Hell...
I would hear the youngest one cry over an article she read.
Who had taken her daddy away was too cruel;
nothing they said...

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Crackling blood lies in these forest grounds
Grass growing by its lively effect…
Growing a grimace to the environment    
As the predators hung her on the branches,
carving her left eye on the oak tree
and...

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Between Earth and Sky
                           
    ...

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In 
quest 
for 
peace 
I 
knock 
fromdoor 
to 
door,
with 
a 
bowl 
full 
of 
bliss-- 
my 
pot 
is 
not 
poor.
I 
ask 
not 
for 
alms 
but 
for 
arms 
strong 
enough
to 
hold 
the 
banner 
high...in 
a 
terrain 
so...

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Careless and crazy I have become as a human being with a wicked human nature that is an entity to God Most High..stumbling upon the tragedies and misfortunes of this World of Woe
Helpless, fearful, cheerless,...

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My past was spent in self-greed,
keeping all the joys to myself;
many loving hands reached out and touched me,
not to let me delve into loneliness:
did I hear all that I needed to hear then,
without putting on...

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In my vast universe...like this destiny,
one will find so much diversity in facts alone, 
and I admire the marvelous planets
that constantly spin around our life-giving sun,
which is so splendidly refulgent 
under these unpredictable skies; ...

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Fable Five 
Fable Five 
 
IN THREE PARTS 
 
Part One: The DOVE 

eye picked up the dove now dead creature clasped him to my bosom brest 
no sorrow feeling only life within my chest...

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Vera Lynn's, "There'll Be Bluebirds Over, The White Cliffs Of Dover",
Keeps streaming through my brain like a wafting zephyr over and over!
'Tis a poignant reminder of sad and cheerless days during World War Two,
Yet, the...

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