Long Earls Poems

Merciles Beaute ("Merciless Beauty")
by Geoffrey Chaucer
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Your eyes slay me suddenly;
their beauty I cannot sustain,
they wound me so, through my heart keen.

Unless your words heal me hastily,
my heart's wound will remain...

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The knight of knights, Sir Lancelot,
From far away in Camelot,
Went by a way that he knew not
And thus, by chance, spied Astolat
With sunset's gleam upon her tow'rs:
T'was there he met the maid Elaine,
With hair as...

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the wealth of norman England is poised to grow
  towns enlarge, markets exchange, a fresh fertilising sprinkled culture
  kingdoms extend with numbers reducing
  old and new empires jostle, reshaping across continents and...

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Beowulf Excerpts
anonymous Old English/Anglo-Saxon poem, circa 8th-10th century AD
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

LO, praise the prowess of the Spear-Danes
whose clan-thanes ruled in days bygone,
possessed of dauntless courage and valor.

All have heard the honors the...

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These are English translations of Medieval poems written in Old English.



The Battle of Maldon
anonymous Old English/Anglo-Saxon poem, circa 991 AD or later
translation by Michael R. Burch
 
…would be broken.

Then he bade each warrior unbridle his...

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I see her again.
This time painted,
As a semi-trailer ad.
Paying the rent.
For us staying unknown.
My head was down,
Bobbing away from darkness.
Tho, still sensing her beauty.
Grimacing at its lightness.
Still remembering, the question.
To her, I first asked.
"Please, miss...

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The Wanderer, Part II

Awakening, the friendless man confronts the murky waves,
the seabirds bathing, broadening out their feathers,
the hoar-frost, harrowing hail & snow eternally falling…

Then his heart’s wounds seem all the heavier for the loss of...

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chieftains trade their loyalty behind the clouds
  high mountain king Carrantouhil commanding his Macgillycuddy Reeks
  men of begotten rank, scheming skulduggery
  secrets hide out of sight, Comeragh mystery shrouds Coumshingaun
  flighty...

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The Wanderer, Part III 

The wise man contemplates these ruins,
considers this dark life soberly,
remembers the blood spilled here
in multitudes of battles,
then says:

“Where is the horse now? Where, its riders?
Where, the givers of gifts & treasure,...

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At age twenty I had made it to Earls Court.
The rented room was seedily solid
having been for decades
filled with wine and cheap sunlight.

Until then I had not read a thing
apart from: ‘The Ship’ by C.S....

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I have flashbacks of you, from when I was so young  
i thought you left me, to explore this vast galaxy, for mankind  
You taught us how to survive on this big banged...

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'Twas a dark and stormy night! (OK!  So I'm being a tad histrionic!)
The Earl of Pence was lounging by the fire sipping his gin and tonic.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared sending shivers down his...

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'Twas a dark and stormy night! (OK - so I'm being a tad histrionic!)
The Earl of Pence was lounging by the fire sipping his gin and tonic.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared sending shivers down his...

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When God makes a plan for a king
It is God’s plan not the King’s
When a king strays from true purpose 
As an unfavorable appendage growth 
Turning asunder God’s intended nature for rule 
Whereupon pompous self...

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Anecdotal ancestors are anxiously arriving.
Bringing Betty’s bugs behind Beauty’s book bag
Creepy Clementine chases Crazy Charlie
Deliberately doing dainty delicate dynamics.
Effortlessly engaging exciting English earls.
Furthermore furiously finding frivolous friends.
Generous grandma gestures gaily.
Hoping heavy hitters help Heroic Henry.
Ideally...

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Magna Carta

Charter that determined
the King does Not 
have absolute power 
for he may not reign at his own
self-centered whim, nae!
much of his authority must be
siphoned off
Relinquished to
Earls, Lords, Barons, Bishops
Knights no longer must blindly obey
The...

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Crossroads to where life began
Fear of dark cold round me again

In the twilight before the morn
Scattered grass iced, forlorn
Silence in the air ash orangy dawn
Fire burnt out like clouds in storm

Life in vain for a...

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High and mighty leaders brag, 
They own gas gold arms drugs
Whoah.. Quite a stash ' They'll 
Stick or sell, when it favours them'
These are righteous dignified
Women and men, there are Kings
And dukes and earls and...

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(My thoughts about doing the project without getting the credit)


Without grandiosely postulating
I will offer my opinion.
I don't know whom you're quoting,
I presume he's not a minion.

For he's not the one, I'm thinking
who is doing all...

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Magna Carta  is the  greatest  discovery in human history. More great than  all holy scriptures  given together.  As a one who lived  in region  long ago severely...

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Five years of heartache, stale goodbyes
While families part, with tear-filled eyes
Recession rules, as work dries up
They leave to fill their working cup
 
As the second hand counts down the minute
Both love and loss appear infinite
Each...

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I don't mix with Barons , Princes or Earls
I don't desire diamonds, Rubies or pearls 
I envy no one be they poor or rich 
but tell me you love me and I am bewitched.

Those are...

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I feel guilty,
For something I didn’t do,
Am lovelorn,
Hurt beyond measure.
Even after taking an oath of fealty.
The state of me being grandeur……
Isn’t there no more.
I cry like a babe!

All these bog me down,
The pressure within me,
Even...

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There is an old place on the outskirts of town
The rumor is old Earls ghost hangs around
Shot by Pearl as he was sneaking away
With another girl her name was faye
Shot them both,never seen since that...

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Once there was a girl called Pearl
Who loved a fellar called Earl
Earl vowed his love would be forever
And they would always be together
Miss Pearl she was crazy for him
But Earls love started to dim
He told...

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