Poems for lent Nos 36-40

Lenten Poetry Challenge

Sunday Lent Poem 40 17th

Sadness of a Star

Guillaume Apollinaire

Minerva stepped out calmly from my head

And I will be forever crowned with blood

There is reason within and sky above my skull

Where Goddess you were buckling on your arms

Of my misfortunes this is not the worst

This almost mortal wound became a star

The secret sorrow which is my despair

Is more than any other soul could hide

I bear with me a suffering of fire

Just as a glow-worm bears his body’s flame

As in a soldier’s heart France is on fire

Just as rich pollen fills the lily’s heart

Un belle Minerve est l’enfant de ma tête

Une étoile de sang me couronne à jamais

La raison est au fond et le ciel est au faîte

Du chef où dès longtemps Déesse tu t’armais

C’est pourquoi de mes maux ce n’était pas le pire

Ce trou presque mortel et qui s’est étoilé

Mais le secret malheur qui nourrit mon délire

Est bien plus grand qu’aucune âme ait jamais celé

Et je porte moi cette ardente souffrance

Comme le ver luisant tient son corps enflammé

Comme au coeur du soldat il palpite la France

Et comme au coeur du lys le pollen parfumé

Saturday Lent Poem 39

Love in a Life

Robert Browning

Room after room,

I hunt the house through

We inhabit together.

Heart, fear nothing, for, heart, thou shalt find her—

Next time, herself!—not the trouble behind her

Left in the curtain, the couch’s perfume!

As she brushed it, the cornice-wreath blossomed anew;

Yon looking-glass gleamed at the wave of her feather.

Yet as the day wears,

And door succeeds door;

I try the fresh fortune—

Range the wide house from the wing to the centre.

Still the same chance! she goes out as I enter.

Spend my whole day in the quest,—who cares?

But ‘tis twilight, you see,—with such suites to explore,

Such closets to search, such alcoves to importune!

Friday Lent Poem 38

The Purist

Ogden Nash

I give you now Professor Twist,

A conscientious scientist.

Trustees exclaimed, “He never bungles!”

And sent him off to distant jungles.

Camped on a tropic riverside,

One day he missed his loving bride.

She had, the guide informed him later

Been eaten by an alligator.

Profesor Twist could not but smile.

“You mean,” he said, “a crocodile.”

Thursday Lent Poem 37

The Frog Song
Stevie Smith 1966

I am a frog

I live under a spell

I live at the bottom

Of a green well

And here I must wait

Until a maiden places me

On her royal pillow

And kisses me

In her father’s palace

The story is familiar

Everybody knows it well

But do other enchanted people feel as nervous

As I do? The stories do not tell,

Ask if they will be happier

When the changes come

As already they are fairly happy

In a frog’s doom?

I have been a frog now

For a hundred years

And in all this time

I have not shed many tears,

I am happy, I like the life,

Can swim for many a mile

(When I have hopped to the river)

And am for ever agile.

And the quietness,

Yes, I like to be quiet

I am habituated

To a quiet life,

But always when I think these thoughts

As I sit in my well

Another thought comes to me and says:

It is part of the spell

To be happy

To work up contentment

To make much of being a frog

To fear disenchantment

Says, It will be heavenly

To be so free,

Cries Heavenly the girl who disenchants

And the royal times, heavenly,

And I think it will be.

Come then, royal girl and royal times,

Come quickly,

I can be happy until you come

But I cannot be heavenly,

Only disenchanted people

Can be heavenly.

Wednesday Lent Poem 36

The Siren Song
Margaret Atwood 1965-1975

This is the one song everyone

would like to learn: the song

that is irresistible:

the song that forces men

to leap overboard in squadrons

even though they see beached skulls

the song nobody knows

because anyone who had heard it

is dead, and the others can’t remember.

Shall I tell you the secret

and if I do, will you get me

out of this bird suit?

I don’t enjoy it here

squatting on this island

looking picturesque and mythical

with these two feathery maniacs,

I don’t enjoy singing

this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,

to you, only to you.

Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!

Only you, only you can,

you are unique

at last. Alas

it is a boring song

but it works every time.

A huge fan of her novels - particularly The Robber Bride, Cat's Eye and Alias Grace - this was my first Margaret Atwood poem. I love the simplicity of the language, and the unexpected bite at the conclusion!

Lenten Poetry Challenge

Lenten Poetry - 12 - Desire - Alice Shapiro

Lenten Poetry - 11 - Well Done - Alice Shapiro

Lenten Poetry - 10 - Resurrection - Vladimir Holan

Lenten Poetry - 09 - Poems 41 - 44

Lenten Poetry - 07 - Poems 31 - 35

Lenten Poetry - 06 - Poems 26 - 30

Lenten Poetry - 05 - Poems 21 - 25

Lenten Poetry - 04 - Poems 16 - 20

Lenten Poetry - 03 - Poems 11 - 15

Lenten Poetry - 02 - Poems 06 - 10

Lenten Poetry - 01 - Poems 01 - 05

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