Love and Relationships Poetry. Simplified.
When We Two Parted
When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this.
The dew of the morning
Sank chill on my brow–
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame;
I hear thy name spoken,
And share in its shame.
They name thee before me,
A knell in mine ear;
A shudder come o’er me–
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well–
Long, long shall I rue thee,
Too deeply to tell.
In secret we met–
In silence I grieve,
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?–
With silence and tears.
sever cut
thy your
foretold predicted
Sorrow Sadness
Thy Your
vows promises
thee you
knell ringing
shudder shake
o’er over
wert were
thou you
thee, you,
shall will
rue regret
grieve, suffer,
deceive lie to/fool
thee? you?
Neutral Tones
as though like
chidden criticized
ash, powder left over after burning,
rove wander
tedious tiring
to and fro back and forth
bitterness anger
thereby by that/in that way
ominous scary
keen sharp/eager/ well-developed
deceives lies to
Winter Swans
The clouds had given their all –
two days of rain and then a break
in which we walked,
the waterlogged earth
gulping for breath at our feet
as we skirted the lake, silent and apart,
until the swans came and stopped us
with a show of tipping in unison.
As if rolling weights down their bodies to their heads
they halved themselves in the dark water,
icebergs of white feather, paused before returning again
like boats righting in rough weather.
‘They mate for life’ you said as they left,
porcelain over the stilling water. I didn’t reply
but as we moved on through the afternoon light,
slow-stepping in the lake’s shingle and sand,
I noticed our hands, that had, somehow,
swum the distance between us
and folded, one over the other,
like a pair of wings settling after flight
waterlogged (full of water)
in unison together
noticed (saw/heard/became aware of)
Singh Song
I run just one ov my daddy’s shops
from 9 O’clock to 9 O’clock
and he vunt me not to hav a break
but ven nobody in, I do di lock –
cos up di stairs is my newly bride
vee share in chapatti
vee share in di chutney
after vee hav made luv
like vee rowing through Putney –
ven I return vid my pinnie untied
di shoppers always point and cry:
hey Singh, ver yoo bin?
yor lemons are limes
yor bananas are plantain,
dis dirty little floor need a little bit of mop
in di worst Indian shop
on di whole Indian road –
above my head high heel tap di ground
as my vife on di web is playing wid di mouse
ven she netting two cat on her Sikh lover site
she book dem for di meat at di cheese ov her price –
my bride
she effing at my mum
in all di colours of Punjabi
den stumble like a drunk
making fun at my daddy
my bride
tiny eyes ov a gun
and di tummy ov a teddy
my bride
she hav a red crew cut
and she wear a Tartan sari
a donkey jacket and some pumps
on di squeak ov di girls dat are pinching all my sweeties –
ven I return from di tickle ov my bride
di shoppers always point and cry:
hey Singh, ver yoo bin?
di milk is out ov date
and di bread is alvays stale,
the tings yoo hav on offer yoo hav never got in stock
in di worst Indian shop
on di whole Indian road –
late in di midnight hour
ven yoo shoppers are wrap up quiet
ven di precinct is concrete-cool
vee cum down whispering stairs
and sit on my silver stool,
from behind di chocolate bars
vee stare past di half-price window signs
at di beaches ov di UK in di brightey moon –
from di stool each night she say,
how much do yoo charge for dat moon baby?
from di stool each night I say,
is half di cost ov yoo baby,
from di stool each night she say,
how much does dat come to baby?
from di stool each night I say,
is priceless baby –
ov of
vunt want
di the
chutney fruit salad
vee we
dis this
dem them
stumble (trip while walking/make a mistake)
crew cut haircut
dat ar that are
ven when
ver where
hav have
precinct area
cum come
dat that
yoo you
priceless incredibly valuable
Love's Philosophy
mingle with meet
divine wonderful/God-related
mingle mix
thine your/yours
clasp hold (together)
disdained disliked
clasps holds (together)
thou you
The Farmer's Bride
bide wait
woo. try to attract.
abed; in bed;
acre area of land
lantern lamp
shiver shake
to chat to talk
beseech beg
beasts wild animals
swift fast
slight small/short
rime, rhyme,
‘Tis It is
Betwixt Between
Porphyria's Lover
sullen angry
for spite for revenge
vex frustrate
Porphyria (blood disease, which usually involves delusional madness, death and the avoidance of sunlight)
cheerless sad
Blaze Fire
cottage house
cloak coat
soiled dirty/dirtied
stooping bent over
o’er over
Murmuring Whispering
endeavour effort/try
dissever cut off
prevail win
feast food-based celebration
restrain limit/hold down
in vain without success (or without purpose)
debated (discussed back and forth)
pure total/totally/with nothing else mixed in
warily nervously
Blushed Became embarrassed
rosy wonderful
utmost extreme
scorned rejected
fled escaped
And thus And so
Sonnet 29 ('I Think of Thee!')
I think of thee!—my thoughts do twine and bud
About thee, as wild vines, about a tree,
Put out broad leaves, and soon there ‘s nought to see
Except the straggling green which hides the wood.
Yet, O my palm-tree, be it understood
I will not have my thoughts instead of thee
Who art dearer, better! Rather, instantly
Renew thy presence; as a strong tree should,
Rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare,
And let these bands of greenery which insphere thee
Drop heavily down,—burst, shattered, everywhere!
Because, in this deep joy to see and hear thee
And breathe within thy shadow a new air,
I do not think of thee—I am too near thee.
thee! you!
thee, you,
nought nothing
straggling (moving slowly, behind others)
thee you
thy your
boughs branches
thee. you.
Walking Away
fledged feathered
wilderness (land area that has never been changed by people)
hesitant fearful
eddying swirling
grasp grab/understand
convey bring across
scorching burning
irresolute undecided
Gnaw Chew
Perhaps Maybe
Follower
reins, controls,
angled fished/planned
stumbled (tripped while walking/made a mistake)
plod. walk.
nuisance annoyance
stumbling (tripping while walking/making a mistake)
Mother, Any Distance
Mother, any distance greater than a single span
requires a second pair of hands.
You come to help me measure windows, pelmets, doors,
the acres of the walls, the prairies of the floors.
You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape, recording
length, reporting metres, centimetres back to base, then leaving
up the stairs, the line still feeding out, unreeling
years between us. Anchor. Kite.
I space-walk through the empty bedrooms, climb
the ladder to the loft, to breaking point, where something
has to give;
two floors below your fingertips still pinch
the last one-hundredth of an inch…I reach
towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky
to fall or fly.
requires needs/demands
acres areas of land
prairies flat land areas
Anchor (boat holding device/source of support and security/TV reporter)
Climbing My Grandfather
brogues low-heeled shoe or boot
scramble move (quickly)/mix up
trousers pants
traverse travel over
splintered broke into small, sharp pieces
purchase (instance of buying something for money)
screed a thin, top layer of hard material
altitude height
gasping (suddenly taking short breaths in)
Eden Rock
They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock:
My father, twenty-five, in the same suit
Of Genuine Irish Tweed, his terrier Jack
Still two years old and trembling at his feet.
My mother, twenty-three, in a sprigged dress
Drawn at the waist, ribbon in her straw hat,
Has spread the stiff white cloth over the grass.
Her hair, the colour of wheat, takes on the light.
She pours tea from a Thermos, the milk straight
From an old H.P. sauce-bottle, a screw
Of paper for a cork; slowly sets out
The same three plates, the tin cups painted blue.
The sky whitens as if lit by three suns.
My mother shades her eyes and looks my way
Over the drifted stream. My father spins
A stone along the water. Leisurely,
They beckon to me from the other bank.
I hear them call, ‘See where the stream-path is!
Crossing is not as hard as you might think.’
I had not thought that it would be like this.
Eden Very beautiful, peaceful place
Genuine Real/honest
trembling shaking
sprigged (decorated with a design of sprigs of leaves or flowers.)
Thermos food and drink container
Leisurely (relaxing/in a relaxed way)
beckon invite