Ballad of Reading Gaol (Annotated) | 
pickEverything I read recently is so sad. Still, an amazing raw piece of poetry that tore at my heart.
pickEverything I read recently is so sad. Still, an amazing raw piece of poetry that tore at my heart.
Nyfigne vi fra dag til dag
saá til med syge Sind
og tænkte: Mon vor egen Sjæl
paa samme Vej slaar ind?
For ingen modstaar Helveds Magt,
er Sjælen først gjort blind.
pickWhat a heartbreaking little story about a two men in prison--one who is hanged and the other who is watching and trying to make sense of it all. A very thoughtful ballad.
pick"And there, till Christ call forth the dead,
In silence let him lie:
No need to waste the foolish tear,
Or heave the windy sigh:
The man had killed the thing he loved,
And so he had to die."
I read this a years ago and fell in love with the rhythm and pure emotion. You can feel every word and the structure is beautiful. He wrote this while exiled after his release from Reading Gaol and describes the despair, sadness and horror he witnessed.
Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard
Some do it with a bitter look
Some with a flattering word
The coward does it with a kiss
The brave man with a sword
:: 06.06.16
'And alien tears will fill for him,
Pity's long-broken urn,
For his mourners will be outcast men,
And outcasts always mourn.'
