Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth,
My sinful earth these rebel powers array,
Why dost thou pine within and suffer dearth,
Painting thy outward walls so costly gay?
Why so large cost, having so short a lease,
Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend?
Shall worms, inheritors of this excess,
Eat up thy charge? Is this the body's end?
Then, soul, live thou upon thy servant's loss,
And let that pine to aggravate thy store;
Buy terms divine in selling hours of dross;
Within be fed, without be rich no more:
So shalt thou feed on death, that feeds on men,
And death once dead, there's no more dying then.
One of my favourite writers
George Gordon, Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress
Or softly lightens o'er her face,
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek and o'er the brow
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent.
Well, when you know both English and German, it's very familiar.
Ic giet learnie.
þu canst þæt rædan...
God wolde þa fandian Abrahames gehiersumnesse, and clipode his naman, and cwæð him þus to: 'Nim þinne ancennedan sunu Isaac, þe þu lufast, and far to þam lande Visionis hraðe, and geoffra hine þær uppan anre dune.' Abraham þa aras on þære ilcan nihte, and ferde mid twam cnapum to þam fierlenan lande, and Isaac samod, on assum ridende. Þa on þam þriddan dæge, þa hie þa dune gesawon þær þær hie to scoldon to ofsleanne Isaac, þa cwæð Abraham to þam twam cnapum þus: 'Anbidiað eow her mid þam assum sume hwile. Ic and þæt cild gað unc to gebiddenne, and we siððan cumað sona eft to eow.' Abraham þa het Isaac beran þone wudu to þære stowe, and he self bær his sweord and fyr. Isaac þa ascode Abraham his fæder: 'Fæder min, ic ascie hwær seo offrung sie; her is wudu and fyr.' Him andwyrde se fæder, 'God foresceawað, mine sunu, him self þa offrunge.' Hie comon þa to þære stowe þe him gesweotolode God, and he þær weofod arærde on þa ealdan wisan, and þone wudu gelogode swa swa he hit wolde habban to his suna bærnette siððan he ofslægen wurde. He geband þa his sunu, and his sweord ateah, þæt he hine geoffrode on þa ealdan wisan. Mid þam þe he wolde þæt weorc beginnan, þa clipode Godes engel arodlice of heofonum, 'Abraham!' He andwyrde sona. Se engel him cwæð þa to: 'Ne acwele þu þæt cild, ne þine hand ne astrece ofer his sweoran! Nu ic oncneow soðlice þæt þu swiðe ondrætst God, nu þu þinne ancennedan sunu ofslean woldest for him.'