The Chained Muse

Translation

Heine's "Atlas" Set by Franz Schubert

I, wretched Atlas, must carry the world, I must carry this wide world of wrenching pain. I bear the unbearable and my heart Breaks within...

By Paul Gallagher

Deep Down

Tired bends the lily Beneath its gorgeous flower; Weary stoops the pilgrim Drawn on by heavenly power. All the soldier’s glory Is grime...

By Adam Sedia

The Seashell

An errant shape appears upon the sand, Borne from ultramarine depths to wash Among the turquoise waves’ relentless crash Upon another...

By Beverly Stock

The Human Depot

A Human Depot, A resting place Full of dignity, history and grace. The monuments Are carefully tended there, Naming who rests where...

Original Translation

Feldeinsamkeit by Hermann Allmers

Peacefully, I rest in the tall green grass For a long time only gazing as I lie, Caught in the endless hymn of crickets, And encircled by...

By Paul Gallagher

The Farmer’s Jewels

Within a fortress prison, A stubborn yeoman sits within the cell That tyranny has chosen For him who would rebel. Of home and wife his...

By Michael R. Burch

''Moments'' & Other Poems

Moments There were moments full of promise, like the petal-scented rainfall of early spring, when to hold you in my arms and to kiss...

By Daniel Leach

ODE: SPRING MOURNING

The first soft days of springtime greet my eyes Like a young girl’s face, smiling fresh and clean, The sunlight falls, like hope, from...

By Beverly Stock

On the Road

On the road to Climax, Georgia, Sunsets streaked a paling yellow, Riding in my car with a handsome fellow. We were driving day and night...

Translation

Amor che ne la mente mi ragiona by Dante Alighieri

We present a new installment of original Dante translations. To our knowledge, Dante’s lyric poems have never been presented in a way...

By Adam Sedia

A Nameless Fossil

What creature’s frame, entombed in stone, Lies, though marine, in open air? As if it glimpsed the Gorgon’s stare, Hard rock outlines its...

By David B. Gosselin

I Know Why the Red Rose Weeps

I know why the red rose weeps, Why she hides her tears in dew, As the summer breezes sweep From those seas of peaceful blue, And then...