What image born of history remains
Upon these margins of the east and west;
The stones recall, Habsburgian refrains,
By music and by warfare were they blessed.
And here between the ages, Europe’s end,
The Danube’s Rubicon, another shore,
Whereon the great subconscious might ascend
And, in the heart of darkness, light explore.
But history and splendour overwhelm,
Though all maps are redrawn upon the hour:
The architects defined their fickle realm,
While age defined the symbols of their power.
But set beyond these vanities, a hymn,
The ghost of Mozart and his Requiem
A contest entry
- BATTLE OF THE SONNETS---ROUND 1 by mamad.
400 points, ended June 3, 2007, 26 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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wow, you won both rounds. I am extremely impressed
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guess what ?
I am viennese
the way you have written about my home-town, is quite amazing, and it expresses my impressions in an excellent way ... I always felt very uncomfortable in this city, I am overly sensitive to energies, and absorb a place's vibration, so although the outer appearance and glory of past and present vienna might distract from its dark history and underlying obscurity still present, my soul feels overwhelmed and depressed each time I visit vienna ... I have the same feeling in munich and some other places ...
therefore, I moved away, and everything lightened up ...
congratulations - a well deserved reward for excellence ...
maa
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ah yes, for me wien was so difficult when i was there the first few times, always passing through. but one day it changed. and now, to me, wien is a place of light and laughter, of music and friends and of energy. and for all the darknesses set under the melody a place of dreams and beauty. and of energy.
to paraphrase sandor marai, Wien is a tone in ones soul. and for that music which she gives me i am only grateful:-)
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Truely excellent Congratulations
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Your depth of knowledge in this is beyond what most people ever gain. I bet you could write a book of sonnets on this subject matter. Your Gold was well earned.
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The capital of an empire combines the sublime and the mundane, violence and grace. Vienna, Paris, Rome are great cities whose history overshadows the present. This is a lovely sonnet with many allusions - congratulations.
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