Nature
The Thistle
Translated by Jethro Bithell (1911) · From Contemporary Belgian Poetry (1911)
Nature
Rooted on herbless peaks, where its erect
And prickly leaves, austerely cold and dumb,
Hold the slow, scaly serpent in respect,
The Gothic thistle, while the insects' hum
Sounds far off, rears above the rock it scorns
Its rigid virtue for the Heavens to see.
The towering boulders guard it. And the bee
Makes honey from the blossoms on its thorns.
Cite this poem
MLA
Ramaekers, Georges. “The Thistle.” Translated by Jethro Bithell. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/georges-ramaekers/0/.
Chicago
Ramaekers, Georges. “The Thistle.” Translated by Jethro Bithell. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/georges-ramaekers/0/.
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