Poems List
Explore poems from our collection
Ballad Of The Drover
Ballad Of The Drover
Across the stony ridges,
Across the rolling plain,
Young Harry Dale, the drover,
Comes riding home again.
And well his s…
Beaten Back
Beaten Back
BEATEN back in sad dejection,
After years of weary toil
On that burning hot selection
Where the drought has gorged his spoil.
Australian Bards And Bush Reviewers
Australian Bards And Bush Reviewers
While you use your best endeavour to immortalise in verse
The gambling and the drink which are your country's greatest curs…
Australia's Forgotten Flag
Australia's Forgotten Flag
Oh! the Cross of deepest blue,
With the bright stars shining through,
That was raised, my sons, for you,
On a skirt of p…
At The Beating Of A Drum
At The Beating Of A Drum
Fear ye not the stormy future, for the Battle Hymn is strong,
And the armies of Australia shall not march without a song;
The gl…
As Ireland Wore the Green
As Ireland Wore the Green
BY RIGHT of birth in southern land I send my warning forth.
I see my country ruined by the wrongs that damned the North.
And sh…
As far as your Rifles Cover
As far as your Rifles Cover
Do you think, you slaves of a thousand years to poverty, wealth and pride,
You can crush the spirit that has been free in a land th…
Andy's Return
Andy's Return
With pannikins all rusty,
And billy burnt and black,
And clothes all torn and dusty,
That scarcely hide his back;
With sun-crac…
And What Have You To Say?
And What Have You To Say?
I MIND the days when ladies fair
Helped on my overcoat,
And tucked the silken handkerchief
About my precious throat;
An Australian Advertisement
An Australian Advertisement
WE WANT the man who will lead the van,
The man who will pioneer.
We have no use for the gentleman,
Or the cheating Chea…
Above Lavender Bay
Above Lavender Bay
’Tis glorious morning everywhere
Save where the alleys lie—
I see the fleecy steam jets bid
“Good morning” to the sky.
The…
After All
After All
The brooding ghosts of Australian night have gone from the bush and town;
My spirit revives in the morning breeze,
though it died when the sun …
Above Crow's Nest [Sydney]
Above Crow's Nest [Sydney]
A BLANKET low and leaden,
Though rent across the west,
Whose darkness seems to deaden
The brightest and the best;
…
A Word from the Bards
A Word from the Bards
IT IS New Year’s Day and I rise to state that here on the Sydney side
The Bards have commenced to fill out of late and they’re showing th…
A Study in the 'Nood'
A Study in the 'Nood'
He was bare—we don’t want to be rude—
(His condition was owing to drink)
They say his condition was nood,
Which amounts to th…
A Song of Brave Men
A Song of Brave Men
Man, is the Sea your master? Sea, and is man your slave? –
This is the song of brave men who never know they are brave:
Ceaselessly w…
A Prouder Man Than You
A Prouder Man Than You
If you fancy that your people came of better stock than mine,
If you hint of higher breeding by a word or by a sign,
If you're pro…
A Mixed Battle Song
A Mixed Battle Song
Lo! the Boar’s tail is salted, and the Kangaroo’s exalted,
And his right eye is extinguished by a man-o’-warsman’s cap;
He is flying …
A Mate can do no Wrong
A Mate can do no Wrong
We learnt the creed at Hungerford,
We learnt the creed at Bourke;
We learnt it in the good times
And learnt it out of work. …
A Fantasy of War
A Fantasy of War
From Australia
.
OH, tell me, God of Battles! Oh, say what is to come!
The King is in his trenches, the millionaire at home;
A Bush Girl
A Bush Girl
She's milking in the rain and dark,
As did her mother in the past.
The wretched shed of poles and bark,
Rent by the wind, is leaking fa…
A Derry on a Cove
A Derry on a Cove
’Twas in the felon’s dock he stood, his eyes were black and blue;
His voice with grief was broken, and his nose was broken, too;
He mut…
For there's a swellin' in my heart -- a tightness in my throat --
For there's a swellin' in my heart -- a tightness in my throat --
We are for'ard when there's trouble! We are for'ard when there's graft!
But the men who never battle…
I only woke this morning
I only woke this morning
To find the world is fair—
I’m going on for forty,
With scarcely one grey hair;
I’m going on for forty,
Where man’s strong…