Two Poems
House of Banjo Paterson in his earlier years: Gladesville Cottage at Rockend:
A home of Banjo Paterson from wikipedia
Cover for Banjo Paterson's published works from wikipedia:
Poetry in Paradise offered a one hour workshop where
Joan Small and Jean Watson kindly gave of their time to assist with
rhythm and rhyme in poetry.
I found this session helpful and inspiring.
Poetry in Paradise has now been going
for seven years and I have enjoyed attending many of the sessions
in the past year which are held once a month in the library at the Gold Coast.
in the past year which are held once a month in the library at the Gold Coast.
Poetry was considered for the syllables and stress
in a line and for the rhyme.
Metre was looked at in traditional poetry. The pattern of the metre
and the stressed syllables remain the same and the pattern repeats itself, especially
in bush poetry:
“Bob” by Henry Kendall, “Oh, Tell Me” by Henry Kendall and “The Man”
by A B Paterson was given on Jean Watson's worksheet regarding metre in
traditional poetry.
Sometimes poets do exercise poetic licence.
Sample poetry of rhyme by Banjo Paterson, “Clancy of the Overflow” was given
on Joan Small's worksheet of rhyme in poetry.
“Clancy of the Overflow” is a brilliant piece
of poetry which is wonderful.
It is also beautiful with evocative descriptions of the rural settings of
Australia.
The rhyming pattern of “If” by Rudyard
Kipling and
Poetry by A B Milne, “Us Two,” was considered.
Banjo Paterson is a famous bush poet
whose works are popular. I once found it interesting to read
about his life. He became a lawyer. He was also a journalist, soldier, reporter. He must have loved the outback of Australia very much. He returned to the rural life.
I have two poems which I contributed to read at Poetry in Paradise this week: A Distant River and
The Artist and the Writer.
My earlier poem
of Paris was read at an earlier session of Poetry in Paradise and is to be found in an ealier post of
The Land of Colour. (In Joan Smalls article from Poetry in Paradise, a poem of Paris is mentioned.)
Earlier poems of the entertainments and fetes which were held at Versailles are on earlier posts of
Magical Enchantments, as also poems of Louise de la Valliere, Madame de Montespan and Madame
de Maintenon and of Versailles.
When I next return to France and visit Versailles and also Venice I hope to be inspsired to perhaps write
more poetry, travel writing or even at some stage start on a novel. I do love these places.
A Distant River
A distant river meanders through the wastes of time
As a distant mirror
reflected by the Sun's rays
A sign;
And the weeping willows from a distant shore
Can tell of stories from before:
slowly, ever so slowly,
does the mirror tilt
glance backwards
And reflects a scene:
A horseman racing
across a plain,
The story, as ever,
is often the same:
Of mighty armies clashing
in a gilded light;
The sun-swept moors
and a victor's delight;
The river meanders down
from snow swept heights
Melting snows and ice upon its way
Tinkling down the old path-way;
The sights and sounds of the Siberian Steppe
The ice-bound travellers, cold mountain air
and images kept,
hardships upon the snowy plain:
As prospectors painstakingly sweep a river plain
Looking for gold with the next rain
A hint of a distant image
And the horseman rides by:
A glimpse in time
From a distant river
flowing by:-
In star-spangled light
the birds take flight
In an uproarious glorious din
And the forest echoes within;
A horse whinnies in its fright
Whizzing arrows find soldiers in their plight
Who knows from where they come?
Better the sight of birds in flight
Than an army in all its might
under the glittering sun;
Better the sight
of Nature Bright
Than a glint of steel on white.
The Artist and The Writer
Apollo rides his golden chariot
across stormy seas
Heavenly hoofs beat upon the sand
Glistening and turning
Surf waves churning
A star fish glistens beneath the surf
Showing its significance for what it's worth!
These are the things which I am longing for
All on a distant shore:
The writer picks up his pen
Describes the beauty of the glen;
the sun glinting shadows
and softly green meadows
seen from his writer's den;
The artist with his brush -strokes can
Paint the picture
at first hand,
A grain of sand
An elephant in a circus band
The leaves of trees swaying gently
in a breeze;
All these things of beauty see
Committed to memory:
The sun bursts forth upon the page
Pictures from another age
Admired, shown upon a stage;
Hear the bells from up on high
See the chimes up in the sky
Purple and blue and every hue
Describing an evening dew:
Migratory birds on a wing do cry
Ducks shuffle their feathers in all weather
Colours with magic and music allure
Now with notes the picture endures
The colours of nature in every age;
The sun in its golden haze
Seems to beckon and call
for the thrill
of beauty in all its ways:
O My Angel Light
Giving us such great delight!
And on through the night
your beauty endures
With your soft allure:
With a golden sunset
and a moon which is met
with diamond light,
golden and bright,
over a soft verdure.
O My Angel, Angel Light
Heaven's helper, God's delight!
Shine forth your beauty upon the night
With the silent orb of a moonlit sight:
Golden lights upon the leaves
Glinting and shifting in the breeze
Stretching onwards as far as the eye can see
Heaven's sights upon the trees
Singing stories amongst the leaves
Shimmering magic as they weave:
Gliding gracefully through the pale
Slanting rapidly across the dale
To the distant mists of the furtherest vale
A sunset glimpse of a rainbow tale:
The writer and artist
can capture the sight
In all of its glorious might:
So set on a trail
which cannot fail
to find this Angel Light:
My Angel Light
So bright and pure
A conflicting world's
Angel's cure.
