Two Poems

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.

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.