The Old Bark Hut Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDEBEAFGFHIBIIEBE JKLKMBNBOLBLPBQBRSBS ATBTUVWXBBTBIJQJBYZY A2IB2ILBC2D2E2TF2HBG 2H2G2I2BTBJ2IK2IL2M2 N2M2O2BP2BO2Q2M2A2R2 TS2HBT2M2T2U2M2V2M2B W2GW2X2BR2BM2M2LM2M2 Y2M2Y2M2M2M2M2M2BZ2B J2M2M2M2BM2M2M2M2M2H M2A3BM2BHKB3KM2G2M2G 2BM2C3M2In an old bark hut on a mountainside | A |
In a spot that was lone and drear | B |
A woman whose heart was aching sat | C |
Watching from year to year | B |
A small boy Jim her only child | D |
Helped her to watch and wait | E |
But the time never came when they could go free | B |
Free from the bond of hate | E |
For McConnel was out on the mountainside | A |
Living without a hope | F |
And seeing nothing before him now | G |
But death by a hangman s rope | F |
Hated and chased by his fellow men | H |
To take him alive or dead | I |
An outlaw banned by the world was he | B |
With five hundred pounds on his head | I |
A message had come that evening which said | I |
Now Jim you mustn t wait | E |
If you want to save your father or | B |
By heaven you ll be too late | E |
He s out at Mackinnon s Crossing they say | J |
The track is rough old man | K |
But if any here can do it why | L |
It s you and old Darky can | K |
And Jim knew well what the message meant | M |
As he brought his horse to the door | B |
While away through the gathering darkness came | N |
The sound of the river s roar | B |
But the brave little heart never faltered as | O |
He stooped to kiss her good bye | L |
And said God bless you Mother dear | B |
I ll save Dad tonight or I ll die | L |
The old horse answered the touch of his hand | P |
And galloped away from the door | B |
He seemed to know twas a journey for life | Q |
Well he d done such journey s before | B |
Out from the firelight and through the rails | R |
Out through the ghastly trees | S |
While all the time the warning roar | B |
Of the river came back on the breeze | S |
Steadily down the mountainside | A |
He rode for his course was plain | T |
Though his heart was heavy though not with fear | B |
But because of that brand of Cain | T |
The boy thinks over his mother s last words | U |
I ll love him as long as I live | V |
He must have time for repentance on earth | W |
But surely God will forgive | X |
As he glanced back over his shoulder there | B |
She stood by the light of the door | B |
Trying to pierce the darkness in vain | T |
Thinking she d see him no more | B |
Then as he looked she bowed her head | I |
And slowly turned away | J |
And the boy knew that the noble wife | Q |
Had knelt by the bed to pray | J |
Mile after mile hour after hour | B |
And then just ahead shining and white | Y |
Was the foam of Mackinnon s Crossing | Z |
What a jump for old Darky tonight | Y |
And then Jim thinks of the long lone years | A2 |
And the hopes that are crushed and dead | I |
And a woman whose heart is as true as steel | B2 |
As rue as the day she was wed | I |
As she loved him then in the years gone by | L |
When the future held promise in store | B |
So she loved him today when the future held | C2 |
Naught but death by his country s law | D2 |
Jim pressed his knees to the saddle flap | E2 |
And tightened his hold on the rein | T |
They had jumped the river last summertime | F2 |
How he hoped they would do it again | H |
Then a voice rang out through the darkness there | B |
Hold now hold stand still | G2 |
We know you lad it s too late to run | H2 |
Hands up or we ll shoot to kill | G2 |
Then he knew that the police were around him | I2 |
In the darkness they moved to and fro | B |
For an instant he pulled on the bridle rein | T |
But he d promised his mother he d go | B |
And he thought of the poor sad woman alone | J2 |
Kneeling in prayer by the bed | I |
So he loosened the reins on old Darky s neck | K2 |
And rushed at the river ahead | I |
Then a volley rang out through the forest dark | L2 |
A fall in the roaring flood | M2 |
And the darkness hid from all human eyes | N2 |
The form that was stained with blood | M2 |
The horse struggled hard the waters rushed on | O2 |
He sank to rise no more | B |
But the boy fought the flood in silence inch | P2 |
By inch to the other shore | B |
Slowly and sadly but bravely on | O2 |
Brushing away the tears | Q2 |
He was leaving behind in the river s flood | M2 |
His friend and companion for years | A2 |
And all the time the blood trickled down | R2 |
O God what a hot burning pain | T |
And he knew he was doing is duty clean | S2 |
He would never come back again | H |
Staggering in through the yielding door | B |
Into the cold dark room | T2 |
Where his father lay and the faint firelight | M2 |
Showed through the ghostly gloom | T2 |
The bushranger sprang to his feet in alarm | U2 |
And levelled the gun at his head | M2 |
And his loud voice demanded Who are you | V2 |
Speak quick or you are dead | M2 |
And then a weak little voice made answer | B |
It s me Mother sends you her love | W2 |
The police are back at the crossing now | G |
So clear out and meet Mother above | W2 |
Then McConnel placed his gun by the wall | X2 |
And knelt on the cold hard floor | B |
And somehow the tears came rushing down | R2 |
As they never had before | B |
His arms went around the brave little lad | M2 |
He nursed his head on his breast | M2 |
He seemed to know that the end was nigh | L |
And Jim would soon be at rest | M2 |
And the boy was speaking feebly at last | M2 |
They shot me back at the creek | Y2 |
And old Darky is dead and gone Dad | M2 |
And oh I m so tired and weak | Y2 |
Then his voice fell away in a whisper soft | M2 |
So faint it could scarce be heard | M2 |
Oh Dad clear out they are coming fast | M2 |
Tell Mother I kept my word | M2 |
Quickly in silence the police gathered around | M2 |
They had captured the beast in his lair | B |
The outlaw sat with his boy in his arms | Z2 |
He semed not to heed nor to care | B |
He was thinking now of the seed he had sown | J2 |
He was tasting its bitter fruit | M2 |
When the sergeant stepped to the door and said | M2 |
McConnel bail up or I ll shoot | M2 |
Then the sergeant placed a lamp by the door | B |
The rifles gleamed out in the light | M2 |
But the outlaw said Sergeant O Drady | M2 |
Let s have no more shooting tonight | M2 |
You can take me now to the judgement seat | M2 |
As God has taken this lad | M2 |
You d die to take my life you men | H |
He died to save his dad | M2 |
I want you to help me dig his grave | A3 |
And perhaps you will say a prayer | B |
Then you can take me and hang me dead | M2 |
It s my wife or I wouldn t care | B |
Carefully now Oh thank you men | H |
Lay him as best you can | K |
The policeman is shown by his coat of course | B3 |
But the tears well they show the man | K |
Then the party went back to the old bark hut | M2 |
As the sun was mounting the hill | G2 |
No smoke arose from the chimney cold | M2 |
And all was silent and still | G2 |
The sergeant opened the creaky door | B |
And lifted his cap with a start | M2 |
Ah McConnel had broken the country s laws | C3 |
And broken a woman s heart | M2 |
Anonymous Oceania
(1)
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