Paddy's Letter, 1857 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABAC DEDE EFGE HIJI KFKL MNMN OPQR FSFT FUFU FVFV DWDXI've had all sorts of luck sometimes bad sometimes better | A |
But now I have somebody's luck and my own | B |
For I stooped in the street and I picked up a letter | A |
Which some one had written to send away home | C |
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The old adage says What you find you may keep it | D |
And as most of these old sayings are very true | E |
I straight broke the seal and then having read it | D |
The contents of this letter I tell unto you | E |
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Dear Dermot I hope when this letter gets to you | E |
'Twill find you in health as now it leaves me | F |
But I hope you're more happy than I am in Australia | G |
If not it's small comfort that you have achree | E |
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Hard fortune's been mine since crossing the line | H |
Though that same I ne'er saw for we crossed it at night | I |
But they say 'twas laid down at expense of the Crown | J |
To divide the wrong side of the world from the right | I |
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But what should a boy placed in my situation | K |
Know about lines laid across the big sea | F |
But faith this I know and without navigation | K |
I'm at the wrong side of the line anyway | L |
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I'm telling you now how strange seasons fall | M |
We have here rain and sleet in the month of July | N |
And hailstones as big as a small cannon ball | M |
And they do as much harm not a word of a lie | N |
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But the making of magistrates now all the rage is | O |
And every flockmaster's a justice of peace | P |
They find it so easy to cancel the wages | Q |
The law is their own and they rob whom they please | R |
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Pat Murphy's boy Tim that married Moll Casey | F |
Lives on the Barcoo that's away in the bush | S |
Himself and the wife why they lived mighty aisy | F |
Till one day on Tim oh the blacks they did rush | T |
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They killed little Paddy but spared the young baby | F |
Because it was sickly I think it was that | U |
And while Molly was crying a gin said No habbie | F |
Your thin picaninny well wait till it's fat | U |
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'Tis a beautiful country to practise economy | F |
Though the houses out here are not quite waterproof | V |
But they're illigant houses for studying astronomy | F |
You can lie on your back and read stars through the roof | V |
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P S This is cramped if there's no one to read it | D |
Send for Tim Murphy he'll know every stroke | W |
Ye all have my blessing I know that yell need it | D |
So no more at present from Teddy O'Rourke | X |
Banjo Paterson
(1)
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