Brighten-s Sister-in-law [or The Carrier's Story] Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCD ECECBFBF EGEGHBHB IDIDIBIB BJBJAKAK ILILAMAM ININEOEO BKBKIBIB APAPBBBB EAEAABAB APAPAQAQ IBIBIRIR IAIBEBEB IAIAEBEB BSBSAKKK ABKBEBEB BBBBBBKB HBHBBDBD ADADIBIB BTBUIIII ADADEAEA ITIUIAIA EVEVKAWA XBXBBKBK KBKBIAIA| AT A POINT where the old road crosses | A |
| The river and turns to the right | B |
| I d camped with the team and the hosses | A |
| Was all fixed up for the night | B |
| I d been to the town to carry | C |
| A load to the Cudgegong | D |
| And I d taken the youngster Harry | C |
| On a trip as I d promis d him long | D |
| - | |
| I had seven more and another | E |
| That died at the age of three | C |
| But they all took arter the mother | E |
| And Harry took arter me | C |
| And from the tiniest laddie | B |
| Twas always his fondest dream | F |
| To go on the roads with his daddy | B |
| And help him to drive the team | F |
| - | |
| He was bright at the school and clever | E |
| The best of the youngsters there | G |
| And the teacher said there was never | E |
| A lad that promised so fair | G |
| And I half forgot life s battle | H |
| An its long hard beaten road | B |
| In the sound of the youngster s prattle | H |
| From his perch on top o the load | B |
| - | |
| An when he was tired o ridin | I |
| I d lift him down for a walk | D |
| And he d say at my silence chidin | I |
| Now daddy tell me some talk | D |
| And oft by the camp fire sittin | I |
| When the bush was round us wild | B |
| I d yarn by the hour forgittin | I |
| That Harry was only a child | B |
| - | |
| But to day he d been strange and quiet | B |
| An lay on the chaff bags still | J |
| An though he d bravely deny it | B |
| I know d as the boy was ill | J |
| He said he was only dosey | A |
| In his queer old fashioned way | K |
| And I fixed him up warm an cosey | A |
| In the hammock under the dray | K |
| - | |
| I fried him some eggs and some bakin | I |
| Which I couldn t git him to touch | L |
| And it set my heart a achin | I |
| For he d always eaten so much | L |
| I wandered about half silly | A |
| And thought that my heart would stop | M |
| And the tea got cold in the billy | A |
| For I couldn t a tasted a drop | M |
| - | |
| I d seen the same sickness of en | I |
| An my spirits began to droop | N |
| For as soon as he started coughin | I |
| I know d as he d got the croup | N |
| Twas fifteen mile to the river | E |
| An Gulgong was twenty five | O |
| An I thought twas a chance if ever | E |
| I got him back home alive | O |
| - | |
| The thought of the loss was horrid | B |
| If the young un was taken away | K |
| And I went and leaned my forehead | B |
| Against the tire o the dray | K |
| And sudden I started cryin | I |
| And sobbed like a woman too | B |
| For I felt that the boy was dyin | I |
| And I didn t know what to do | B |
| - | |
| All helpless I was and lonely | A |
| But I thought twas a coward s cry | P |
| To call on the Saviour only | A |
| When trouble or death was nigh | P |
| But after a while I lifted | B |
| My eyes to the steely blue | B |
| Of the sky where somethin drifted | B |
| Like a great white cockatoo | B |
| - | |
| An nearer it came and nearer | E |
| Right down to the branch of the tree | A |
| And it seemed when its shape grew clearer | E |
| Like the form of a woman to me | A |
| For a moment it seemed to tarry | A |
| An p int away up the road | B |
| An then seemed pintin at Harry | A |
| A coughin beneath the load | B |
| - | |
| I don t want ter arger there s chances | A |
| The vision was only the sky | P |
| Or the smoke outlin d on the branches | A |
| Or a lonely cloud on high | P |
| But I says twas a message from glory | A |
| I sees as yer goin to chaff | Q |
| Just wait till I done my story | A |
| An laugh if yer want to laugh | Q |
| - | |
| Away went the vision flyin | I |
| Up into the blue it went | B |
| And I stood for a minute tryin | I |
| To think what its comin meant | B |
| When it flashed on my brain like lightnin | I |
| An arter I thought it strange | R |
| I d almost forgotten old Brighten | I |
| Who lived on the top of the range | R |
| - | |
| He lived on a small selection | I |
| Or used ter live there I know d | A |
| An it lay in a west direction | I |
| Bout five miles back from the road | B |
| I harnessed the horses quicker | E |
| Than ever I d taken em out | B |
| An they must a thought me in liquor | E |
| For the way as I shov d em about | B |
| - | |
| I d allers bin fond o sneerin | I |
| An laughin at women s ways | A |
| I could see in their lives I m fearin | I |
| But little as called for praise | A |
| But now when I thought he d smother | E |
| With croup in the lonely wild | B |
| Good God how I longed for a mother | E |
| To save the life of my child | B |
| - | |
| I seed in a vision each minit | B |
| The youngster nursed back into life | S |
| An the hand of a woman was in it | B |
| An the woman was Brighten s wife | S |
| There s times when not knowin a bliss is | A |
| As Harry s school teacher ud say | K |
| And I didn t know Brighten s missis | K |
| Had gone to the town that day | K |
| - | |
| In a moment I d lifted Harry | A |
| To the bags on top of the load | B |
| And I flogged the weary horses | K |
| Along on the dusty road | B |
| But ev rything seem d to hinder | E |
| My hopes when I reached the hut | B |
| For there wasn t a light in the winder | E |
| And both o the doors was shut | B |
| - | |
| That moment my heart got hurted | B |
| An I felt it for many a day | B |
| For I thought that the place was deserted | B |
| An Brighten had gone away | B |
| But I called and the door was opened | B |
| An I saw that the hut was alight | B |
| It hadn t shone in the winders | K |
| For the moon was shinin bright | B |
| - | |
| An there in the door with a candle | H |
| I saw old Brighten stand | B |
| With his fingers grasping the handle | H |
| Of a pistol he held in his hand | B |
| If any one moves he shouted | B |
| I ll fire if I ve got to hang | D |
| For the moment he never doubted | B |
| Twas a visit from Gard ner s gang | D |
| - | |
| I didn t move in a hurry | A |
| For a man in a fright shoots quick | D |
| But I told him he needn t flurry | A |
| Twas only a youngster sick | D |
| Stan back said old Brighten snatchin | I |
| An shuttin the door in his fright | B |
| It s typhoid maybe he s catchin | I |
| An I can t have him here to night | B |
| - | |
| But a woman s voice shouted What is it | B |
| I d never seen her before | T |
| She was only there on a visit | B |
| Twas Brighten s sister in law | U |
| An nothin seemed able to frighten | I |
| This woman so pale an thin | I |
| She pushed from the door old Brighten | I |
| An carried the youngster in | I |
| - | |
| She d bin hospital nurse in the city | A |
| I heard and had got the sack | D |
| For havin a little pity | A |
| An exposin a doctor quack | D |
| Some trumped up stories agin her | E |
| All over the town was belled | A |
| An in spite of the fightin in her | E |
| They got her at last expelled | A |
| - | |
| An talkin o fight I m fearin | I |
| There s sudden fightin in store | T |
| For the first as speaks in my hearin | I |
| Gin Brighten s sister in law | U |
| For in spite of old Brighten s cussin | I |
| She got the youngster to bed | A |
| And arter a week s good nussin | I |
| She won him back from the dead | A |
| - | |
| And then I began to hanker | E |
| For a speech to tell her the joy | V |
| I felt in my heart and to thank her | E |
| For givin me back my boy | V |
| The mornin I left old Brighten s | K |
| While puttin the horses to | A |
| I puzzled my brains to make up | W |
| A speech as I thought would do | A |
| - | |
| She lifted the youngster and kissed him | X |
| And helped him into the dray | B |
| An I thought of how I d a missed him | X |
| If he d only been taken away | B |
| An Mum I sez I oughter | B |
| An to finish the speech I tries | K |
| But all on a sudden the water | B |
| Kem bubblin up to my eyes | K |
| - | |
| An down ard like water courses | K |
| The tears began to tear | B |
| An I had to swear at the horses | K |
| To hide my weakness from her | B |
| But the tears was only human | I |
| An they seem d to ha done some good | A |
| For she pressed my hand like a woman | I |
| An said that she understood | A |
Henry Lawson
(1)
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About Brighten-s Sister-in-law [or The Carrier's Story]
Brighten-s Sister-in-law [or The Carrier's Story] is a poem by Henry Lawson. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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