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 IBIBEBEB 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 | B |
| 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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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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