Joseph Furphy Thought Poems
- 1. The Gumsucker's Dirge
Sing the evil days we see, and the worse that are to be,
In such doggerel as dejection will allow,
We are pilgrims, sorrow-led, with no Beulah on ahead,
No elysian Up the Country for us now.
... - 2. The Schoolhouse On The Plain
(From 'An Idyll of the Wimmera.')
On the geodetic line, where the parish boundaries join
At a level and interminable lane
... - 3. A Psalm Of Councel
Though some good folks may take it ill,
As trifling with parsonic frill,
Thus saith the Lord to Jim and Bill,
In admonition stern and straight:â??
... - 4. Are You The Cove?
â??Are you the Cove?â? he spoke the words
As swagmen only can;
The Squatter freezingly inquired,
â??What do you mean, my man?â?
... - 5. Breaking The News
Johnny's drowned â?? here's his clo'es
Where he's got to, we dunno;
Sure enough, he never rose;
So we thought we'd let you know.
... - 6. Brahm
A spectral film that came and went,
In its elusive way gave vent
In some unreal words which meant;
'I think therefore I am.'
... - 7. Glory To God; To Men Good Will!
Opposed to Jewish Temple-rites,
Strange to the lore of Greece,
That message comes from starry heights,
A key to lasting Peace.
... - 8. What The Heart Of The Poet Said To The 'bulletin'
Tell me not in future numbers
That our thought becomes inane,
That our metre halts and lumbers,
When the Wattle blooms again.
...