(no subject)

[boodie]

I LOVE this poem

Said Hanrahan
By John O'Brien


"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan
In accents most forlorn
Outside the church, ere Mass began
One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about,
Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock and crops,
And drought,
As it had done for years.




"It's looking crook," said Daniel Croke;
"Bedad, it's cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad."

"It's dry, all right" said young O'Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran
"It’s keepin' dry, no doubt."
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

"The crops are done; ye'll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o-Bourke
They're singin' out for rain.

"They're singin out for rain," he said,
"And all the tanks are dry."
The congregation scrached its head,
And gazed around the sky.

"There won't be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There's not a blade
On Casey's place
As I came down to Mass"

"If rain don't come this month," said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If rain don't come this week."

A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed a piece of bark.

"We want an inch of rain, we do,"
O'Neil observed at last;
But Croke "maintained" we wanted two
To put the danger past.

If we don't get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

In God's good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still,
And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill
Kept talking to themselves.

It pelted, pelted all day long,
A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song
Way out to Back-o-Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran,
And dams filled over top;
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If this rain doesn't stop."

And stop it did, in gods good time;
And spring came in to fold
A mantle o'er the hills sublime
Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet,
With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat
Nid-nodding o'er the fence.

And oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee deep on Casey’s place
Went riding down to mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel
Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.

"There'll be bushfires, for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

Comments

[seyruuenfennec.livejournal.com]

agreed great poem, I wonder whatelse the author has written.

-Seyru

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

oodles apparantly, he's avery well knows australian poet.

[jeshyr]

My Papa, when he was younger, was quite famous for his recitations of Hanrahan. He also recited other stuff, from Australian Bush Poetry like this to Shakespere, but Hanrahan was his Show Piece and I loved listening to him recite it.


Hugs,

Ricky&

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

Mmm, I had an english teacher who did this amazing recitation of it, and the Man from Snowy and Clancy, and all of them..