Saturday 19 October 2013

A Sunburnt Country...

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes.
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins,
Strong love of grey-blue distance
Brown streams and soft dim skies
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

A stark white ring-barked forest
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes,
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart, around us,
We see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold -
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand -
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Dorothea Mackella

My peep loves this Dorothea Mackella poem, she said she hasn't ever heard better words to describe Australia.

We are experiencing quite a bit of Australia's terror at the moment... We sure wish we could hear the drumming of an army, of steady, soaking rain...

14 comments:

  1. We love that poem, too.

    We've been getting the smoke from (we think) the Lithgow and Blue Mt fires. They're the closest. Can't believe all that destruction. Sounds like they're gearing up for more later this week.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Our Mom grew up all over Australia and knows all to well the horrors of bushfires having even been caught in the middle of one herself.......we have our paws crossed for everyone

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dougall we saw on our news and we are praying for rain for you all. Stay safe pal and we are thinking of you.
    Best wishes Molly

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dougie and family, we saw the fires on the news and we hope you are all save and the rains come soon . Smouchie kisses, DC Jazzi

    ReplyDelete
  5. Meant we hope you are all safe. Stay safe!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dougall it was our the news here in the U.S.A. about the Dry and Windy conditions that are fueling the horrible fires that your homeland is suffering. They said that there may be some Cooler temperatures this weekend and that it would HELP a bit. We PRAY that it DOES and that some RAIN will fall also.
    THAT is a gorgeous poem. THANK you for sharing it with us.
    Our prayers are with everyone in New South Wales.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Howdy Mates, we love that poem too. It certainly describes our beautiful country so well. Mum never tires of our scenery. We will keep our paws crossed for a steady soaking rain! Take care. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear friends,

    We will pray for rain and the fires to stop.
    Here in Seattle we have enough rain we will send it your way.
    Be safe .

    xo Cinnamon

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, what a beautiful poem!!! I'm so sorry abouts the weather overs there...I will do my bestest rain dance for you guys!!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful, we will be doing a rain dance for you. We have been watching it on the news. Our heart goes out to all. Stay safe guys xxooxxx

    Mollie and Alfie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well said, Dorothea...We like it too!

    ReplyDelete