Ye Wearie Wayfarer Hys Ballad. Fytte I. By Wood and Wold
Ye Wearie Wayfarer Hys Ballad. Fytte I. By Wood and Wold
[A Preamble]
Original Text
Poems, ed. Robert A. Thompson (London and Melbourne: A. H. Massina, 1920). Sydney Electronic Text and Image Service (SETIS), digital text sponsored by AustLit: http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/ozlit
1Lightly the breath of the spring wind blows,
2 Though laden with faint perfume,
3'Tis the fragrance rare that the bushman knows,
5Two-thirds of our journey at least are done,
6 Old horse! let us take a spell
7In the shade from the glare of the noon-day sun,
8 Thus far we have travell'd well;
9Your bridle I'll slip, your saddle ungirth,
10 And lay them beside this log,
11For you'll roll in that track of reddish earth,
13Upon yonder rise there's a clump of trees --
14 Their shadows look cool and broad --
15You can crop the grass as fast as you please,
18 O'er the weary head, to lie
19On the mossy carpet of emerald green,
20 'Neath the vault of the azure sky;
21Thus all alone by the wood and wold,
22 I yield myself once again
23To the memories old that, like tales fresh told,
24 Come flitting across the brain.
Notes
4] wattle: the common name for Acacia, a group of flowering plants common in Australia, especially in arid or semi-arid areas. Back to Line
12] water-dog: "A dog bred for or trained to the water; esp. one trained to retrieve waterfowl" (OED). Back to Line
16] sward: an expanse of short grass. Back to Line
17] ween: think or suppose. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1867
Publication Notes
Sea Spray and Smoke Drift (1867)
RPO poem Editors
Cameron La Follette
RPO Edition
2012
Rhyme
Form