[Editor: This poem, by Barcroft Boake, was published in Australia (Sydney, NSW), 11 July 1907. Under the heading “Verses by Barcroft Boake” were printed three (supposedly) previously-unpublished poems written by Barcroft Boake: 1) The Minstrel’s Curse, 2) A Bush School-Girl, and 3) “The Day When a Fellow Gets a Job”. However, the last poem had, in fact, been previously published in The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW), 3 December 1892, under the title of “Our Visitor”.]
Verses by Barcroft Boake
[The following verses by the lamented Barcroft Boake appear now, it is believed, for the first time in print. They were written while he was an assistant-survevor near Wagga, N.S.W., and though juvenile in type and lacking the merit of his later work, they are worth preserving for the sake of the personal interest that attaches to everything penned by the man who more strongly than any other has poetically embodied the characteristic spirit of Australia.]
A Bush School-Girl.
A school report — and yet it speaks;
While he who so inclines,
May find its story if he seeks
To read its simple signs;
I shape the story of those weeks
Here in the faltering lines.
What do I see? A forehead fair
Puckered into a frown:
Thoughtfully, neath the silky hair,
Shaded ’twixt gold and brown,
Pondering, half uncertain where
To place a verb or noun.
A little hand, slight, soft, blue-veined,
Raised as she stays to think;
Its slenderest forefinger stained
Perhaps by a drop of ink;
While girlish faculties are strained,
Seeking some missing link.
A six months’ record, very dear
To those who watch her tread
The path to womanhood, and hear
Her praises loudly said.
— Ah me! my school report, I fear,
Was looked upon with dread.
A lengthy list of kindness done,
Of gentleness with those
Who mingle in her girlish fun;
Alike her friends and foes
Acknowledge that her tasks begun
Are carried to a close.
A school report — nay more; it seems
A milestone on that way
Which must be trod by one who deems
Life something more than play,
Who seeks the noble prize that gleams
Bright in the far-away.
Youth, courage, wit — within her hand
Lie the three magic keys;
Armed thus, I trow a maid might stand,
Challenging fame; with these
Making a name within our land,
Perchance beyond the seas.
Such things have been; woman has wrung
Her meed of praise, and hears
In answer to a word or song
The people’s frantic cheers;
She stirs the passions of the throng,
Their laughter or their tears.
Our land is young, and all too few
The names upon its scroll;
A space is void — fair maiden! you
Perchance may reach the goal,
To leave a fadeless signet too
Upon its glorious roll.
Work! for it is the soul’s best balm,
The antidote to care;
Read! and let learning add its charm
To those already there,
The tender outline of an arm,
The shimmer of bright hair.
But lo! the night glides silently,
The guttering candle wanes;
And craving your indulgency,
I now inscribe these strains
To one I very seldom see —
To wit, “a girl with brains.”
Source:
Australia (Sydney, NSW), 11 July 1907, p. 26
Also published in:
Barcroft Boake, Where the Dead Men Lie and Other Poems (2nd edition), London (England): Angus & Robertson, 1913, pp. 219-220 [this poem was not included in the 1st edition]
Education Gazette and Teachers’ Aid (Melbourne, Vic.), 22 January 1914, p. 12, column 1
Editor’s notes:
The introduction (“Verses by Barcroft Boake”) to the three poems by Barcroft Boake was positioned above the poem “The Minstrel’s Curse”, but has been included here so as to provide some context for the poem.
meed = (archaic) a fitting recompense; an appropriate amount of praise, honour, or reward; a payment or reward given for work done or services rendered
nay = an archaic form of “no”; however, it is still sometimes used regarding voting (e.g. to vote yea or nay), in formal circumstances, in some dialects (e.g. in the north of England), and as a substitute for “no” when some emphasis is desired
neath = (vernacular) beneath
trow = (archaic) think; believe, suppose
’twixt = (vernacular) a contraction of “betwixt” (i.e. between) (can be spelt with or without an apostrophe: ’twixt, twixt)
wane = decrease gradually in intensity, number, size, strength, or volume (e.g. “the moonlight waxed and waned”); to lose power or significance (e.g. “on the wane”); to come to a close, approach the end
[Editor: Changed “A Bush School=Girl” to “A Bush School-Girl”.]
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