[Editor: This poem by Louisa Lawson was published in “The Lonely Crossing” and Other Poems (1905).]
A Life’s Dream.
Dream I.
Just as the starving cattle come
To drink at fall of night,
They came to me with falt’ring steps,
And faces wan and white.
And they were there at dawn of day,
With streaming hair and eyes;
And piteous looks that seemed to say:
“Help! help! ere all good dies.”
I lifted up my bleeding feet
And let the red drops fall,
I raised the oaken yoke and showed
The big hot spots of gall.
I said: “I am myself a slave,
Bound by a man-made law.
I weep a fate that cannot save,
So plead with me no more.”
They cried, “Oh, sister! Hide your feet
And let the hard yoke fall,
You tread the wine press all alone,
But you are strong withal.
“Go to the rulers we have borne,
Plead for the babes we bear,
Sue till the dusk from early morn,
Pray till they needs MUST care.
“Go, while we watch, and weep, and wait,
Leave home, and love, and all,
But when you reach the outer gate
Call as the cattle call.”
* * * *
I yielded then, and sought alone
A city near the main;
Where prejudice, on iron throne,
Held universal reign.
And oft I gave the conflict o’er,
And fell, beset by pain
And cruel wrong and losses sore,
Then rose and fought again.
Until one fatal day I fell,
Methought to rise no more,
And years went by ere I was well,
And then not as before.
A cripple in life’s afternoon
Beside a dead, cold hearth.
With no glad joybell’s lingering croon,
Or hope’s bright aftermath.
I listened to the leaden rain
Drone through the dismal dusk;
And mourned my dreams of golden grain,
And mead of rue and rusk.
I said: “Oh, heart with sorrow sore,
What wait we, you and I?
The day is lost, and hope is o’er,
Why not ‘curse God and die?’”
Then hark! a quick step nears my door,
A woman’s form I see,
She comes across my humble floor
And looks with joy on me.
She gladly says: “I come to thee
On this thrice-blessed day
To tell thee, sister, we are free,
To kneel with thee and pray.”
I quickly sank upon my knees,
And looked the thanks I thought,
That He Who e’en a sparrow sees
Had watched us as we fought.
Then as I rose and dried my tears
It surely did meseem
That they had helped me with their prayers —
The women of my dream.
Dream II.
And now I see their forms again
All changed from those of yore,
Not like the slaves who sued in vain
For freedom, as before.
Ah, not in sackcloth sit they now
With ashes on each head,
For freedom’s crown adorns each brow —
Their dress is Royal Red.
Their yokes are carved to standards light
Held in each firm right hand,
And floating free are letters bright:
“For God and Native Land.”
And hopefully they speak and move,
And sing as on they go;
For they will save the land they love
From sin, and want, and woe.
Source:
Louisa Lawson, “The Lonely Crossing” and Other Poems, Sydney: Dawn Office, [1905], pp. 45-49
Editor’s notes:
e’en = (archaic) a contraction of “even”
ere = (archaic) before (from the Middle English “er”, itself from the Old English “aer”, meaning early or soon)
falt’ring = (vernacular) faltering
He = in a religious context, and capitalized, a reference to God
joybell = a church bell (also spelt: joy-bell)
main = the high sea, the open ocean
meseem = meseems (archaic) “it seems to me”
methought = (archaic) “I thought” (past tense of “methinks”)
morn = morning
o’er = (archaic) over (pronounced the same as “oar”, “or”, and “ore”)
oft = (archaic) often
rue = the common name of Ruta graveolens, a strong-smelling perennial plant (also known as common rue, or herb-of-grace), with bitter-tasting leaves used for medicine and as a herb in cooking (although, in large amounts, it can be poisonous)
sue = to entreat, to lobby, to plead, to petition, to request, to make an application for something (a benefit or favour)
thee = (archaic) you
wan = having a sickly or pale appearance; a poorly appearance suggestive of unhappiness or grief; a lack of energy or feeling (e.g. a smile or laugh, displaying little effort, energy, or enthusiasm); lacking good health or vitality (may also refer to something which is dim or faint, e.g. light, stars, sun)
yore = in the past, long ago (as used in the phrase “days of yore”)
[Editor: Added a quotation mark after “cattle call.”]
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