[Editor: This poem by Barcroft Boake was published in Where the Dead Men Lie and Other Poems (1897).]
A Vision Out West
Far-reaching downs, a solid sea sunk everlastingly to rest,
And yet whose billows seem to be for ever heaving toward the west
The tiny field-mice make their nests, the summer insects buzz and hum
Among the hollows and the crests of this wide ocean stricken dumb,
Whose rollers move for ever on, though sullenly, with fettered wills,
To break in voiceless wrath upon the crumbled bases of far hills,
Where rugged outposts meet the shock, stand fast, and hurl them back again,
An avalanche of earth and rock, in tumbled fragments on the plain;
But, never heeding the rebuff, to right and left they kiss the feet
Of hanging cliff and bouldered bluff till on the farther side they meet,
And once again resume their march to where the afternoon sun dips
Toward the west, and Heaven’s arch salutes the Earth with ruddy lips.
Such is the scene that greets the eye: wide sweep of plain to left and right:
In front low hills that seem to lie wrapped in a veil of yellow light —
Low peaks that through the summer haze frown from their fancied altitude,
As some small potentate might gaze upon a ragged multitude.
Thus does the battlemented pile of high-built crags, all weather-scarred,
Where grass land stretches mile on mile, keep scornful solitary guard;
Where the sweet spell is not yet broke, while from her wind-swept, sun-kissed dream
Man’s cruel touch has not yet woke this Land where silence reigns supreme:
Not the grim silence of a cave, some vaulted stalactited room,
Where feeble candle-shadows wave fantastically through the gloom —
But restful silence, calm repose: the spirit of these sky-bound plains
Tempers the restless blood that flows too fiery through the swelling veins;
Breathes a faint message in the ear, bringing the weary traveller peace;
Whispers, ‘Take heart and never fear, for soon the pilgrimage will cease!
Beat not thy wings against the cage! Seek not to burst the padlocked door
That leads to depths thou canst not gauge! Life is all thine: why seek for more?
Read in the slow sun’s drooping disc an answer to the thoughts that vex:
Ponder it well, and never risk the substance for its dim reflex.’
Such is the silent sermon told to those who care to read this page
Where once a mighty ocean rolled in some dim, long-forgotten age.
Here, where the Mitchell grass waves green, the never-weary ebb and flow
Of glassy surges once was seen a thousand thousand years ago:
To such a sum those dead years mount that Time has grown too weary for
The keeping of an endless count, and long ago forgot their score.
But now — when, hustled by the wind, fast-flying, fleecy cloud-banks drift
Across the sky where, silver-skinned, the pale moon shines whene’er they lift,
And throws broad patches in strange shapes of light and shade, that seem to meet
In dusky coastline where sharp capes jut far into a winding-sheet
Of ghostly, glimmering, silver rays that struggle ’neath an inky ledge
Of driving cloud, and fill deep bays rent in the shadow’s ragged edge —
Sprung from the gloomy depths of Time, faint shapes patrol the spectral sea,
Primeval phantom-forms that climb the lifeless billows silently,
Trailing along their slimy length in thirst for one another’s blood,
Writhing in ponderous trials of strength, as once they did before the flood.
A misty barge repels the froth which hides her with a sparkling veil:
High-curled the sharpened beak doth stand, slicing the waters in the lead;
The low hull follows, thickly manned by dim, dead men of Asian breed:
Swift is her passage, short the view the wan moon’s restless rays reveal
Of dusky, fierce-eyed warrior crew, of fluttering cloth and flashing steel;
Of forms that mouldered ages past, ere from recesses of the sea,
With earthquake throes this land was cast in Nature’s writhing agony.
As the warm airs of Spring-time chase reluctant snows from off the range,
And plant fresh verdure in their place, so the dim-visioned shadows change;
And glimpses of what yet shall be bid the past fly beyond all ken,
While rising from futurity appear vast colonies of men
Who from the sea-coast hills have brought far-quarried spoils to build proud homes
Of high-piled palaces, all wrought in sloping roofs and arching domes,
Smooth-pillared hall, or cool arcade, and slenderest sky-piercing spire,
Where the late-sinking moon has laid her tender tints of mellow fire,
And golden paves the spacious ways where, o’er the smoothen granite flags,
The lightning-driven car conveys its freight with force that never lags.
A goodly city! where no stain of engine-smoke or factory grime
Blemishes walls that will retain their pristine pureness for all time:
Lying as one might take a gem and set it in some strange device
Of precious metal, and might hem it round with stones of lesser price —
So from encircling fields doth spring this city where, in emerald sheen,
Man hath taught Nature how to bring a mantle of perennial green —
Hewing canals whose banks are fringed by willows bending deeply down
To waters flowing yellow-tinged beneath the moon toward the town —
Filling from mighty reservoirs, sunk in the hollows of the plain,
That flood the fields without a pause though Summer should withhold her rain.
Labour is but an empty name to those who dwell within this land,
For they have boldly learnt to tame the lightning’s flash with iron hand:
That Force, the dartings from whose eyes not even gods might brave and live,
The blasting essence of the skies, proud Jupiter’s prerogative —
His flashing pinions closely clipt, pent in a cunning-fashioned cage,
Of all his flaming glory stript — these men direct his tempered rage:
A bondman, at their idlest breath with silent energy he speeds,
From dawn of life to hour of death, to execute their slightest needs.
* * * * * *
Slow to her couch the moon doth creep, but, going, melts in sparkling tears
Of dew, because we may not keep this vision of the future years:
Swiftly, before the sunrise gleam, I watch it melting in the morn —
The snowy city of my dream, the home of nations yet unborn!
Source:
Barcroft Boake, Where the Dead Men Lie and Other Poems, Sydney (NSW): Angus and Robertson, 1897, pp. 19-25
Relevant notes from the “Notes to poems” section in this book:
5. A VISION OUT WEST, p. 19. — Now first published. The title in MS. is ‘Westward the course of empire rolls.’
Verse 9. ‘Mitchell grass.’ Vernacular for astrebla elymoides and other species of astrebla — a perennial grass common to interior eastern Australia. The seeds are carried in ears like small wheat ears, and were formerly used for food by the aborigines. ‘Mitchell’ is owed to Mitchell the explorer (1792-1855.)
Editor’s notes:
According to the notes at the end of the book, this was the first time that this poem was published.
bluff = a high cliff or bank with a steep broad face, especially situated by the sea or a river
bondman = a man who is bound in servitude (can also refer to a boy), a bondservant; a feudal serf; an unfree tenant
canst = (archaic) can (second person singular present of “can”)
car = an abbreviation of “carriage”
clipt = (archaic) clipped
cloth = (in the context of ships and the sea) sails
crag = a steep and rugged rocky structure (cliff, rock face, or section of a mountain) which rises above or sticks out from other structures in the surrounding area
doth = (archaic) does
ere = (archaic) before (from the Middle English “er”, itself from the Old English “aer”, meaning early or soon)
flag = flagstone [see: flagstone]
flagstone = a flat piece of stone (usually square) used as a paving stone (to cover a pathway or an area of ground); any rock (especially sandstone or shale), which is suitable for splitting into layers or slabs for use as flagstones
the flood = the great flood referred to in the Bible (in the Book of Genesis, Noah was warned by God of a coming almighty flood, and he therefore gathered animals and his family into a huge ark so as to survive the great calamity)
futurity = the future, at a future time; future generations, posterity; the quality or state of being in the future; a future condition, event, or prospect
hath = (archaic) has
Jupiter = in Roman mythology, Jupiter was king of the gods, as well as being the god of sky and thunder
See: “Jupiter (god)”, Wikipedia
ken = (Scottish) know; knowledge, perception, understanding (also spelt: kain, keen, kenn, kin, kjen)
See: 1) “KEN, v., n.”, Dictionaries of the Scots Language
2) “ken”, Wiktionary
3) “ken”, Collins
Mitchell grass = any of several types of Australian grass belonging to the genus Astrebla
See: Astrebla, Wikipedia
morn = morning
’neath = (vernacular) beneath
o’er = (archaic) over (pronounced the same as “oar”, “or”, and “ore”)
pave = (archaic) pavement
pinion = a person’s arms (an allegorical or symbolical reference derived from bird’s wings); to secure or tie a person’s arms; a bird’s wing (usually used in the plural form: pinions)
potentate = a ruler with great authority and power (such as a dictator, monarch, or sovereign)
rent = split, tear apart, cleave; past tense of “rend” (to tear or break in a violent manner)
roller = a long heavy ocean wave that breaks on the shoreline; a rolling wave of the ocean
spectral = of or relating to spectres; ghostly [see: spectre]
spectre = ghost, phantom; disembodied spirit; the possibility or likelihood of something unpleasant or dangerous that is expected, predicted, or feared to occur in the future (e.g. the spectre of war) (also spelt: specter)
steel = a reference to bladed weaponry, especially swords
stript = (archaic) stripped
tempered = adjusted, modified, moderated, or balanced (regarding quality or strength) by other considerations, influences, ingredients, or qualities; expanded or strengthened, or contracted or reduced, from the original or pure state
thine = (archaic) yours (“thine”, meaning “yours”, is the more common usage); your (“thine”, meaning “your”, is usually placed before a word which begins with a vowel or a vowel sound, e.g. “To thine own self be true”)
thou = (archaic) you (regarding a person as the subject in a sentence)
thy = (archaic) your
verdure = the lush greenness of flourishing and healthy vegetation
vex = annoy, irritate; afflict, plague, torment, worry
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)
whene’er = (vernacular) an archaic contraction of “whenever”
winding-sheet = a cloth covering for a dead body, which is wrapped or wound around the body prior to burial (also known as a winding-shroud)
Leave a Reply