[Editor: A poem by George Essex Evans, in honour of the poet Brunton Stephens, who died on 29 June 1902. Published in The Brisbane Courier, 1 July 1902.]
Brunton Stephens.
The gentle heart that hated wrong,
The courage that all ills withstood,
The seeing eye, the mighty song
That stirred us into Nationhood,
Have passed. What garlands can be spread?
The Prince of Courtesy is dead.
The power that touched all human chords
With wit that lightened thro’ the years,
Without a sting, whose tender words
Unsealed the fountain of our tears —
Ah! bow the heart and bend the head —
The Prince of Courtesy is dead.
Great Singer of the South, who set
Thy face to Duty as a star,
Though, in hushed skies of violet,
Thy throne of kingship gleamed afar,
Shall not the toil of common days
Add nobler lustre to thy bays ?
O Mighty Voice, whose words shall stand —
When all our songs have ceased to be —
Steadfast, the watchwords of our land?
The guide and torch of Liberty!
The Master-Poet called afar,
And thou at last hast found thy star.
Geo. Essex Evans.
30th June, 1902.
Source:
The Brisbane Courier (Brisbane, Qld.), 1 July 1902, p. 5
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