• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Institute of Australian Culture

Heritage, history, and heroes; literature, legends, and larrikins

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Biographies
  • Books
  • Ephemera
  • Poetry & songs
    • Recommended poetry
    • Poetry and songs, 1786-1900
    • Poetry and songs, 1901-1954
    • Rock music and pop music [videos]
    • Early music [videos]
  • Slang
  • Timeline
    • Timeline of Australian history and culture
    • Calendar of Australian history and culture
    • Significant events and commemorative dates
  • Topics

Cloud Conjuring [poem by Menie Parkes]

12 January 2014 · Leave a Comment

[Editor: This poem by Menie Parkes was published in Poems (1867).]

Cloud Conjuring.

The sun had lit his dying flame,
More Phoenix-like to pass away;
Triumphant o’er his bier had swept
Fair Luna’s lovelier sway.
One cloud, on which the sun had thrown
Its last deep golden glare,
Hung ’neath the moon that gentler shone,
Softening the twilight air.

With thought in heavy loveliness
Upon their foreheads fair,
And light with in their truthful eyes,
Dark-deep and radiant-rare,
The mighty bards whom ages bless
Sat solemn — silent there;
High-throned upon the rosy cloud,
Amid the stilly air.
One held the silver pen of thought,
And one the wingéd barb,
A third the golden crown aloft,
A fourth the purple garb.
I knelt before them tremblingly,
And pressed my beating brow;
I chased my quivering fears away —
Decision, help me now!

“Oh, give, ye mighty men!” I cried,
“Give to my care yon steed;
And give me yonder purple robe
To hide me if I bleed;
For, though the world may wound my soul,
The fiery flame must burn,
And I must trace on Time’s fair scroll
Thoughts for the world to learn:
And give me yonder golden crown —
’Twill stamp me of your race,
And men, who else might sneer and frown,
Will bow before my face:
And give to me that small, frail pen;
I vow its stroke shall make
The world in transport hold its breath,
And with dumb wonder shake!”

I paused: and heavy fell the sound —
“Go! get thee back to earth again!
Content thee, boy, amid thy kind;
’Tis calm upon the plain.
If thou wouldst reach the mountain-top,
And ride upon the cloud,
Lonely thy soul must tread the track,
To reach that station proud:
And thou must meet the thunders’ roar,
And face the lightnings’ glare,
And stand amidst the mighty winds
That dash thy forehead bare.
Go back, go back: bethink thee: go:
Content thee in the world below.”

“I will not go,” I cried aloud,
“Unless ye thrust me from your throne;
I will not mix in yonder crowd,
Amid its din to be more lone.
I’ll tread the mountain-path in glee,
With murmuring thoughts that wait on me;
I’ll ride the cloud, the thunders’ face,
And meet the lightnings with a glance;
And cool me in the winds’ embrace,
As stormily around they dance;
Dark thunder-cloud and lightning-glare,
And rampant winds that shriek and moan,
Shall teach me lessons grand and rare,
Which they can teach, and they alone.
I will not go. I claim my right.
Arm me, oh, arm me for the fight!”

Low came the answer, stern and low,
“As thou hast chosen, rash youth, go!
We may not give the crown and robe —
They are the victor’s meet reward! —
We freely give the steed to thee,
And silver pen, and kindly word.
But, list thee, boy! if e’er that steed
Be ridden for unholy aim,
Come not to claim the victor’s meed!
Dare not to ask the poet’s fame!
If e’er that silver pen is stained
With falsehood and with malice mean,
Go, hide thee, boy, beneath the earth;
Let men forget that thou hast been.
Men may, deceived, admire gilt dross —
Not so shall we who see the truth!
If thou shouldst fail thy high resolves,
Go, hide and die in fear and ruth.”

I sprang upon the noble steed,
The golden reigns I caught;
I snatched the little silver pen —
’Twas new-tipped with a thought.
“I vow,” I cried, “ye ancient bards!
I’ll bring this proud steed back
Fresher and nobler for his race
Upon my life’s high track.
I’ll give you back this gleaming pen,
Twice brightened o’er with truth,
When I, ere many years have flown,
Shall claim immortal youth.
I’ll grasp the robe and golden crown,
And — stay me, if you dare! —
I’ll seat me midst your glorious throng,
And not the lowliest there.”

“Go forth to conquer!” said the bards.
“To victory sure!” I cried;
And turned in flight, when sank the cloud
Amid the heaving tide.
I lay alone, enswathed in gloom,
Under the wild gum-trees;
Above me shone the beckoning stars,
Played round me the salt breeze.
Was this a dream? Oh, Fancy, kind,
Awhile to earth mine eyes to blind,
And bring me dreams like these.



Source:
Menie Parkes, Poems, F. Cunninghame, Sydney, [1867], pages 75-78

Editor’s notes:
bier = a stand upon which a coffin is placed prior to burial

gilt = a thin layer or covering of gold, or of something that looks like gold, or has the colour of gold; the practice of covering items of little worth with gold or gilt, or having the color of gold, meant that “gilt” was also used in a negative context regarding a deceptively attractive or showy appearance that concealed something of little worth

list = (archaic) listen

Luna = the Moon; in Roman Mythology, Luna was the goddess of the moon, although Luna could also refer to an aspect of Diana and Juno, who were regarded as goddesses of the Moon

meed = a fitting recompense

meet = (archaic) suitable, fit, or proper; also, something having the proper dimensions, or being made to fit; can also mean mild or gentle
See: James A. H. Murray (editor), A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles: Founded Mainly on the Materials Collected by the Philological Society, volume 6, part 2, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908, p. 304

transport = enraptured or full of joy, emotionally carried away (also, to carry or move something from one place to another, or a vehicle used for transport)

[Editor: Corrected “Sate solemn” to “Sat solemn”; “thunders face” to “thunders’ face”.]

Filed Under: poetry Tagged With: Menie Parkes (1839-1915) (author), poem, Poems (Menie Parkes 1867), SourceSLV, year1867

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Australian flag, Kangaroo, Wattle, 100hThe Institute of Australian Culture
Heritage, history, and heroes. Literature, legends, and larrikins. Stories, songs, and sages.

Search this site

Featured books

The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses, by Banjo Paterson A Book for Kids, by C. J. Dennis  The Bulletin Reciter: A Collection of Verses for Recitation from The Bulletin The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke, by C. J. Dennis The Complete Inner History of the Kelly Gang and Their Pursuers, by J. J. Kenneally The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen The Australian Crisis, by C. H. Kirmess Such Is Life, by Joseph Furphy
More books (full text)

Featured lists

Timeline of Australian history and culture
A list of significant Australiana
Significant events and commemorative dates
Australian slang
Books (full text)
Australian literature
Rock music and pop music (videos)
Folk music and bush music (videos)
Early music (videos)
Recommended poetry
Poetry and songs, 1786-1900
Poetry and songs, 1901-1954
Australian explorers
Topics
Links

Featured posts

Advance Australia Fair: How the song became the Australian national anthem
Brian Cadd [music videos and biography]
Ned Kelly: Australian bushranger
Under the Southern Cross I Stand [the Australian cricket team’s victory song]

Some Australian authors

E. J. Brady
John Le Gay Brereton
C. J. Dennis
Mary Hannay Foott
Joseph Furphy
Mary Gilmore
Charles Harpur
Grant Hervey
Lucy Everett Homfray
Rex Ingamells
Henry Kendall
“Kookaburra”
Henry Lawson
Jack Moses
“Dryblower” Murphy
John Shaw Neilson
John O’Brien (Patrick Joseph Hartigan)
“Banjo” Paterson
Marie E. J. Pitt
A. G. Stephens
P. R. Stephensen
Agnes L. Storrie (Agnes L. Kettlewell)

Recent Posts

  • Danger-signals from Australia [2 January 1942]
  • Australian Commonwealth: Kangaroo issues [1964]
  • Phil Ately [re the Kangaroo and Map stamps, 29 April 1931]
  • Concerning a stamp [17 July 1913]
  • [From Greek literature to the new Australian postage stamp] [23 April 1913]

Top Posts & Pages

  • Poetry and songs, 1786-1900
  • The Man from Snowy River [poem by Banjo Paterson]
  • Rommel’s comments on Australian soldiers [1941-1942]
  • Australian slang
  • Clancy of The Overflow [poem by Banjo Paterson]

Archives

Categories

Posts of note

The Bastard from the Bush [poem, circa 1900]
A Book for Kids [by C. J. Dennis, 1921]
Click Go the Shears [traditional Australian song, 1890s]
Core of My Heart [“My Country”, poem by Dorothea Mackellar, 24 October 1908]
Freedom on the Wallaby [poem by Henry Lawson, 16 May 1891]
The Man from Ironbark [poem by Banjo Paterson]
Nationality [poem by Mary Gilmore, 12 May 1942]
The Newcastle song [music video, sung by Bob Hudson]
No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest [poem by Mary Gilmore, 29 June 1940]
Our pipes [short story by Henry Lawson]
Rommel’s comments on Australian soldiers [1941-1942]
Shooting the moon [short story by Henry Lawson]

Recent Comments

  • rob buntine on No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest [poem by Mary Gilmore, 29 June 1940]
  • Carol on Poetry and songs, 1786-1900
  • Annie Crestani on Under the Southern Cross I Stand [the Australian cricket team’s victory song]
  • Peter Pearsall on The Clarence [poem by Jack Moses]
  • Trevor Hurst on Timeline of Australian history and culture

For Australia

Copyright © 2023 · Log in