[Editor: This poem by Norman L. Beurle was published in The Australasian (Melbourne), 11 August 1900.]
Prayer to the West.
Breeze of the Western World.
Soft, like a dream-wind, blow;
Caress the swelling sails unfurled;
My love with thee doth go.
Waves of the Western Sea,
Be gentle in your might,
And bear her onward dreamily,
In calm and peaceful flight.
Clouds of the Western Sky,
Let the warm sun look through
And bless her as she journeys by
To scenes and faces new.
Sands of the Western Shore,
Be soft to her dear feet;
Ye breakers, cease to loudly roar,
And give her greeting sweet.
Hearts of the Golden West,
My love to you doth go,
Far from her happy, homely nest,
Whose musk and woodbine blow.
But when upon you shine
Her eyes of hazel hue,
Oh, heed ye then these words of mine
And give her welcome true!
NORMAN L. BEURLE.
Kenmare, July 19.
Source:
The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic.), 11 August 1900, p. 311
Editor’s notes:
musk = Mimulus moschatus, a plant cultivated for its pleasant musky smell, popular in the 19th century, although the original fragrance of the plant disappeared in the early 29th century, thought to be due to a problem with cultivation techniques (although the same problem was found with specimens in the wild); any plant with a musky smell (may also refer to a substance secreted by the male musk deer, which is used in the manufacture of perfumes)
See: “The lost fragrance of Musk”, Nature (London), 14 July 1934, pp. 54-55
woodbine = the common honeysuckle plant (may also refer to the Virginia creeper, a North American climbing vine)
Old words/spelling in the original text:
doth (does)
thee (you)
ye (you)
The Institute of Australian Culture
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