[Editor: This poem by “R.G.S.” — a pseudonym of John Neilson (1844-1922) — was published in The Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA), 10 July 1878.]
The Bellbird.
When the woods are steeped in the sleepy mist,
In the drowsy heat of the afternoon,
And the sunlight streams through the tall tree tops
Like silver threads on a golden loom,
What sound is this so sweet and clear
That falls on the dreamy list’ner’s ear?
It sounds like the chime of a distant bell,
Now far away, now swelling nigher:
Now loud and clear, now soft and low,
And sweet as the notes of an Æolian lyre.
’Tis the bellbird’s note so sweet and clear
That falls on the dreamy list’ner’s ear.
When the westward woods are all aglow,
And the sun gives place to the full-orbed moon,
Then the bellbird sings from the leafy screen
Where her nest is built ’mid the purple bloom;
Waking the echoes of the woodlands lone
Sweet with her beautiful monotone.
Oh! happy bird, like thee I’d make
My home in the forest’s sombre gloom,
Where the breezes are rich with the breath of the flowers
That fill the air with their sweet perfume;
And the bellbird’s song would my music be
As it thrilled the woods with its melody.
R. G. S., Penola.
Source:
The Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA), 10 July 1878, p. 4
Editor’s notes:
“R.G.S.” of Penola (SA) was a pseudonym of John Neilson (senior); see the brief biography regarding John Neilson for more information.
Æolian = (also spelt: Aeolian) of or relating to the wind; especially a moaning or sighing sound or musical tone produced by, or as if by, the wind (derived from Aeolus, god of the winds, in Greek mythology)
full-orbed = fully round, completely round (such as a full moon); a completed circle
list’ner = (vernacular) listener
’mid = an abbreviation of “amid” or “amidst”: of or in the middle of an area, group, position, etc.
nigher = closer, nearer
thee = (archaic) you
’tis = (archaic) a contraction of “it is”
[Editor: Changed “That fall on” to “That falls on”.]
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