[Editor: This song by John Neilson (1844-1922) was published in The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.), 19 January 1887.]
The Harvest of the Flock.
Air “Babies on the Block.”
Ho! brothers join in a song, and this our song shall be;
Oh let it shout the chorus till it rings from sea to sea.
We’ll sing this strain on inlands plains where graze the sheep and ox,
Wher’er we meet together at the shearing of the flocks.
CHORUS—
Victoria, South Australia, West Australia, has begun;
On pearly shores that lengthen out, and front the setting sun;
From Queensland dales to New South Wales, and Riverina blocks,
With Maoriland, Tasman’s isle, all shearing at the flocks.
We’re sons of sires who sought this land, where hope and freedom smile,
From England’s dales to Scotia’s hills, and Erin’s Emerald Isle;
While Germania sent forth her men of old Teutonic stock,
Australians all now, side by side, we’re shearing at the flock.
Cheer for this land where smiling plenty’s golden horn outpours,
Since Cook first moored his sea-worn shins by Sydney’s Bay of Flowers;
Ere nations followed in his wake, earth’s treasures to unlock;
Wealth from the wine, fruit of the vine, and harvest of the flock.
We’ll pledge the brave flock-master’s health; Australia’s pioneers,
And those who shared their bread and salt, through many trying years;
They braved the desert’s arid breath and danger’s rudest shock,
Long may they live to gather in the harvest of the flock.
Advance, Australia, while we sing the harvest songs of peace,
With blushing grape, with yellow gold, with gathered sheaf and fleece.
Success to all thy toiling sons, whether in forest shades
They swing the axe, or hold the plough, or guide the shining blades.
Cheer for Britannia’s home and Queen, and Empire of renown,
With colonies grand, the fairest gems that grace Victoria’s crown,
Our loyal thoughts can span the seas, and oceans bridge across,
While here we sing, God save the Queen, beneath the starry cross.
J. NEILSON.
Source:
The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.), 19 January 1887, p. 6
Also published in:
The Capricornian (Rockhampton, Qld.), 22 January 1887, p. 5
Editor’s notes:
Cook = James Cook (1728-1779), an officer of the British Royal Navy, explorer, and discoverer of the eastern coast of Australia (1770); he was born in Marton-in-Cleveland (Yorkshire, England) in 1728, and was killed at Kealakekua Bay, in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), in 1779
See: 1) “Cook, James (1728–1779)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “James Cook”, Wikipedia
Empire = in the context of early Australia, the British Empire
ere = (archaic) before (from the Middle English “er”, itself from the Old English “aer”, meaning early or soon)
Erin’s Emerald Isle = Ireland (also known as the “Emerald Isle”)
Germania = Germany (especially used in an historical context or setting)
Maoriland = New Zealand, home of the Maori tribes
plenty’s golden horn = a cornucopia (a horn of plenty; a horn of abundance); a large horn-shaped container; in Greek and Roman mythology, a cornucopia was the horn of the goat Amalthea (who nurtured the infant Zeus), which was endlessly overflowing with fruit, grain, nuts, and flowers, or which provided whatever its owner desired; artistic depictions of cornucopias are used a symbol of abundance, fruitfulness, and nourishment; the word “cornucopia” derives from the Latin “cornū” (“horn”) and “cōpia” (“abundance” or “plenty”)
See: 1) “Cornucopia”, Wikipedia
2) “cornucopia (n.)”, Online Etymology Dictionary
3) “cornucopia”, Wiktionary
starry cross = the Southern Cross constellation
See: 1) Vicky Stein, “Southern Cross: Crux constellation, stars and mythology”, Space.com, 4 November 2022
2) “Crux”, Wikipedia
Sydney’s Bay of Flowers = Botany Bay (New South Wales)
Tasman’s isle = Tasmania (a colony in Australia from 1825, then a state in 1901; named Van Diemen’s Land until 1856, when self-government was granted); named after Abel Tasman
thy = (archaic) your
wher’er = (vernacular) an archaic contraction of “wherever” (also spelt “where’er”)
[Editor: Changed “Maoril and” to “Maoriland”; “Teutonic flock.” to “Teutonic stock,”; “Brittania’s home” to “Britannia’s home”; “T. NEILSON” to “J. NEILSON”. Separated the twelve lines after “CHORUS” into three stanzas of four lines each, in line with the rest of the poem, and as per the layout of the poem in The Capricornian of 22 January 1887.]
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