[Editor: This poem by Louisa Lawson was published in “The Lonely Crossing” and Other Poems (1905).]
The Squatter’s Wife.
Some years ago a squatter, while on a visit to the city, married a beautiful and gifted girl, who accompanied him to his home in the bush, to find, on arriving there, that the homestead consisted of two bark huts — one for herself, and the other for her husband’s black mistress and family.
Lonely hut on barren creek,
Where the rotting sheep-yards reek,
Far away from kith and kin,
None save thee and native gin
Many a weary mile within —
Alice Gertler.
On the creaking blue-gum tree
Moans the bronze-wing drearily,
And anon the curlew’s cry
Sharp and shrill goes wailing by
Like a weird Litany —
Alice Gertler.
Waterless the wide lagoon
Crazes ’neath a blood-red moon,
And the “hard times” hated cry
Stifles in a stagnant sky,
While the starving cattle die —
Alice Gertler.
Uncongenial sights for thee,
Gruesome sounds of death and dree;
Filling all the nights with fear,
Making dreary days more drear
All the uneventful year —
Alice Gertler.
None to hearken. And despair
Gives to thee a listless air.
Dear, how long the stretch of pain
Ere will turn a woman’s brain,
And her sad tears cease to rain?
Alice Gertler.
Bound to one who loves thee not,
Drunken offspring of a sot;
Even now at wayside inn
Riots he in drink and sin,
Mating with an half-caste gin —
Alice Gertler.
When I think what thou hast borne
Painfully my breast is torn.
Meant I but to pity thee
But love came, unsought, to me,
And I’m sad with loving thee
Alice Gertler.
Still I may not tell thee so.
Thou would’st scorn me well, I know.
With thy fair cheek all aflame
Thou would’st talk of sin and shame,
And me with dishonour blame —
Alice Gertler.
Yes, I met thee all too late,
Thou hadst sealed thy fearful fate.
Better long ago had died
One so full of virtuous pride,
Than unto a fiend allied
Alice Gertler.
Careth aught the world for thee,
Or thy life-long misery?
Thou art gifted, good, and fair,
But neglected; hence a snare
Would entrap thee everywhere,
Alice Gertler.
Go to those good men again,
They who bound with ring and pen,
Say he’s ta’en thy peace away,
Wronged and used thee cruelly.
Will they touch thy burden? Nay
Alice Gertler.
Girl, it fills me with dismay
Seeing thee give thy life away;
Burned thy cheek is by thy tears,
Wrung thy heart is by thy fears;
Pray thou dost, but no one hears,
Alice Gertler.
But I know thee. Thou wilt stay
Even till thy hair is grey.
Faithful to thy vows thou’lt be
Until all is gone from thee,
E’en thy faith in Deity —
Alice Gertler.
Millais makes a face like thine
On the Huguenot to shine;
What would I not give to be
Like him, forced all else to flee,
But beloved by one like thee,
Alice Gertler
May I be forgiven the thought,
Pleasure laden, sorrow fraught;
But, my sweet, unconscious queen,
It cannot be wrong I ween,
Just to think what might have been —
Alice Gertler.
But each wish must I resign,
But for strength to make no sign.
Strength to live, if so it be,
Until Heaven do pity thee,
Or send death to make thee free —
Alice Gertler.
Source:
Louisa Lawson, “The Lonely Crossing” and Other Poems, Sydney: Dawn Office, [1905], pp. 39-43
Editor’s notes:
The line “Mating with an half-caste gin” also appears in the 1909 edition (p. 40); presumably it was intended that the “h” be dropped when saying “half-caste” (i.e. “Mating with an ’alf-caste gin”).
The mention in this poem of Millais and “the Huguenot” is a reference to the painting entitled “A Huguenot, on St. Bartholomew’s Day, Refusing to Shield Himself from Danger by Wearing the Roman Catholic Badge”, painted by John Everett Millais in 1852.
See: A Huguenot, Wikipedia
anon = soon, shortly (can also mean: at another time, later; an archaic meaning is: at once, immediately)
art = (archaic) are
aught = anything; anything at all, anything whatsoever
bronze-wing = Australian pigeons, of several species belonging to the genus Phaps, that are known for the bronze-like metallic spots on their wings
careth = (archaic) care
deity = God; a god or goddess
dost = (archaic) do
dree = dreary, tedious, tiresome, wearisome; can also mean: great, large; to endure (especially to endure something which is burdensome, painful, or which causes suffering)
e’en = (archaic) a contraction of “even”
ere = (archaic) before (from the Middle English “er”, itself from the Old English “aer”, meaning early or soon)
gin = an Aboriginal woman
hadst = (archaic) had
hast = (archaic) have
Huguenot = an adherent of the Reformed Church of France, following the Calvinist tradition of Protestant Christianity (especially used to refer to the Huguenots of the 16th and 17th centuries, although there are also modern adherents of the Huguenot tradition)
Millais = Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896), an English artist and painter
nay = an archaic form of “no”; however, it is still sometimes used regarding voting (e.g. to vote yea or nay), in formal circumstances, in some dialects (e.g. in the north of England), and as a substitute for “no” when some emphasis is desired
’neath = (vernacular) beneath
reek = a strong unpleasant smell (may also refer to fog, fumes, smoke, steam, or vapor)
sot = an habitual drunkard
squatter = in the context of Australian history, a squatter was originally someone who kept their livestock (mostly cattle and sheep) upon Crown land without permission to do so (thus illegally occupying land, or “squatting”); however, the practice became so widespread that eventually the authorities decided to formalise it by granting leases or licenses to occupy or use the land; and, with the growth of the Australian economy, many of the squatters became quite rich, and the term “squatter” came to refer to someone with a large amount of farm land (they were often regarded as rich and powerful)
ta’en = (vernacular) taken
thee = (archaic) you
thine = (archaic) your; yours
thou = (archaic) you
thou’lt = (archaic) a contraction of “thou shalt” (“you shall”); also, a contraction of “thou wilt” (“you will”)
thy = (archaic) your
ween = believe, suppose, think
wilt = (archaic) will
would’st = would (past tense of “will”) (also spelt: wou’dst, wouldst)
[Editor: Changed “everywhere, Alice Gertler” to “everywhere, Alice Gertler.” (added a full stop, in line with the other stanzas); “Hugenot” to “Huguenot”.]
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