[Editor: This poem, written by H. A. Burton in honour of Percy Mahoney, was published in The Maryborough Chronicle (Maryborough, Qld.), 14 December 1950. See also: “Early-day sportsman’s death”, an obituary of Percy Mahoney.]
Vale!
Percy Mahoney
How sad and sudden came the news
That Perce had passed away.
No better friend there ever lived
Up to the present day.
As a driver he was noted,
And at cricket just the same:
A man so true, straightforward,
And always played the game.
He leaves behind a loving wife,
Who cherished him most dear,
And who will miss his kindly help
For many a long, long year.
May God above give comfort now,
And in the Lord confide
Until she meets him once again
Across the Great Divide.
H. A. BURTON.
11/12/50.
Source:
The Maryborough Chronicle (Maryborough, Qld.), 14 December 1950, p. 8
Editor’s notes:
the Great Divide = (in the context of death) the dividing line, or border, between life and death
Lord = in a religious context, and capitalized, a reference to God or Jesus
Perce = a diminutive form of “Percy”
played the game = past tense of the phrase “play the game”: to act in accordance with the rules of a game; to act in a fair, honest, honorable, just, and moral manner; to act in accordance with (to adhere to, to conform with) the generally accepted and established rules, modes of behavior, conventions, customs, beliefs, and moral standards of society; (in a workplace, organisation, or structured environment) to act in the manner expected by the leadership, a senior person, or a peer group, whether to get by, to keep one’s position, or to achieve some success
vale = farewell, often used with regards to someone who has died; in classical Latin, “ave atque vale” (“hail and farewell”) was a formulaic farewell to the dead
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