[Editor: This poem by “R.G.S.” — a pseudonym of John Neilson (1844-1922) — was published in The Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA), 28 August 1878.]
When the Shadows Flee Away.
Shadows that gather in the misty light,
In the silent hours of the starry night:
Shadows that gather — shadows that stray,
At the dawn of morn, they will flee away;
Shadows that gather — shadows that stray —
When morn comes the shadows will flee away.
When the flowers of the dew have drank their fill,
And the moonbeams sleep on the silver hills:
Shadows that float where the night winds play,
Beautiful shadows that flee away;
Shadows that float where the night winds play,
Beautiful shadows that pass away.
When the brave pioneer, with his chosen few,
Seeks fresh fields and pastures new,
He holds his way o’er the desert sand,
Through the shadows that gather o’er the thirsty land,
Shadows that shield from the scorching ray —
He welcomes the shadows though they pass away.
In the sun-dried north, where he makes his home,
When the Heavens above seem a brazen dome,
He looks for the shadows day by day,
And prays that the shadows may come that way:
Shadows, shadows may come that way —
Shadows of the rain-clouds come this way.
When the storm cloud bursts on the thirsty plain,
Joy for the music of the falling rain;
Rejoice for the shadows, long may they stay,
Shadows of the rain clouds pass not away.
Shadows! shadows! blessed are they,
Shadows of the rain-clouds sent this way.
And still we must battle with toil and strife,
Through the lights and the shades and the shadows of life,
Till they melt in the light of eternal day —
’Tis then that the shadows will flee away;
Shadows! shadows! will flee away,
All earthly shadows will flee away.
R.G.S.
Penola.
Source:
The Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA), 28 August 1878, p. 4
Editor’s notes:
drank = (archaic) drunk (past tense of drink, i.e. had a drink, did drink)
See: “The unsteadiness of ‘Drank’ and ‘Drunk’: How to use them responsibly”, Merriam-Webster
morn = morning
o’er = (archaic) over (pronounced the same as “oar”, “or”, and “ore”)
’tis = (archaic) a contraction of “it is”
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