Caring About Our Country

by Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833 - 1870)

Australian writer

ightly the breath of the spring wind blows,
Though laden with faint perfume;
’Tis the fragrance rare that the bushman knows,
  The scent of the wattle bloom.

Two-thirds of our journey at least are done,
  Old horse! let us take a spell
In the shade from the glare of the noonday sun,
  Thus far we have travelled well;

Your bridle I’ll slip, your saddle ungirth,
  And lay them beside this log,
For you’ll roll in that track of reddish earth,
  And shake like a water-dog.

Upon yonder rise there’s a clump of trees –
  Their shadows look cool and broad –
You can crop the grass as fast as you please,
  While I stretch my limbs on the sward;

’Tis pleasant, I ween, with a leafy screen
  O’er the weary head, to lie
On the mossy carpet of emerald green,
  ’Neath the vault of the azure sky;

Thus all alone by the wood and wold,
  I yield myself once again
To the memories old that, like tales fresh told,
  Come flitting across the brain.

About the Writer

See our page on Adam Lindsay Gordon.
Includes a linked list of all his writing available on our website.

Back to Australian Writers

Did you enjoy this poem?

Someone you know may love hearing about it.
Send this page to a friend.

Banjo Paterson  •  Henry Lawson  •  Barcroft Henry Boake  •  Caroline Carleton

James Lister Cuthbertson  •  Clarence James Dennis  •  Edward George Dyson

Louis Esson  •  Adam Lindsay Gordon  •  Inez Hyland  •  Henry Kendall

Louisa Lawson  •  John O'Brien  •  Remembrance Poems

Dot and the Kangaroo by Ethel C. Pedley  •  The Red Kangaroo by Ethel Castilla

Know Your Australia     Voice of Australians     Uniquely Australian     Tall Poppy
Fun Time Games     Australian Cards     Business Directory     Contact Us     Home

All content © 1998 - 2008  ALLdownunder.com. All rights reserved.
Legal Info    Privacy Policy   Website designed and managed by