Poetry Evening in the Australian Bush (working links in the comment section)
You asked for a museum Jim - well this one is over 40.000 years old (populated). It has a richness and history so vast it would take a life time to cover.
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/show/5328-A-B--Banjo-Paterson-The-Man-from-Snowy-River
The Man from Snowy River
by A B 'Banjo' Paterson
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/26125-Edward-Harrington-There-s-Only-The-Two-Of-Us-Here
There's Only the Two of Us Here'
Edward Harrington
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/1021-Henry---Lawson-Faces-In-The-Street
Faces in the Street
Henry Lawson
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/21197-Dorothea-Mackellar-My-Country
Dorothea Mackellar
My Country
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/5332-George-Essex-Evans-Women-Of-The-West
Women of the West
George Essex Evans
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/30423--Anonymous-Oceania-Click-Go-The-Shears--Boys
'Click go the Shears Boys'
Oceania Anonymous
Each one of the 6 poems listed I feel would be a wonderful collection to hear at a recital.
A man with a deep timbre to his voice would have the audience enthralled. I see a picture of people sitting in a barn, perhaps using the hay bales as seating. Men, women and children all catered for.
There is rollicking adventure, how could we not include 'The Man from Snowy River' and his historical ride, a little ghostly humour, a touch of reality, a visual love of
Australia, a tribute to the Women of Australia, the Pioneer women who gave up so much and worked to hard to support their men and to complete the evening a good old sing-a-long with the audience to 'Click go the Shears Boys'.
A very Australian collection I have to admit but I'm working from a personal perspective and I would enjoy this so much.
A contest entry
- COLUMN: Poems For Reading Out Loud by Old Poetry.
1200 points, ended October 7, 2008, 8 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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I am not sure which of my museum options you would have chosen to deliver this poetry session at. I would suspect Nature or Education as it gives a flavour of Australia at different times and in different areas as well as from a variety of viewpoints.
Who could fault the choice of poems? From such a rich source you have selected some Gems including one of my own favourites in "The Man from Snowy River", what a roller coaster of emotions one can put into that piece. Following this with the atmospheric piece "There's only the two of us" was good. It may not have the rollicking impact of the opener but, in a Vincent Price voice this would certainly keep the audiences attention.
"Faces in the Street" was a new poem for me but it is a strong poem and Lawson gives his readers a fortaste of a few decades later with his warning of the "Red Revolution's feet" Modern audiences will pick up on the social comment within his poem and, I am sure, will appreciate it.
To me Dorothy Mackellar's opening verse could be a description of a summer evening in Kent but the rest is a heartfelt description of the land she loved, Australia.
"Women of the West" could have been the story from another continent this tale of the people who pioneered the land in Australia written a generation or two after the American pioneers. Again it was a new poem to me but it did fit in well.
Your final choice of "Click go the shears, boys" conjures up a typical image of Australia in the mind of my generation of Brits and is fine either spoken or sung (as I know from experience) agood closer "There we leave him shouting for all hands. . . ."
Yes some great poems but I was a touch disappointed and felt the lack of a specific set of links to hold them together and to move the listeners forward with the speaker.
However I am sure they could be linked and could form a very interesting session.
Well Done
Jim -
Been here earlier today, then went to read the first poem of your list and lost track.
I could see though by your first choice, that you put lots of thoughts here. Knowing how carefully you select the poems you add at OP, I didn't expect anything less
I smiled when reading about how you see someone reading those poems, such a warm thought.
Excellent work Von!
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I like what you have done here though I haven't yet had a chance to read the poems. It seems wonderfully organized and I will have a chance to renew my acquaintance with Banjo Paterson as well as get to know some other poets.
Love the picture you've drawn of the people in the barn.
Of course you work from a personal perspective! It makes things so much more convincing and compelling.
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A truly wonderful collection, as diverse as the land the authors wrote about. A trip down memory lane for me,but the poem;"There's Only the Two of us Here" was unknown to me. It is not unknown now. It would be wonderful if Jim actually read this little collection.
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Slim Dusty actually sang this poem on a Lawson/Paterson CD of his. Very funny this poem - I've always thought so. Glad you enjoyed it too. Von
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Many thanks for the entry I will, I am sure, enjoy reading poems from the antipodes and thanks for the working links.
Jim
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For some reason the links above do not work - here they are!
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/show/5328-A-B--Banjo-Paterson-The-Man-from-Snowy-River
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/26125-Edward-Harrington-There-s-Only-The-Two-Of-Us-Here
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/1021-Henry---Lawson-Faces-In-The-Street
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/21197-Dorothea-Mackellar-My-Country
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/5332-George-Essex-Evans-Women-Of-The-West
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/30423--Anonymous-Oceania-Click-Go-The-Shears--Boys
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