South of my days' circle, part of my blood's country,
rises that tableland, high delicate outline
of bony slopes wincing under the winter,
low trees, blue-leaved and olive, outcropping granite-
clean, lean, hungry country. The creek's leaf-silenced,
willow choked, the slope a tangle of medlar and crabapple
branching over and under, blotched with a green lichen;
and the old cottage lurches in for shelter.
O cold the black-frost night. The walls draw in to the warmth
and the old roof cracks its joints; the slung kettle
hisses a leak on the fire. Hardly to be believed that summer will turn up again some day in a wave of rambler-roses,
thrust it's hot face in here to tell another yarn-
a story old Dan can spin into a blanket against the winter.
Seventy years of stories he clutches round his bones.
Seventy years are hived in him like old honey.
Droving that year, Charleville to the Hunter,
nineteen-one it was, and the drought beginning;
sixty head left at the McIntyre, the mud round them
hardened like iron; and the yellow boy died
in the sulky ahead with the gear, but the horse went on,
stopped at Sandy Camp and waited in the evening.
It was the flies we seen first, swarming like bees.
Came to the Hunter, three hundred head of a thousand-
cruel to keep them alive - and the river was dust.
Or mustering up in the Bogongs in the autumn
when the blizzards came early. Brought them down; we
brought them down, what aren't there yet. Or driving for Cobb's on the run
up from Tamworth-Thunderbolt at the top of Hungry Hill,
and I give him a wink. I wouldn't wait long, Fred,
not if I was you. The troopers are just behind,
coming for that job at the Hillgrove. He went like a luny, him on his big black horse.
Oh, they slide and they vanish
as he shuffles the years like a pack of conjuror's cards.
True or not, it's all the same; and the frost on the roof
cracks like a whip, and the back-log break into ash.
Wake, old man. This is winter, and the yarns are over.
No-one is listening
South of my days' circle
I know it dark against the stars, the high lean country
full of old stories that still go walking in my sleep.
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english
From guest matt (contact)
Judith Wright has explored her love of Australia and its people in her poetry, she Judith Wright was born in Armidale, New South Wales, the eldest child of Phillip Wright and his first wife Ethel, but spent most of her formative years in Brisbane and Sydney. After the early death of her mother she lived with her aunt and then boarded at New England Girls School after her father's remarriage in 1929. After graduating Wright studied philosophy and history at the University of Sydney At the beginning of World War Two she returned to her father's station to help during the shortage of labour caused by conscription. It is possibly during this period that she developed her attachment to the land and its people which would inform her work throughout her life that is Judith wright’s world. Judith Wright is a political poet she was an outspoken and passionate critic of nuclear power, environmental devastation, and the injustice towards Aboriginal people these topics are the topics that she has explored with there poems. She mixed words with deeds. She saw the poet as a public figure with responsibility for challenging negative social forces and inhumane attitudes that demean human life and the environment. The two poems “south of my days” and “remittance man” are examples of Judith wright’s passionate view on the Australian landscape; its harsh nature and its beauty. Judith uses lots of techniques though out the text and in some cases there are four techniques in the one sentence. Contrast in remittance man has been use to express Judith's Wrights opinion on Australia and England. Judith Wright has explored the world of others to get a clear picture of the world around her. Is this paragraph to big? In the poem south of my days the composer (Judith Wright) explores her views of Australia she tells the responder about her world but she also explores the world of old Dan. Old Dan tells three different stories about very Australian actives like mustering cattle, a harsh a winter and riding horses up from Tamworth. The composer changes the writing perspective to old Dan by using a very Australian language “coming for that job at the Hillgrove. He went like a luny, him on his big black horse.” This change in perspective gives the responder a wider understanding of old Australia. Once he has finished telling his stories the composer states “Wake, old man. This is winter, and the yarns are over. No-one is listening’’ this tells the responder that no one is listening to old dans stories Judith Wright views this as a very negative thing thee responder can tell this by Judith Wright stating “I know it dark against the stars, the high lean country full of old stories that still go walking in my sleep.” The use of old dans stories let me get a better insight into old Australia and the importance of old stories. Judith Wright uses repetition throughout the text, the first instance of repetition in the text is the repetition of “south of my days”. This reinforces to the responder that this texts is going to talk about the past. Then the repetition of seventy “Seventy years of stories he clutches round his bones. Seventy years are hived in him like old honey.” This tells the responder that old Dan is seventy years old this is important to the text because it lets the responder no that old Dan has seventy years of stories then Judith right changes the tone of text from a formal tone to a tone which reflects the way old Dan would speck this change of tone lets old Dan tell his stories. This ties the elements of the text together and it makes the texts more connected, it also draws attention to the words (stressing the importance to the propose of the poem.) this also helps the responder create a better picture of old toms world in their head. Alliteration has been used by Judith Wright though out the text. Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound in words with close connection. Judith Wright has used free verse poetry in both remittance man and south of my days. This means that her poetry doesn’t have regular rhythm or rhyming pattern, and Judith Wright has also used varied line and stanza length. She has done this because she wants to clearly express her world to her responder, she doesn’t want to be restricted by having to use rhythm or rhyming patterns. This makes it easier for Judith Wright to keep the responder interested in her world. South of my days is made up of six loose stanzas, stanzas 1,2, and 4 are made up of 8 lines, stanza 3 is made up of 9 lines, stanza 5 is made up of 6 lines and stanza 6 is made up of 3 lines. Remittance man is made up of three loose stanzas stanza 1 is made up of 7 lines, stanza 2 is made up of 12 lines and stanza 3 is made up of 6 lines. Should I include this? add conclusion (y)! -
That last line leaves you thinking about everything just read. I had no idea who Captain Thunderbolt was, so thanks to Vonnie for clearing that up.
A beautifully done piece here.
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This poem refers to the 'New England' region of New South Wales. this area was settled over 200 years ago, perhaps the reason it is full of old stories that Judith Wright may have listened to as a child.
'Captain Thunderbolt' I was pleased to see mentioned as he was a bushranger with a price on his head and was often helped to steer clear of the troopers (police) by the local people.
This is a poem one can easily get 'lost' in whilst reading.
Most enjoyable.
~Von~
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