Henry Lawson Poems on English (14 Poems)

Mostly Slavonic (Henry Lawson Poems)

I.-Peter MichaelovIt was Peter the Barbarian put an apron in his bagAnd rolled up the honoured bundle that Australians call a swag;And he tramped from Darkest Russia, that it might be dark no more,Dreaming of a port, and shipping, as … Continue reading →

The Men Who Made Australia (Henry Lawson Poems)

There’ll be royal times in Sydney for the Cuff and Collar Push, There’ll be lots of dreary drivel and clap-trapFrom the men who own Australia, but who never knew the Bush, And who could not point their runs out on the map.Oh, … Continue reading →

Dawgs of War (Henry Lawson Poems)

Comes the British bulldog first-solid as a log-He’s so ugly in repose that he’s a handsome dog;Full of mild benevolence as his years increase;Silent as a china dog on the mantelpiece. Rub his sides and point his nose, Click your tongue and … Continue reading →

Cromwell (Henry Lawson Poems)

They took dead Cromwell from his grave, And stuck his head on high;The Merry Monarch and his men, They laughed as they passed byThe common people cheered and jeered, To England’s deep disgrace-The crowds who’d ne’er have dared to look Live Cromwell in the … Continue reading →

The Drums of Battersea (Henry Lawson Poems)

They can’t hear in West o’ London, where the worst dine with the best-Deaf to all save lies and laughter, they can’t hear in London West-Tailored brutes and splendid harlots, and the parasites that be-They can’t hear the warning thunder … Continue reading →

Keeping His First Wife Now (Henry Lawson Poems)

IT’S OH! for a rivet in marriage bonds, And a splice in the knot untied-The sanctity of the marriage tie Is growing more sanctified!They’re getting mixed up in society, There’s an awful family row,For Reginald Jones of “The Fernery” Is “keeping” his first wife … Continue reading →

Do You Think That I Do Not Know? (Henry Lawson Poems)

They say that I never have written of love,As a writer of songs should do;They say that I never could touch the stringsWith a touch that is firm and true;They say I know nothing of women and menIn the fields … Continue reading →

Australia’s Peril [The Warning] (Henry Lawson Poems)

We must suffer, husband and father, we must suffer, daughter and son,For the wrong we have taken part in and the wrong that we have seen done.Let the bride of frivolous fashion, and of ease, be ashamed and dumb,For I … Continue reading →

A New John Bull (Henry Lawson Poems)

A tall, slight, English gentleman, With an eyeglass to his eye;He mostly says “Good-Bai” to you, When he means to say “Good-bye”;He shakes hands like a ladies’ man, For all the world to see-But they know, in Corners of the World. No ladies’ man … Continue reading →

The King of our Republic (Henry Lawson Poems)

He is coming! He is coming! without heralds, without cheers.He is coming! He is coming! and he’s been with us for years:And, if you should pause to wonder who’s the man of whom I sing-‘Tis the King of our Republic, … Continue reading →