Australia Infelix
July 6, 2023The love in her eyes lay sleeping
July 6, 2023Australia 1894
SHE sits a queen whom none shall dare despoil,
Her crown the sun, her guard the vigilant sea,
And round her throne are gathered, stalwart, free,
A people proud, yet stooping to the soil,
Patient to swell her greatness with their toil,
And swift to leave, should dire occasion be,
The mine, the flock, the desk, the furrowed lea,
And force the invader to a dark recoil.—
Yet as she gazes o’er the plains that lie
Fruitful about her throne, she sighs full sore
To see the barriers Greed has builded high,
Dividing them who brothers were before,
When still they dwelt beneath a sterner sky
And heard the thunders of a wilder shore.
William Gay
William Gay (1941-2012) was an American novelist and poet from Tennessee. He was known for his gritty and dark works, which often explored the seedy underbelly of rural Southern life. Gay's poetry was highly influenced by the beatnik movement of the 1950s and 60s, and his most famous works include "The Christening" and "The Golden Road."