The First of May ( A Memory)
July 6, 2023The Dead Child
July 6, 2023The Dove
Within his office, smiling.
Sat Joseph Chamberlain,
But all the screws of Birmingham
Were working in his brain.
The heart within his bosom
Was as a millstone hard;
His eye was cold and cruel,
His face was frozen lard.
He had the map of Africa
Upon his table spread:
He took a brush, and with the same
He painted it blood-red.
He heard no moan of widows,
But only the hurrah
Of charging lines and squadrons
And ‘Rule Britannia.’
A white dove to his window
With branch of olive sped-
He took a ruler in his hand,
And struck the white dove dead.
Victor James Daley
Victor James Daley (1858-1905) was an Australian poet and writer who is often associated with the Australian bush poetry tradition. His work was characterized by a love of the Australian landscape and a deep sense of patriotism. Daley's poetry often celebrated the Australian way of life, and he was one of the first writers to use the Australian vernacular in his work. Despite his relatively short life, Daley was an important figure in Australian literature and his poetry has been widely studied and admired.