Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Quotes
Short Stories
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Resources
Syllable Counter
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 52.14.126.74
From Email:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
When the wars of the world seemed ended, and silent the distant drum, Ten years ago in Australia, I wrote of a war to come: And I pictured Australians fighting as their fathers fought of old For the old things, pride or country, for God or the Devil or gold. And they lounged on the rim of Australia in the peace that had come to last, And they laughed at my "cavalry charges" for such things belonged to the past; Then our wise men smiled with indulgence – ere the swift years proved me right – Saying: "What shall Australia fight for? And whom shall Australia fight?" I wrote of the unlocked rivers in the days when my heart was full, And I pleaded for irrigation where they sacrifice all for wool. I pictured Australia fighting when the coast had been lost and won – With arsenals west of the mountains and every spur its gun. And what shall Australia fight for? The reason may yet be found, When strange shells scatter the wickets and burst on the football ground. And "Who shall invade Australia?" let the wisdom of ages say "The friend of a further future – or the ally of yesterday!" Aye! What must Australia fight for? In the strife that never shall cease, She must fight for her work unfinished: she must fight for her life and peace, For the sins of the older nations. She must fight for her own reward. She has taken the sword in her blindness and shall live or die by the sword. But the statesman, the churchman, the scholar still peer through their glasses dim And they see no cloud on the future as they roost on Australia's rim: Where the farmer works with the lumpers and the drover drives a dray, And the shearer on Garden Island is shifting a hill to-day. Had we used the wealth we have squandered and the land that we kept from the plough, A prosperous Federal City would be over the mountains now, With farms that sweep to horizons and gardens where plains lay bare, And the bulk of the population and the Heart of Australia there. Had we used the time we have wasted and the gold we have thrown away, The pick of the world's mechanics would be over the range to-day – In the Valley of Coal and Iron where the breeze from the bush comes down, And where thousands of makers of all things should be happy in Factory Town. They droned on the rim of Australia, the wise men who never could learn; Our substance we sent to the nations, and their shoddy we bought in return. In the end, shall our soldiers fight naked, no help for them under the sun – And never a cartridge to stick in the breech of a Brummagem gun? With the Wars of the World coming near us the wise men are waking to-day. Hurry out ammunition from England! Mount guns on the cliffs while you may! And God pardon our sins as a people if Invasion's unmerciful hand Should strike at the heart of Australia drought-cramped on the verge of the land.
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required