The Old Place



SO the last day’s come at last, the close of my fifteen year—   
The end of the hope, an’ the struggles, an’ messes I’ve put in here.   
All of the shearings over, the final mustering done,—   
Eleven hundred an’ fifty for the incoming man, near on.   
Over five thousand I drove ’em, mob by mob, down the coast;           
Eleven-fifty in fifteen year…it isn’t much of a boast.   
  
Oh, it’s a bad old place! Blown out o’ your bed half the nights,   
And in the summer the grass burnt shiny an’ bare as your hand, on the heights:   
The creek dried up by November, and in May a thundering roar   
That carries down toll o’ your stock to salt ’em whole on the shore.           
Clear’d I have, and I’ve clear’d an’ clear’d, yet everywhere, slap in your face,   
Briar, tauhinu, 1 an’ ruin! God! it’s a brute of a place.   
…An’ the house got burnt which I built, myself, with all that worry and pride;   
Where the Missus was always homesick, and where she took fever, and died.   
  
Yes, well! I’m leaving the place. Apples look red on that bough.           
I set the slips with my own hand. Well—they’re the other man’s now.   
The breezy bluff: an’ the clover that smells so over the land,   
Drowning the reek o’ the rubbish, that plucks the profit out o’ your hand:   
That bit o’ Bush paddock I fall’d myself, an’ watch’d, each year, come clean   
(Don’t it look fresh in the tawny? A scrap of Old-Country green):           
This air, all healthy with sun an’ salt, an’ bright with purity:   
An’ the glossy karakas 2 there, twinkling to the big blue twinkling sea:   
Aye, the broad blue sea beyond, an’ the gem-clear cove below,   
Where the boat I’ll never handle again; sits rocking to and fro:   
There’s the last look to it all! an’ now for the last upon           
This room, where Hetty was born, an’ my Mary died, an’ John…   
Well! I’m leaving the poor old place, and it cuts as keen as a knife;   
The place that’s broken my heart—the place where I’ve lived my life.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:47 min read
116

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXABB CCDDEEFF GGHHIIJJKKAALL
Closest metre Iambic octameter
Characters 2,065
Words 357
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 8, 14

Blanche Edith Baughan

Blanche Edith Baughan was a New Zealand poet, writer and penal reformer. more…

All Blanche Edith Baughan poems | Blanche Edith Baughan Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem The Old Place with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Old Place" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/4456/the-old-place>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    9
    hours
    51
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who is the author of the renowned poem collection "Leaves of Grass"?
    A Emily Dickinson
    B Robert Frost
    C Walt Whitman
    D Langston Hughes