Hope

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)



When we went singing down the road,
In days when want was not a goad,
Dull care behind us flinging,
No step we stayed, no joy we missed,
To hearken to the pessimist,
But gaily went on singing.

We'd faith in this great country then;
We'd hope in her great, stalwart men,
Who built a worthy nation.
Hope?  Hope was ever in our hearts,
For we seemed cast for Builders' parts
And there was our salvation.

But what has changed our outlook now?
With weary eyes and furrowed brow
The uphill road we're facing.
But why?  This land is still aflame
With promise of great hope and fame.
Must age be youth disgracing?

Oh, let's go singing up the road,
Although we bear a heavy load.
What good is grieving bringing?
Still, just beneath this happy ground
Is wondrous fortune to be found.
So let us go on singing.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

46 sec read
90

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABXXB CCDEED FFBGGB AABHHB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 784
Words 151
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1915 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history. Together with Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he had collaborated with, he is often considered among Australia's three most famous poets. While attributed to Lawson by 1911, Dennis later claimed he himself was the 'laureate of the larrikin'. When he died at the age of 61, the Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons suggested he was destined to be remembered as the 'Australian Robert Burns'. more…

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