AUSTRALIA DAY POEM: TERRA AUSTRALIS Prologue GO WITH A CLEAR, OPEN AND ACCEPTING SPIRIT AND THE COUNTRY WILL NOT TREAT YOU BADLY. Aboriginal Saying by the Martidja Banyjima People of the Pilbara Region of Western Australia VERSE ONE An ancient land shaped by fire and rain Child of the rainbow serpent and the sun Replete with legends mystic and arcane A civilization both old and young VERSE TWO Forty thousand years of dream time Home of the earliest human dwelling Learning survival skills able and sublime Bitter death through thirst or hunger quelling VERSE THREE Today a vigorous metropolis An aggregate wealth of six trillion Twenty three million its populace A society of pluralism CLOSING COUPLET A free spirit of camaraderie Fixed in the courage of a Valkyrie Epilogue HERE A THOUSAND SAIL OF THE LINE MAY RIDE IN THE MOST PERFECT SECURITY. Governor Arthur Phillip [1738-1814], describing Sydney Harbour on 15 May 1788. POET: DR MICHAEL VAUGHAN DATE: MONDAY, 26 JANUARY 2015 PLACE: BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 00:25:06 +0000