(In Memory of the late George James Macdonald, Esq.)
Bury the Bard in the forest wild,
For he loved it well;
And his heart through all changes was undefiled,
And gloried wherever great Nature smiled,
O'er mountain or dell.
Bury the Bard where the wild birds sing
On the sunny slopes,-
And where the bright flowers in myriads spring,--
Too soon, alas! to be withering,
Like his Heart's fond hopes.
Bury the Bard where the emus graze
At the dawn of day,--
Where the crested pigeon her beauty displays,
And the Kangaroo stands in wild amaze,
With her shadow at bay.
Bury him friends, -- and gently spread,
And with pity dear,
The earth o'er the Poet's beloved head:--
And stranger, if thou hast a tear to shed,
Deny it not here.
The dreams of a golden youth betray'd;--
How oft they betray!
Men found him dead in the forest glade;
By an old dead tree he had knelt and pray'd,
And pass'd away.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 1852
Note: George J. Macdonald (1805-51) was born in England and arrived in Sydney in 1826. He appears to have spent the bulk of his adult life in public service. He died in the Swan Hill area of Victoria but details of his death are unclear.
Bury the Bard in the forest wild,
For he loved it well;
And his heart through all changes was undefiled,
And gloried wherever great Nature smiled,
O'er mountain or dell.
Bury the Bard where the wild birds sing
On the sunny slopes,-
And where the bright flowers in myriads spring,--
Too soon, alas! to be withering,
Like his Heart's fond hopes.
Bury the Bard where the emus graze
At the dawn of day,--
Where the crested pigeon her beauty displays,
And the Kangaroo stands in wild amaze,
With her shadow at bay.
Bury him friends, -- and gently spread,
And with pity dear,
The earth o'er the Poet's beloved head:--
And stranger, if thou hast a tear to shed,
Deny it not here.
The dreams of a golden youth betray'd;--
How oft they betray!
Men found him dead in the forest glade;
By an old dead tree he had knelt and pray'd,
And pass'd away.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 1852
Note: George J. Macdonald (1805-51) was born in England and arrived in Sydney in 1826. He appears to have spent the bulk of his adult life in public service. He died in the Swan Hill area of Victoria but details of his death are unclear.
