Dropt down between the bases of the hills,
The quaint old village banking in the sun
Shines white, with old-world towers and water-wheels,
And winding ways that climb the ramparts dun.
The great black cannon with its gruesome mouth
Looks seaward, silent, but a menace still;
The riven cliffs stand guardian north and south,
Foam-freted. On the margin of the hill
The ancient church uplifts its sun-tipt spire,
The low-roofed houses touch the harbour's brim;
And scarlet blooms or white, still mounting higher,
Make fair the crags that else were somewhat grim.
Skyward the lighthouse rears its kindly dome,
The outer billows raven 'neath its base;
But safely now the ships sweep outward and sail home.
I too depart, but keep with me the beauty of this place.
First published in The Queenslander, 16 February 1889
Author: Alice Ham (1854-1928) was born in Kew, Victoria, and worked as a teacher in various schools in Brisbane and Toowoomba. She succeeded Mary Hannay Foott as editor of the women's and social pages of The Queenslander and the Brisbane Courier. She died in Brisbane in 1928.
Author reference site: Austlit
See also.
The quaint old village banking in the sun
Shines white, with old-world towers and water-wheels,
And winding ways that climb the ramparts dun.
The great black cannon with its gruesome mouth
Looks seaward, silent, but a menace still;
The riven cliffs stand guardian north and south,
Foam-freted. On the margin of the hill
The ancient church uplifts its sun-tipt spire,
The low-roofed houses touch the harbour's brim;
And scarlet blooms or white, still mounting higher,
Make fair the crags that else were somewhat grim.
Skyward the lighthouse rears its kindly dome,
The outer billows raven 'neath its base;
But safely now the ships sweep outward and sail home.
I too depart, but keep with me the beauty of this place.
First published in The Queenslander, 16 February 1889
Author: Alice Ham (1854-1928) was born in Kew, Victoria, and worked as a teacher in various schools in Brisbane and Toowoomba. She succeeded Mary Hannay Foott as editor of the women's and social pages of The Queenslander and the Brisbane Courier. She died in Brisbane in 1928.
Author reference site: Austlit
See also.
