High noon flooded the mountain-side
In summery silence deep.
All on a sudden the valley sighed,
And the wind awoke from sleep.
All on a sudden the wind awoke
Whispering far and near.
Tree-top with rustling tree-top spoke,
And the saplings leaned to hear.
It broke the spirals of blue wood-smoke,
The scents of the Bush unbound,
Till all the world was a leafy cloak
Of murmur and light and sound.
Then, letting the sun-drenched fragrance fall
To earth like a drift of rain,
Tired at the mountain's misty wall
It sank into sleep again.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 December 1937
