The Lyre-Tailed Menura
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
Far in the forest depths I dwell,
The master mimic of them all,
To pour from out my secret dell
Echo of many a bushland call,
That over all the forest spills;
Echo of many a birdland note,
When out about the timbered hills
Sounds all that borrowed lore that fills
My magic throat.
I am the artist. Songs to me
From all this gay green land are sped;
And when the wondrous canopy
Of my great, fronded tail is spread-
A glorious veil, at even's hush-
Above my head, I do my part;
Then wren and robin, finch and thrush-
All are re-echoed in a rush
Of perfect art.
Here by my regal throne of state,
To serve me for a swift retreat,
The little runways radiate;
And when the tread of alien feet
Draws near I vanish: ever prone
To quick alarm when aught offends
That secret ritual of the throne.
My songs are for my mate alone,
And favoured friends.
I am the artist. None may find,
In all the world, a match for me:
Rare feathered loveliness combined
With such enchanting minstrelsy.
In a land vocal with gay song
I choose whate'er I may require;
I wait, I listen all day long,
Then to the music of a throng
I tune my lyre.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 94 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCCD EFEFGHGGH XIXIJKJJK LELCMXMMX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,092 |
Words | 219 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 9, 9, 9 |
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"The Lyre-Tailed Menura" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/6717/the-lyre-tailed-menura>.
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