Analysis of The Wonderful Aussie Waler
Arthur Henry Adams 1872 (Lawrence) – 1936 (Sydney, New South Wales)
When Allenby's Army smashed the Turk
Who was the bloke who did all the work
The Aussie knows and he'll tell you straight
That most of the job was done by his mate
The wonderful Aussie Waler
It was umpty-nine in the shade each day
And the wells were spoiled in the Turkish way
But with nothing to eat and plenty to do
The heart of the Waler carried him through
The wonderful, wonderful Waler
For ten long weeks through the desert hot
He plugged along and all that he got
Was a drink, or not a drink a day
But did the stamina once give way
Of the wonderful Aussie Waler?
Was he the one to desert his mate?
Just watch him coming up the straight
With twenty stone of harness and man
No wonder the Turk was an also ran
With the wonderful, wonderful Waler
When drinks were not and feeds were few
There still was his harness that he could chew
With a nibble or two at another's mane
He plucked up heart to march again
The wonderful Aussie Waler
And when everything edible seemed to be stale
A hair or two from a neighbour's tail
Makes a pleasant meal and there's no doubt
They took it turn and turn about
The wonderful, wonderful Waler
A great Australian through and through
There's a good time coming old horse for you
There's a paddock green with grass to your knees
And there you shall roll at your lordly ease
My wonderful Aussie Waler
With a gallop or two to keep you fit
And won't it bring back the thrill of it!
There 're no more hardships and little work
For the cobber who broke the heathen Turk
My wonderful, wonderful Waler
But what is that the orders tell?
This mate of mine they're going to sell
To the old home paddock you'll never come back
They are selling you as a local's hack
My wonderful, wonderful Waler
The times together that we've been through
When all that I had in the world was you
Out there! Out there in a world of men
You were more than wife or sweetheart then
My wonderful, wonderful Waler
There was trust and mateship in your eyes
A horse has no soul - All lies I All lies!
And more than a kiss or soft eyes that speak
Was your muzzling nose against my cheek
You wonderful Aussie Waler
A life long slavery is your fate
Not while a mate can still shoot straight
Your eyes - I need a steady hand -
Good bye old chap - you understand
You wonderful, wonderful Waler.
Scheme | aabbCddecC ffddcbbggc eexhCiijjC cekkcllaaC mmnnCcehhC ooppcbbqqc |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (25%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1110101 110111101 010101111 1110111111 0100101 111100111 0010100101 11101101011 011011011 01001001 111110101 110101111 101110101 110100111 10100101 110111011 11110101 110111001 1100111101 101001001 11010101 1111101111 10101110101 11111101 0100101 01101001111 01111011 101010111 11110101 01001001 01010101 1011101111 1010111111 011111111 1100101 1010111111 011110111 1111100101 101110101 11001001 11110101 111111011 10111011011 1110110101 11001001 010101111 1111100111 111100111 10111111 11001001 11101011 0111111111 0110111111 11110111 1100101 011100111 11011111 11110101 1111101 11001001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,237 |
Words | 444 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 |
Lines Amount | 60 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 302 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 74 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:16 min read
- 126 Views
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"The Wonderful Aussie Waler" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3874/the-wonderful-aussie-waler>.
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