To An Old Mate

Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)




     Old Mate!  In the gusty old weather,
     When our hopes and our troubles were new,
     In the years spent in wearing out leather,
     I found you unselfish and true --
     I have gathered these verses together
     For the sake of our friendship and you.
 
     You may think for awhile, and with reason,
     Though still with a kindly regret,
     That I've left it full late in the season
     To prove I remember you yet;
     But you'll never judge me by their treason
     Who profit by friends -- and forget.
 
     I remember, Old Man, I remember --
     The tracks that we followed are clear --
     The jovial last nights of December,
     The solemn first days of the year,
     Long tramps through the clearings and timber,
     Short partings on platform and pier.
 
     I can still feel the spirit that bore us,
     And often the old stars will shine --
     I remember the last spree in chorus
     For the sake of that other Lang Syne,
     When the tracks lay divided before us,
     Your path through the future and mine.
 
     Through the frost-wind that cut like whip-lashes,
     Through the ever-blind haze of the drought --
     And in fancy at times by the flashes
     Of light in the darkness of doubt --
     I have followed the tent poles and ashes
     Of camps that we moved further out.
 
     You will find in these pages a trace of
     That side of our past which was bright,
     And recognise sometimes the face of
     A friend who has dropped out of sight --
     I send them along in the place of
     The letters I promised to write.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:21 min read
121

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABAB CDCDCD AEAEAE FGFBFG HIHIXI JKJKJK
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,588
Words 269
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Henry Lawson

Henry Lawson 17 June 1867 - 2 September 1922 was an Australian writer and poet Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period more…

All Henry Lawson poems | Henry Lawson Books

3 fans

Discuss the poem To An Old Mate with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "To An Old Mate" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/18152/to-an-old-mate>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    10
    hours
    39
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Sestina is made up of how many lines?
    A 6
    B 36
    C 28
    D 39