Disputed Boundaries

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)



Taste? Good taste? It's been argued before,
But not many agree on it yet.
Much that A may condone B may deeply deplore;
So by whom is the standard set?
Are you thinking of jazz of the infantile kind
That predominates much of the day?
I am not high of brow, but I really don't mind
If you're cutting that out - Hurray!

If you must oscillate between brows that are high
And brows most deplorably low,
Then what of the midbrows who languish and sighFor melodious classics they know?
Is there never a mean twixt the music of Brahms
And the saccharine saxophone's bray?
For Cora loathes crooning, but Susie hates psalms,
Are you cutting out both? Hurray!

Taste? Whose taste? It is hard to define,
If my preference must be confessed,
I am partial to Schubert and Hubert in mine.
Ah, but what about all of the rest?
And what of announcers who drawl in a pained
And a 'fraightfully B.B.C.' way?
If you must please your public, and still keep 'refained,'
Are you carpeting these? Hurray!

When the McIntyre rises at Yetman, no doubt
There are multitudes thrilled to the core;
But thousands, arising in wrath, count you out,
If that shuts off the cricketing score.
Do you think it is right, when you mention the price
Of fat stock, to refer in that way
To the sex of the beast? Do you think it is nice?
Oh, you're now closing down? Hurray!

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:16 min read
61

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD XEEXDXD FGFGXDBD HAHAIDID
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,306
Words 252
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 7, 8, 8

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1915 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history. Together with Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he had collaborated with, he is often considered among Australia's three most famous poets. While attributed to Lawson by 1911, Dennis later claimed he himself was the 'laureate of the larrikin'. When he died at the age of 61, the Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons suggested he was destined to be remembered as the 'Australian Robert Burns'. more…

All Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis poems | Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem Disputed Boundaries 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

    "Disputed Boundaries" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/6292/disputed-boundaries>.

    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!

    More poems by

    Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    4
    days
    20
    hours
    20
    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?

    »
    The way the lines look on the page is known as ________.
    A Line
    B Form
    C Stanza
    D Paragraph