Poetry Anthology on John Brereton

POETRY ASSIGNMENT
Biography
John Le Gay Brereton was born in Sydney, Australia, on the 2nd of September 1871. He was the fifth son of John Le Gay Brereton (snr), a doctor, and his wife Mary Tongue. His parents and family life impacted greatly on his view of the world, distorting it from the views of the norm of the times. John senior was also a poet, and published several volumes of poetry. John junior went to school at Sydney grammar school, and was just 15 when his father died in 1886. John moved on to study at the University of Sydney, and graduated with a bachelor of Arts in 1894.

John was the editor of many newspapers, including his school paper, as well as the university paper: Hermes, and after 1890, John was a regular contributor to the Sydney quarterly magazine. Through his press ties, his poetry and literature became better known than that of most poets of the era. John produced his first poetry anthology in 1896, titled: the song of brotherhood and other verses. John produced another anthology in 1897 titled: sweetheart mine: lyrics of love and friendship.

The year 1900 saw John marry Winifred Odd. In 1902, John returned to the university of Sydney, as the librarian’s assistant. He was known among the students and staff at the university to defy the way of the time by never wearing a top hat. In 1908, john published his 3rd volume of poetry titled: sea and sky. Another volume followed after the first world war, in 1919, titled: the Burning Marl. 2 years after releasing his fourth volume, he was appointed professor of English at the University of Sydney.

John produced his final volume: Swags up! In 1928, and produced a series of autobiographical essays in 1930. In 1993 John went on holiday in Tamworth, and died there whilst still on holiday. John died friends with more widely known poets such as Henry Lawson. John’s wife and 4 children all survived him.Anthology
ANZAC
Within my heart I hear the cry Of loves that suffer, souls that die, And you may have no praise from me For warfare’s vast vulgarity; Only the flag of love, unfurled For peace above a weeping world, I follow, though the fiery breath Of murder shrivel me in death. Yet here I stand and bow my head To those whom other banners led, Because within their hearts the clang Of Freedom’s summoning trumpets rang, Because they welcomed grisly pain And laughed at prudence, mocked at gain, With noble hope and courage high, And taught our manhood how to die. Praise, praise and love be theirs who came From that red hell of stench and flame, Staggering, bloody, sick, but still Strong with indomitable will, Happy because, in gloomiest night, Their own hearts drummed them to the fight.

I chose the poem ANZAC because of it’s descriptive language, truth, and it’s use of the harsh reality of war, while not glorifying war in any way. The Poet uses a mixture of descriptive text, rhyming words and rhythm to display his views on World War 1. His use of scary and uncomfortable words really reflect this message that war is a sick and gruesome place.Toby
Hey, Toby, Toby, Toby!—Dead? The silence is a flood That closes, choking, overhead, And chills the living blood.

The leaping friend, whose jolly bark Was greeting every night, No more to thrill the summer dark With welcome of delight?

Beside his grave I bend the knee, And O, my eyes are dim. He hunted for the dog in me: I found the man in him.

Swags Up!
Swags up! and yet I turn upon the way. The yellow hill against a dapple sky, With tufts and clumps of thorn, the bush whereby All through the wonder-pregnant night I lay Until the silver stars were merged in grey Our fragrant camp, demand a parting sigh: New tracks, new camps, and hearts for ever high, Yet brief regret with every welcome day. Dear dreamy earth, receding flickering lamp, Dear dust wherein I found this night a home, Still for a memory’s sake I turn and cling, Then take the road for many a distant camp, Among what hills, by what pale whispering foam, With eager faith for ever wandering.The Patriot
The patriot from his walls of brass Is singing loudly as I pass; With fearless heart and open eyes, He shouts the ancient battle cries; And, where I pause to hear him sing, A silent crowd is listening.

My country, God bestows by thee The glory of the world to be The glory thou alone canst give To last amid things fugitive.

My country, an ideal form I see thee splendid in the storm, Directress of the power divine That makes the expectant future thine.

My country, all the world shall bow Before thy peace-conceiving brow, And all the peoples humbly stand Submissive to thy blessing hand.

My country, yea, the foes who raise A tyrant flag shall learn to praise Thy steadfast love that dares to fight The horde of Satan for the right.

My country, loveliest, strongest, best, Thou hast a mission to the rest, And greater wealth and love shall be The guerdon of thy ministry.

In every land I hear him sing; In every land I see him fling His country’s flag against the skies And gaze aloft with dazzled eyes; And then his loud applause rings roundAnalysis of “Toby”
The poem: Toby is a poem that was written about the death of John’s dog. the poem begins in the Poet’s point of view, calling out the dog’s name, and finding him and realising he is dead. The use of descriptive and cold language engages the reader, and helps us to embrace the feelings that the poet is trying to force upon us. The nature of the poem encourages readers to think back on times that we may have lost a close or loved person, and the poem is both a metaphor and true. the second paragraph of the poem is centered around the sinking in of the fact that one of his closest companions was dead, and that there was now an emptiness in his heart, and silence in the house. Toby’s bark used to fill the house of noise when ever John came home from work, but now he is greeted by an empty house, and the memory of what a great companion Toby was. John uses language and emotions to make the readers feel a touch sad, and to bring our minds into his perspective.
The third paragraph of the poem takes us on an emotional roller coaster while John reminisces over what a good mate Toby was for him, his loyalty and how he was always there for John. The third paragraph ends with John coming back to reality, and remembering that Toby is no longer there to greet him after a long day’s work. The nature of the last sentence of the paragraph is almost distraught, and the readers can almost feel John’s pain through his clever use of descriptive and emotive text.
The final paragraph is a sense of closure for the poem, poet and readers. John lays Toby to his final resting place, and realises that Toby was the greatest companion that he has had, and they spent their time together trying to find the similarities, even though John was a man, and Toby was a dog, and John definitely found the man in Toby, whilst Toby spent his time trying to find out how dog-like John really was. The poem ends with a sense of happiness, as the poet seems to admit to the loss of his friend, and closes with the fact that Toby really was a man, as he is caring, kind, and always there for his mates, no matter what is going on.

Bibliography
Poetrylibrary.edu.au
Brereton, John Le Gay - Poet - Australian Poetry Library
Poetrylibrary.edu.au (n.d.) Brereton, John Le Gay - Poet - Australian Poetry Library. [online] Available at: http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/brereton-john-le-gay [Accessed: 24 Sep 2012].
En.wikipedia.org
John Le Gay Brereton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
En.wikipedia.org (2012) John Le Gay Brereton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Le_Gay_Brereton [Accessed: 24 Sep 2012].

Bibliography: Poetrylibrary.edu.au Brereton, John Le Gay - Poet - Australian Poetry Library Poetrylibrary.edu.au (n.d.) Brereton, John Le Gay - Poet - Australian Poetry Library. [online] Available at: http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/brereton-john-le-gay [Accessed: 24 Sep 2012]. En.wikipedia.org John Le Gay Brereton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia En.wikipedia.org (2012) John Le Gay Brereton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Le_Gay_Brereton [Accessed: 24 Sep 2012].