# A Voice from the City

On western plain and eastern hill  Where once my fancy ranged, The station hands are riding still  And they are little changed. But I have lost in London gloom  The glory of the day, The grand perfume of wattle bloom  Is faint and far away.
Brown faces under broad-brimmed hats  The grip of wiry hands, The gallops on the frosty flats,  Seem dreams of other lands; The camp fire and the stars that blaze  Above the mystic plain Are but the thoughts of vanished days  That never come again.
The evening star I seldom view –  That led me on to roam – I never see the morning star  That used to draw me home. But I have often longed for day  To hide the few I see, Because they only point and say  Most bitter things to me.
I wear my life on pavement stones  That drag me ever down, A paltry slave to little things,  By custom chained to town. I've lost the strength to strike alone,  The heart to do and dare – I mind the day I'd roll my swag  And tramp to--God-knows-where.
When I should wait I wander out,  When I should go I bide – I scarcely dare to think about  The days when I could ride. I would not mount before his eyes,  'Straight' Bushman tall and tan – I mind the day when I stood up  And fought him like a man.
I mind the time when I was shy  To meet the brown Bush girls – I've lunched with lords since then and I  Have been at home with earls: I learned to smile and learned to bow  And lie to ladies gay – But to a gaunt Bushwoman now  I'd not know what to say.
And if I sought her hard bare home  From scenes of show and sham, I'd sit all ill at ease and fell  The poor weak thing I am. I could not meet her hopeless eyes  That look one through and through, The haggard woman of the past  Who once thought I was true.
But nought on earth can last for aye,  And wild with care and pain, Some day by chance I'll break away  And seek the Bush again. And find awhile from bitter years  The rest the Bush can bring, And hear, perhaps, with truer ears  The songs it has to sing.
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
* published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
* anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
* government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).
This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.
Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse