# In Memoriam : Marcus Clarke

The night winds sob on mountains drear,  Where gleams by fits the wint'ry star; And in the wild dumb woods I hear  A moaning harbor bar.
The branch and leaf are very still,  But now the great grave dark has grown, The torrent in the harsh sea-hill  Sends forth a deeper tone.
Some sad, faint voice is far above,  And many things I dream, it saith, Of home made beautiful by Love  And sanctified by Death.
I cannot catch its perfect phrase;  But, ah, the touching words to me Bring back the lights of other days—  The friends that used to be.
Here sitting by a dying flame,  I cannot choose but think with grief Of Harpur, whose unhappy name  Is as an autumn leaf.
And domed by purer breadths of blue  Afar from folds of forest dark, I see the eyes that once I knew —  The eyes of Marcus Clarke.
Their clear, bright beauty shines a space;  But sunny dreams in shadows end, The sods have hid the faded face  Of my heroic friend.
He sleeps where winds of evening pass,  Where water songs are soft and low — Upon his grave the tender grass  Has not had time to grow.
Few knew the cross he had to bear,  And moan beneath from day to day. His were the bitter hours that wear  The human heart away.
The laurels in the pit were won:  He had to take the lot austere That ever seems to wait upon  The man of letters here.
His soul was self-withdrawn. He made  A secret of the bitter life Of struggle in inclement shade  For helpless child and wife.
He toiled for love unwatched, unseen,  And fought his troubles band by band, Till, like a friend of gentle mien,  Death took him by the hand.
He rests in peace! No grasping thief  Of hope and health can steal away The beauty of the flower and leaf  Upon his tomb to-day.
The fragrant woodwinds sing above  Where gleams the grace of willow fair; And often kneels a mournful love  To plant a blossom there.
So let him sleep, whose life was hard;  And may they place beyond the wave This tender rose of my regard  Upon his tranquil grave.
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