C J Dennis poem query -Attn Dr Stephen

[Stephen Whiteside]

I have often puzzled over this poem, Marty. As you say, it is quite an enigma. It is the last verse that causes all the grief, isn't it. The earlier verses are all staightforward nonsense - if there is such a thing.

I have asked various people about it, and never got any sense out of anyone. The best I can do is suggest it is a comment on maturity - an older man looking back on a younger version of himself. That said, it seems quite out of place in a book for children. Still, surrounded by all that nonsense I think he can get away - sort of - with appearing to have just written a bit more. I think it sneaks under most people's radar, to be honest. It's a bit of an indulgence including it in 'Book for Kids', but I guess there's no great harm done.

There. That's my thoughts, for what they're worth. I can't really solve it for you.

[David Campbell]

It could be argued that the theme of the poem is: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

Just a thought.
David

[Bob Pacey]

Bit like trying to work out the meaning behind "American Pie" Hey Marty!



Bob

[Neville Briggs]

I had a read of that poem Marty. It is very enigmatic.

My thoughts are that he's saying that the questions of life that he asks are not answered by other people. The crowd can't be trusted to be truthful or don't listen to what he is asking, they are only self interested, only say what they want him to hear not what he wants to know. Perhaps even a metaphor for religious preachers.

Only the answers he has got for himself are trustworthy. The path to the truth is what he can discover for himself, not what he is told by the mob.

Perhaps an allusion to the Greek philosophical maxim " Know Yourself " I'd believe that a bloke like C.J.Dennis would be well aware of such a famous saying and its background.

Dunno. ????

That was a good one to bring up, lots of food for thought and discussion there.

[Stephen Whiteside]

I've gone back and had a closer read. It's the last line that still leaves me scratching my head.

[Stephen Whiteside]

That's interesting, Marty. I must admit, with the exception of this poem, I don't find him particularly enigmatic at all. Can you give me some other examples?

Oh, I can think of one: "I've married me a woman, but she never seen me smile." (Last line of 'Washing Day', from memory.)

I think, though, that that just refers to the rather stricter gender roles of the day, with the 'Bloke' playing the role of the strong, masculine, silent type - something like that.

Going back to the other poem, I know Dennis used meditation to write. He and Hal Gye used to meditate together. The theory was that ideally, under such circumstances, the poems would effectively 'write themselves'. It was a pet theory which, I must confess, holds great appeal for me also.

It is possible that 'The Traveller' was a bit of a 'stream of consciousness' poem that Dennis never entirely understood himself.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Dennis wasn't really a bush poet. He was extremely versatile and could turn his hand to bush verse, but it wasn't his default position. He was a rhymer, though, and I think people automatically put the two together, but that's a mistake.

His head was somewhere else entirely - up in the clouds somewhere and, from what I can gather, he was having a lovely time up there, too. Satire like the Glugs. Poems for children. Poems from the city slums. None of this is 'bush verse', but we group him with the 'bush poets' today because we can't think of another peg to hang him from.

He had a rich and quirky imagination - he was bordering on genius, really. He probably was a genius. I think he loved chasing rabbits down burrows - figuratively speaking - and didn't care too much what other people thought of him. Then again, I guess we all tend to project ourselves onto our heroes.

[Mal McLean]

I dunno Stephen, he wrote poems et al about Australia and Australians. By our own definition that qualifies him as a bush poet, but i also agree he was way more than that....way out there....far out..

Mal

[Stephen Whiteside]

Yeah, that's a fair call, Mal. But bush poet to me always sounds a bit like bush lawyer. Rough and ready. Dennis was never rough and ready. But I guess that's just my take on bush poet anyway.

[Glenny Palmer]

Bob & Marty....dumkoffens! 'American Pie' is clearly about the Crucifixion of Christ....