Henry Lawson...myth and reality

[Shelley Hansen]

The life of Henry Lawson's mother Louisa makes for interesting reading. Here's a link to the Australian Dictionary of Biography for anyone interested:

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lawson-louisa-7121

Louisa was a publisher and a tireless advocate of women's rights. She caused a sensation prior to 1900 by employing women printers at her publishing business. Louisa's final health decline was precipitated by a serious accident in 1900 when she was thrown from a moving tram. She took over a year to recover from her injuries and become active in public life once more.

It seems her admission to a mental asylum in 1918 was probably due to early-onset dementia. She died there in 1920 aged 72. Henry outlived his mother by only 2 years.

Louisa was a fine poet in her own right - often underrated. Here is a link to some of her works (I particularly like A Pound a Mile, which I have performed in competition).

http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/lawson-louisa

Cheers
Shelley

[Neville Briggs]

True Shelley, Louisa Lawson was an accomplished poet. And Banjo's grandmother Emily Barton also.

What's that they say about behind every successful man there's a good woman ( giving him a shove )

[Heather]

Louisa was a very strong character and years ahead of her time.

Henry also wrote a play while living in New Zealand - but iit never came to anything and if my memory serves me, it was because it was too long! During his time in New Zealand he served as a teacher in a remote area and he also worked putting up telegraph poles.

Heather

[Terry]

Hi Heather,
I'm with you on preference of Henry over Banjo, and for the same reason.

Mind you both were great poets in my opinion.

I can be very forgiving of the odd half rhyme or minor blemish, when I really like a poem.

Terry

[Vic Jefferies]

Heather the lady was Hannah Thorburn who died shortly after Henry returned from England and who is thought to be the lost love Henry wrote about in the poem, Do They Think I Do Not Know as well as another poem.

[Heather]

Hannah died in June 1902 and Henry made his attempt at suicide later that year.

To Hannah, was the poem Vic. There may have been others as well.

[Vic Jefferies]

Thank you Heather.

But the haunting words of the dead to me
Shall go wherever I go.
She lives in the marriage that might have been-
Do you think that I do not know?

(Henry Lawson's, Do They Think That I Do Not Know)

[Heather]

Here's another one Vic. Simply entitled - Hannah Thornburn. He mentions - "the wife's loveless eyes..."

If you know about Henry's life you see a lot of him in his poems.


In "Do they think that i do not know?" Lawson says "She was buried at Brighton, where Gordon sleeps, when i was a world away." Here he is using poetic license as Hannah is not buried at Brighton (i have read where but can't remember).

I found another love poem but can't find it now - will keep looking.

Heather

[Neville Briggs]

Stop putting I in lower case !!!

[Heather]

Or what?


Sorry Neville. My leg hurts and my fingers don't work properly. I'm using my old computer as the other one is playing up and I'm not used to this keyboard.

If anyone can find and post some of the poems mentioned that would be grand. Then we can all read and discuss the poems. I can't access other websites on this puter - it's too slow and old.

Heather