Harry 'Breaker' Morant - At Last

When I am tired, and old and worn,

   And harass'd by regret;
When blame, reproach, and worldlings' scorn

   On every side are met;
When I have lived long years in vain

   And found Life's garlands rue,
Maybe I'll come back again -

   At last - at last - to you!

When all the joys and all the zest

   Of youthful years have fled,
Maybe that I shall leave the rest

   And turn to you instead;
For you, Dear Heart, would never spurn

   (With condemnation due!)
If, at the close of all, I turn

   Homeward - at last - to you! 

When other faces turn away,

   And lighter loves have passed;

When life is weary, cold, and gray -

   I may come back - at last!

When cares, remorse, regrets are rife -

   Too late to live anew -

In the sad twilight of my life

   I will come back - to you!

First published in The Bulletin, 5 April 1902.

Lord Byron - When a Man Hath No Freedom

When a man hath no freedom to fight for at home,
Let him combat for that of his neighbors;
Let him think of the glories of Greece and Rome,
And get knocked on his head for his labors.

To do good to mankind is the chivalrous plan,
And is always nobly requited;
Then battle for freedom wherever you can,
And, if not shot or hanged, you’ll get knighted.

Langston Hughes - The Negro Speaks of Rivers

I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.