This poem was first published by Van Diemen’s Land Temperance Herald in July 1846.
‘A Drinking Song’
By Mrs. Sigourney
Drink, friends, drink deep — the moon is high;
Drink, and forget your care —
The sultry summer’s suns are nigh —
Drink, and your strength repair;
The deer that from the hunter flies,
The warrior red with slaughter,
The camel ’neath the burning skies,
Quaff the deep chrystal water!
Our father, Sun, the example gives,
Our mother, Earth, also;
He, jocund, drinks above the clouds,
She, blushing, drinks below.
Pledge high, pledge, the friends you love long,
To absent wife and daughter,
Or blooming maid, who rules your heart,
Drink deep — but only water!
‘A Drinking Song’. Van Diemen’s Land Temperance Herald: For Domestic and Foreign Intelligence, no. 13 (July 1846), page 198. Retrieved 25 July 2020 from https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1646366948/view?sectionId=nla.obj-1800975740&partId=nla.obj-1646395945#page/n13/mode/1up.
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Poet’s Corner is a quaint and quirky section of The Tasmanian Times. It has been designed to offer a haven to those who relish and immerse themselves in the sheer joy and pleasure emanating from English verse. Our idea is to share poems published in Tasmania during the early years of British arrival.
We would also like you to share your poetry with us. Submissions can be sent to [email protected]. Please see www.tasmaniantimes.com/contact for general submission guidelines.
