'Tis strange on such a peaceful day With white clouds flying o'er,That foreign boats are in the bay As prisoners of war.The Harbour, where they quietly lay; Smiles brightly as of yore.
Where never angry shot was fired To alter peaceful plans;Where British lumpers worked till tired With Yacob and with Hans,And "shouted" when their work was done For other "sailormans".
And while we think of other lands And what is doing there,And while we think of what red hands May wreak in our despair--How can the Harbour be so blue, And the sky above so fair?
Sources, publication & text notesReference details
Canonical recordPOEM-000357
Copy-textProject Gutenberg Australia, Collected Poems of Henry Lawson (2022), anchor p98; selected digital copy-text retained exactly; wording and layout confirmed against Ironbark Resources under D-180
While The Billy BoilsSearch