FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

113

Will Ogilvie

Crossing The Warrego

The river was running a banker in flood they day that we mustered the Irrara Plain, and a hundred good horses, all beauty and blood,

train, hurricane, pride, tide, silver

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

115

Will Ogilvie

Linden Lea

Garstin rode on a chestnut colt that bucked to beat the band, but Garstin needed no monkey-holt, for his seat on a horse was grand.

star, sweet, restlessly, handsome, whirl, bolt

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

117

Will Ogilvie

The 'Ninety Flood

Who can remember the 'Ninety Flood when the Darling King came down, riding the bends, and out for blood, on his bridleless horse of brown; When close on his heels

sheep, helpless, torrent, dream

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

119

Will Ogilvie

How The Fire Queen Crossed The Swamp

The flood was down in the Wilga swamps, three feet over the mud, and the teamsters camped on the Wilga range and swore at the rising flood;

mails, struggle, spoonbill, softly, westward, hoofs

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

123

Will Ogilvie

Willanjie

We were travelling down the Bogan, where the scrubs are deep and dense with a thousand head of Tyson's from the Queensland border fence-

watercourse, wires, thunder, horn, guide, trust

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

126

Will Ogilvie

Off The Grass

They were boasting on the Greenhie of their nags of fancy breed, and stuffing them with bran and oats to run in Gumleaf Town,

horseflesh, lion, overweight, journey, honour

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

129

Will Ogilvie

How The Chestnut Horse Came Home

Twenty miles across the ranges there's a patch of cane-grass clears half-a-mile of tangled mulga; hides a score of native spears, while the horseman sings a love-song,

dead, note, doom, buggy, sunset, feet, game

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

131

Will Ogilvie

The Outlaw

Our realm was the fenceless ranges. We fed in the bluegrass swamps. The green of the branching wilga was the roof of our noonday camps. We drank at the pools in the lignum,

danger, weak, blood, pride,rider, afraid, awake, bitter, strength

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

135

Will Ogilvie

Rainbow In The Yard

There came a knock at Greyson's door one stormy winter night, and Greyson flung the bolts across and peered into the gloom; A woman, drenched and shivering,

nags, dawn, vain, God, fate

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

137

Will Ogilvie

The Team Bullock

The sunrays scorched like furnace fires; The sagging wool-bales dipped and swung; The sand poured off the four-inch tyres; The dust upon the float-rails clung.

sandhills, fortune, hide, skeleton, fate, fear, snake

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

140

Will Ogilvie

The Pack Horse

My hoofs were hid by the dew-wet clover, the tops of the blue-grass touched my girth, from the river-timber a wind came over, sweet with the scents of the warm, wet earth-

dust, heat, spider, rider, weather, cry, dead

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

143

Will Ogilvie

A White Man

There was a man on the Western side with a heart as big as his lands were wide; For his squatter friends he had open door, and a helping hand for the weak and poor;

hill, rest, dead, soul, friend

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

145

Will Ogilvie

Where The Brumbies Come To Water

There's a lonely grave half-hidden where the blue-grass droops above, and the slab is rough that marks it, but we planted it for love;

hopes, greenhide, comrade, hate, moon

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

147

Will Ogilvie

The Overlander

I knew them on the road: red, roan and white, cock-horned and spear-horned, spotted, streaked and starred; I knew their shapes moon-misted in the night

dreams, reins, prize, heart, motion, beasts

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

151

Will Ogilvie

Ben Hall's Stirrup-Irons

A lithe young squatter passes in the dust. His buckles gleaming and his bars aglance; But laden with long years of old romance the quaint old stirrups covered with red rust!

trust, stars, bound, journey, wild

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

152

Will Ogilvie

From The Gulf

Store cattle from Nelanjie! The mob goes feeding past, with half-a-mile of sandhill 'twixt the leaders and the last; The nags that move behind

queensland, flood, cattle, steer, spears, awake

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

154

Will Ogilvie

Kelpies

Out where the scrubs stand dark and dense and the great plains blaze in the sun, where the wide sheep-paddocks, unmapped, immense, reach out to the Queensland border fence-

dustclouds, glow, fancy, sheep, friends, fame

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

156

Will Ogilvie

Lothair

This is our trial horse, bred on the station, and ready to race with the young or the old, to flatter performance or spoil reputation as he sets them a pace to the tune he is told.

sand, dance, swear, mob, trial, dare, confident

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

157

Will Ogilvie

The Land Of Dumb Despair

Beyond where farthest drought-fires burn, by hand of fate if once befell, I reached the realm of No-Return that meets the March of Hell.

death, blood, curle, slake, fortune

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

159

Will Ogilvie

Taken Over

The banks are taking charge, old man!-I knew how it would be; The flags are flying half-mast high for death of Tringadee; The boss has left;

loyal, pride, smoke, drink, broken, smile, street

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

161

Will Ogilvie

The Ballad Of Devil-May-Care

Well known on the Border; tall, handsome and straight; A reckless hard-liver, but true-hearted mate; What his name was I'm not in position to swear, but we called him-it suited him-Devil-May-Care!

death, sun, armful, careless, gay, roses

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

163

Will Ogilvie

The Plough

From Egypt behind my oxen with their stately step and slow Northward and East and West I went to the desert sand and the snow;

centuries, seaboard, kiingdom, ships

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

167

Will Ogilvie

The Storks

There's a quaint old Nor'land fancy and a legend that I love, of the white storks winging Southward through the msit, of a palace or a cottage

kiss, sunlight, sweet, dream

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

168

Will Ogilvie

Fairy Tales

I chanced on an old brown book to-day all stained and yellow with dust anda ge, but the beats of a boy's heart, stilled for aye, are heard at the turning of every page.

tongues, gold, maids, foolish

Saddle For A Throne

FC 11 O-13

169

Will Ogilvie

Ribbons

To the show-ring children when the crowds are collected to cheer you O'er the fences in front of the stand, and when Heaven itself would seem near you

past, spoil, demands, donors, honours