Timber Cutter's Wife

[tomchap]

The Timber Cutter's Wife

Copyright © June 2007 Tom Chapman

Life was tough in days gone by, for a woman with a kid.
Work was where she found it and she slaved to make a quid.
No man in sight to help her out, she battled on alone
With gutsy toil through long, hard days, defeat for her unknown.
She swung an axe at Matlock there, like any man would do;
She didn't shirk such heavy work and those like her were few.

Her man had met a tragic end, a victim of cruel fate;
A falling tree had gone astray and killed her lifelong mate.
And she was left to win the bread and raise their only child.
She filled each day with honest toil and never was reviled.
She swung an axe at Matlock there, like any man would do;
And went home worn but satisfied when each day's work was through.

The signs of femininity were long since left behind,
For now responsibility was foremost on her mind.
So she toiled on relentlessly on southern alpine slopes
To pay the bills, supply their needs, fulfill a mother's hopes.
She swung an axe at Matlock there, like any man would do;
She pulled her weight and never failed that timber cutting crew.

Soft gentle hands had been replaced by tough and calloused skin;
The sweaty tough exterior well hid what lay within.
For there beneath her blue work shirt, there beat a mother's heart
So ready to consume herself to give her boy a start.
She swung an axe at Matlock there like any man would do;
Ensuring that they would survive, that family of two.

She paid her dues in that work gang with strong and aching backs,
And wielded, with her hard-won skill, her loving husband's axe.
But deep inside resided there a feminine desire
To still portray her womanhood that honest men admire.
She swung an axe at Matlock there like any man would do;
But at weekend dances she was changed—was woman through and through.

Years have passed by, her body now is worn and tired and broken,
She faced her life and what it gave, complaint was never spoken.
Was worth it all as she sees now this ultimate outcome;
Her son's an upright citizen—respects and loves his mum.
The axe she swung at Matlock there, like any man would do;
Was working for her husband and the man he never knew.

[RonB.]

G'day Tom,
               Enjoyed that poem, What was one of Henry's lines
 "It was no place for a woman, where the women worked like men'
                                                          Well done mate,
                                                                       Ron.
   

[Bernard de Silva]

G'day Tom,
               a really enjoyable yarn Mate and the repeated line throughout enhances...have to take a shot at you however...some of the lines are even more drawn out than mine!!!
                Seriously though, even with the predictability of the story line, I enjoyed every word...it's a top write.
                Cheers Mate,
                                  Bernie.

[tomchap]

Thanks Ron and Bernie.

My brother-in-law was timber cutting at Matlock about 50+ years ago, and there was a woman cutting with them. Don't really know what her story was, but it could have been...

I'll have to look through my Henry Lawson book to see if I can find that line Ron. I don't recall it so I have a couple of hundred pages of reading. Should do me good though.

The lines are all long Bernie, basically 7 foot iambic, with a couple of places where I have put two quick syllables together on a weak beat, e.g.  "But at weekend dances". The long lines give more space to tell a story, I find. But Banjo and Henry used them too, so I'm not too radical.

Cheers

Tom.

[Bernard de Silva]

G'day Tom,
               that quote Ron gave..."It was no place for a woman, where the women worked like men'
is from "THE LAST REVIEW",
[When I was King and other verses.]
 
HENRY LAWSON "A FANTASY OF MAN"...complete works 1901-1922.             Page 193.
                                                                                          Bernie

[tomchap]

G'Day Bernie,
Thanks mate, saved me a bit of searching. Last night I scanned through the first 102 pages of my Henry L. The line in question is on page 192 in my book, so I still had a bit to go.
 And talking of long lines, The Last Review seems to be 7 foot iambic with each line starting with 2 syllables run together on a weak beat. Otherwise the line would have to start on a strong beat making 8 feet to the line and a missing weak beat. It flows better with the 7 foot arrangement.

What do you think? I suspect that Manfred will be able to comment on this too.
Cheers

Tom.

[Bernard de Silva]

G'day Tom,
              don't know about Manfred but I am mostly up front on opinion and to me personally, seven foot iambic, dare I make the comment here, always has a 'sing-song' connatation and the ragged look about the finished product  seems less than aesthetic in appearance. While I readily concede it is likely the prime medium for performance poetry and readily understood wording, I also hold the opinion there are other modes more fitting to expression for those with the dedication to apply such...it is obvious and made ever apparent, I am not one of the dedicated.
               It would be, however, a sad state of affairs for literacy if all conformed to like confines...variety is definately the spice of life...to each his own. A more profound look at the scope and diversity of writing in the overall works and careers of both Henry and Banjo, other than the more popularised facets of the legacy they have left for all, reveals what expression is all about...
                                                       Cheers old Mate,
                                                                         Bernie.

[Irene]

Hi Tom
Great poem - like Bernie said, the repetition enhanced the poem.
I must go and find that writing of Henry Lawsons that's been mentioned, and have a read!

Hi Bernie
Of course you dare make that comment - could make for some interesting debate!!!   

While I agree that the seven foot iambic metre can sound sing-song in performance/recited poetry, obviously the use of enjambment, etc will get past that issue. However, I believe that it also is one of the best metres for traditional australian poetry, as, like Tom mentioned, it gives plenty of space for telling a story - and that is what our australian bush poetry is all about! 
I find, when I read bush poetry, that I want to be able to absorb the story, along with the images, feelings and emotions, without having to try and work out where the poet has intended his stresses to be. With a good, regular metre (not necessarily seven foot iambic!) you can do this.

However, as you also mentioned, variety is the spice of life, and certainly, the other modes of poetic writing also add greatly to our education.
Like you, I am not one of those dedicated to other modes of expression - I freely admit to prefering plain old aussie verse, that tells an enjoyable/moving story and is easy to read.

There are some literary snobs who look down on the simplicity of some of our traditional bush verse, but hey, that's fine!!     Like you say- to each his own!!!!

Catchya
Irene

[tomchap]

Hi Bernie, Irene (and whoever else)

Almost any regular rhythmic line can be said in a sing song style, and as a result, sound dreadful. I have a friend who likes to read poetry, and always reads it that way, even when there is enjambment, and at times the sense is almost lost with a breath at the end of every line.

However even the most obviously rhythmic lines can avoid that when read, or recited, with due regard to the meaning of the words. This, surely, is what makes a difference in performances. Having had a classically trained musical background, some of what I learned there can be applied to poetry. There are metrical accents - those that come from the structure (beats to the bar; 5 or 7 foot lines), and there are expressive accents, which over-ride the metrical. In poetry we can emphasize a word by a rise of the voice, or a slight pause, or saying it a bit louder. All of these things add meaning to the spoken word, and avoid the sing song presentation.

Consider the sentence: "Will you play tennis with me today." There is a very obvious different meaning implied when we emphasize "you" or "tennis" or "me" or "today". Searching for, and expressing these meanings is what makes a performance interesting.

Having said all that, it is obvious that Banjo and Henry wrote in many rhythmic styles (and line lengths), their choice often suited to the occasion.

And having said all that, I'm pleased that you enjoyed "The Timber Cutter's Wife".

Thanks to all,

Cheers

Tom

[RonB.]

G'day Tom,Bernie,Irene and all,
                               I am one who is on the learning curve of bush poetry, and I know that as far as all the technical side goes I am at the bottom end of the curve. (was it Aristotle that said ' the more I get know, the more I realise I don't know?) However I feel that if somebody enjoys a poem, to them it's a good poem. I did a job years ago for a bloke who worked in the wine industry, He made the comment that you could make the best and most expensive wine in the world, but if the person drinking it didn't like it, it wasn't worth two bob!
Could apply to poetry in some sense, In the eye of the beholder so to speak, but on the other hand standards should be maintained so that our  Bush Poetry remains up There! (just my two bobs worth).
Now, back to Henry for a moment, I heard Jim Haynes recite 'My Father In Law and I" on the radio the other day and looking through the 'Fantasy of Man' last night came across it (page276). It's worth a read, the irony of the man never ceases to amaze!
                                          Cheers,
                                                     Ron.

[Bernard de Silva]

G'day Ron,
              fact is...once you start, you'll likely find every page therin and in the companion volume is worth the read...and the bloke was right, the finest in any range, anywhere, is 'not worth two bob' regardless of quality, if none appreciate it.
                                                                               Cheers Mate,
                                                                                      Bernie

[manfredvijars]

Sorry about not getting to this earlier Tom ... I enjoyed this piece and yes the refrain in the second last verse in each stanza works well.

I've hunted dear around Matlock, Aberfeldy and love that area ...

Just a couple of suggies, feel free to use any or none ... )

Third stanza ...
So she toiled on relentlessly on southern alpine slopes

the stress on 'she' is unnatural
Try something like:
And so she toiled relentlessly ...


Second last Stanza ...
But at weekend dances she was changed—was woman through and through.

The stress on the 'at' is forced
try something along ...
But weekend dances changed her - she was woman through and through.


Last stanza
Years have passed by, her body now is worn and tired and broken,
She faced her life and what it gave, complaint was never spoken.

you have two feminine (soft) end rhymes which are out of synch with the rest of the piece

Try something along the following so that you maintain an 'absolute' end rhyme pattern ...
Years have passed, her body now was broken, tired and worn
She faced her life ... <without scorn/ something was torn>  or similar?

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Manfred.

[tomchap]

Hi Manfred,

Thanks for all that, much appreciated. I'll leave my original here as it was - might be useful to someone else. It shows the problems which can arise when working to a deadline. A fresh mind quite often sees more clearly. But I will change my printed version. One poet/educator suggested that a poem should be put aside for at least a year, then re-read and revised. What a luxury of time!

I was running the first two syllables together in the "But at weekend...", so the stress was on 'week' (two quavers on the upbeat), but it flows much better with your suggested change.

As for the feminine endings-(don't worry girls, it's a proper technical term in music and poetry), I have changed to:
 Years have passed by, her body now is broken, tired, and worn,
 She's faced her lot and what it gave, life's curtain almost drawn.

Thanks again mate, Cheers

Tom

[zondrae]

Manfred,
where have you been? Things have been so quiet on the site and when I have posted bits, hoping for this type of constructive comment, there has been little forthcoming.

I'm doing several other things beside poetry at the moment. Researching for other writers but I still read this site several times a day. We need more input. Just because the ABPA site is 'up' doesn't mean this one should suffer a decline.

Peeley, Why haven't you posted anything for so long. Have you ever posted your 'Elvis' poem?

[manfredvijars]

Hey tom, you're very welcome - but please remember that I'm not sitting on your shoulder as your 'Muse' kicks in so I may well be wrong.

As for the feminine endings-(don't worry girls, it's a proper technical term in music and poetry), I have changed to:
 Years have passed by, her body now is broken, tired, and worn,

Reading this verse out loud a few times, in forcing the stress on 'have' it can sound like "Yer Sav" (BBQ). On the first run by I almost stressed the 'passed' ... try something like:
"Years passed her by, her body now is broken, tired and worn,"  it may flow a little easier?   

Goodonya Zondrae yes, I have been very nortie in not popping as often as I should - Mea Maxima Culpa. Remember there are others far more gooderer than me at this stuff.

Cheers,

Manfred.

PS. Peely has left the building.