C J Dennis "The Play" Australian Poem animation

his lighthearted poem "The Play" which takes a uniquely Australian perpective on "Romeo and Juliet". C. J. Dennis was born in Auburn, South Australia. His father owned a hotel in Laura, and his mother suffered ill health, so Clarrie (as he was known) was raised initially by his great-aunts, then went away to school, Christian Brothers College, Adelaide as a teenager. At the age of 19 he was employed as a solicitor's clerk. It was while he was working in this job that, like banker's clerk Banjo Paterson before him, his first poem was published. He later went on to publish in The Bulletin, as Paterson and Henry Lawson had also done. The three are often considered Australia's three most famous poets; though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1916 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history. The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke and numerous spin-offs published subsequently related the everyday adventures of the title character Bill, his girl Doreen, his friend Ginger Mick, and other characters. The poems are written in dialect, and present the Sentimental Bloke as a typical larrikin. This ev'nin' I was sittin' wiv Doreen, Peaceful an' 'appy wiv the day's work done, Watchin', be'ind the orchard's bonzer green, The flamin' wonder of the settin' sun. Another day gone by; another night Creepin' along to douse Day's golden light; Another dawning when the night is gone, To live an' love--an' so life mooches on. sad to his feet (from "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke") The Sentimental Bloke was adapted as a stage play, a silent film of the same name, a sound film, and a musical over the following decades. In 1983, Australia Post featured the Sentimental Bloke on a series of stamps. A poetry prize named in Dennis's honour is presented regularly by the Premier of Victoria. After Dennis's death at the age of 61, Joseph Lyons, the Prime Minister of Australia, described him as "the Robert Burns of Australia". C J Dennis is buried in Box Hill Cemetery, Melbourne. The Box Hill Historical Society have attached a commemorative plaque to the gravestone. Kind Regards Jim Clark All rights are reserved on this video recording copyright Jim Clark 2009 THE SENTIMENTAL BLOKE V. THE PLAY Wot's in a name? -- she sez . . . An' then she sighs, An' clasps 'er little 'ands, an' rolls 'er eyes. "A rose," she sez, "be any other name Would smell the same. Oh, w'erefore art you Romeo, young sir? Chuck yer ole pot, an' change yer moniker!" Doreen an' me, we bin to see a show -- The swell two-dollar touch. Bong tong, yeh know. A chair apiece wiv velvit on the seat; A slap-up treat. The drarmer's writ be Shakespeare, years ago, About a barmy goat called Romeo. "Lady, be yonder moon I swear!" sez 'e. An' then 'e climbs up on the balkiney; An' there they smooge a treat, wiv pretty words Like two love-birds. I nudge Doreen. She whispers, "Ain't it grand!" 'Er eyes is shining an' I squeeze 'er 'and. 'Wot's in a name?" she sez. 'Struth, I dunno. Billo is just as good as Romeo. She may be Juli-er or Juli-et -- 'E loves 'er yet. If she's the tart 'e wants, then she's 'is queen, Names never count ... But ar, I like "Doreen!"

Author: poetryanimations
Keywords: poem animation Dennis dorothy parker caprani kipling yeats whitman poetry poet australia australian
Added: April 16, 2009

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