| "An Old Master" | |
|---|---|
| byC. J. Dennis | |
_-_Frontispiece.jpg) Frontispiece toBackblock Ballads and Later Verses (1918) illustrating the poem | |
| Written | 1910 |
| First published in | The Bulletin |
| Illustrator | Hal Gye |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Publication date | 4 August 1910 (1910-08-04) |
| Full text | |
 Backblock Ballads and Later Verses/An Old Master atWikisource | |
"An Old Master" is a poem by Australian poetC. J. Dennis. It was first published inThe Bulletin magazine on 4 August 1910, and later in the poet's poetry collectionBackblock Ballads and Other Verses (1913).[1] The poem depicts the problem faced by abullocky when his team gets stuck in thick mud.
In a review of the poet's collection,Backblock Ballads and Later Verses, the reviewer inYoung Witness described the poem as follows: ".. [it] conveys to the reader the power wielded by the old bullock driver, who, by his eloquence in hard swearing, could get more work out of a team than any of the gentle Annie variety of puncher of the present day. The team, on this occasion, was hopelessly bogged, bogged over the axles down to the bed. Bullock whip had no effect on the team, and they stood there chewing their cud, refusing to budge. An old pensioner, who lived in a hut on the roadside, seeing the dilemma, took the whip, and for a while the atmosphere in the vicinity went blue from the oaths that flew from the old fellow, who had not exhausted his vocabulary when the bullocks bent to their yoke, and lifted the waggon from the gluepot. He was 'An Old Master'."[2]
A reviewer inThe Telegraph (Brisbane) noted: " Mr. Dennis's work is not confined to the rhyming in slang, which were the sole attraction of some of his earlier and lucrative efforts. "An Old Master," with which the volume opens, stands out as one of Mr. Dennis's best."[3]
