For funerals and memorials
Poems for a farewell
Choosing a poem for someone you have lost is hard. These classic Australian poems are often read at funerals and memorials, especially for people who loved the bush, horses, the land or a good yarn.
Each one shows roughly how long it takes to read aloud, so you can fit it to the service. Every poem page has a Print button for an order of service, and you are free to copy and reprint them all.
Gone west
The creek at the ford was but fetlock deepWhen we watched them crossing there;The rains have replenished it thrice since then,And thrice has the rock lain bare.But the waters of Hope have flowed and fled,And never from blue hill’s breastCome back—by the sun and the sands devoured—Where the pelican builds her nest.
The last verse of Mary Hannay Foott's poem about riders who set out for the far country and never came home.
From Where the Pelican Builds, by Mary Hannay Foott (1885).
The poems
- Where the Pelican BuildsMary Hannay Foott, 1885 · 1.5 min readRiders who set out west and never came back. Short and gentle; for a traveller or a pioneer.
- Andy's Gone with CattleHenry Lawson, 1896 · 1.5 min readMissing someone who has gone away, and keeping things going for them. Short and simple.
- Clancy of the OverflowBanjo Paterson, 1895 · 3 min readFor someone who loved the open country and the droving life more than the city.
- The Women of the WestGeorge Essex Evans, 1906 · 2.5 min readA tribute to the women who made homes in hard country.
- Reedy RiverHenry Lawson, 1900 · 2.5 min readA quiet river, a home, and a grave beside it. Gentle and sad.
- Bell-BirdsHenry Kendall, 1869 · 3 min readThe sound of cool creeks and bell-birds, for a lover of the bush.
- Said HanrahanJohn O'Brien, 1921 · 4 min readA gentle laugh for a farmer who always expected the worst. Good where a lighter moment is wanted.
- The Sick StockriderAdam Lindsay Gordon, 1870 · 6 min readA dying stockman remembers the rides and mates of his life. Long; some read just a few verses.
- The Man from Snowy RiverBanjo Paterson, 1890 · 8 min readFor a horseman or horsewoman. Long; often read in part.
Every poem page has a Print button and text size controls.