Christmas, the queen of summer, nears the strand.
The countryside is gold from end to end
With bush and bells, that a sweet message send
To every corner of this southern land.
The skies are lit as with a glowing brand;
River and sea in tints of azure blend;
Until it seems the gods themselves unbend,
And grant their blessings with a lavish hand.
But I have seen the clustered berries grow
Scarlet against the holly's glossy sheen;
Have scattered crumbs upon a drift of snow,
And fed stray robins on the gorse-clad green.
Though Home is grey with cloud and winter sleet,
I would her country ways lay at my feet.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 December 1927
