Lament emigranta (1842)

Nagranie

The Beautiful Land of Australia

Piosenka australijska z XIX wieku. Zapisana dla potomności w książce Andrew „Banjo” Patersona „The Old Bush Songs”, wydanej w Sydney w 1906 roku. Inny tytuł tej piosenki to „Pommy's Lament” i chyba pod tym tytułem poznał Kaczmarski tekst tego utworu, bo oznacza on właśnie lament emigranta (pommy – stereotypowy Brytyjczyk i brytyjski imigrant).
W wydawnictwie nutowym „Authentic Australian Bush Ballads” utwór datowany jest na wczesne lata XIX wieku.

A oto oryginalny angielski tekst piosenki:

All you on emigration bent, |
With home and England discontent, |
Come listen to my sad lament |
About the bush of Australia. |

CHORUS: |
Illawarra, Mittagong, |
Parramatta, Wollongong, |
If you wish to become an orang-outang |
Well, go to the bush of Australia. |

Once I possessed a thousand pounds, |
Says I to meself how grand it sounds, |
For a man to be farming his own grounds |
In the promising land of Australia. |

When coming out the ship got lost, |
In a very sad plight we reached the coast, |
And very nearly made a roast |
For the savages of Australia. |

Escaped from thence I lighted on |
A fierce bushranger with his gun, |
Who borrowed my garments, every one, |
For himself in the bush of Australia. |

Sydney town we reached at last, |
Says I to meself, all danger's passed, |
Now I'll make me fortune fast |
In the promising land of Australia. |

So off I went with cash in hand, |
Upon the map I bought my land, |
But found it naught but barren sand |
When I got to the bush of Australia. |

Of sheep I got a famous lot; |
Some died of hunger, some of rot, |
But the divil a lot of rain we got |
In this promising land of Australia. |

My convicts, they were always drunk, |
And kept me in a mighty funk, |
Says I to meself as to bed I sunk, |
I wish I were out of Australia. |

Of ills I've had enough, you'll own, |
But something else my woes to crown, |
One night my bark hut tumbled down |
And settled me in Australia. |

Of cash and homestead thus bereft, |
The ruddy spot I gladly left, |
Making it over by deed of gift |
To the savages of Australia. |

Now stones upon the road I break, |
And earn my seven bob a week. |
'Tis better surely than the freak |
Of settling down in Australia. |

• „The Old Bush Song edited by A.B. Paterson” Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 89 Castlereagh Street 1906 Websdale, Shoosmith ande Co., Printers, Sydney
• „Authentic Australian Bush Ballads - Sheet music” by Hal Evans (piano arrangements) (Author), John Meredith (Editor), Alan Scott (Editor) Southern Music Publishing Co. (A'asia) Pty. Ltd. (1960)

Dodane 11.11.2019 przez PrzemekL