The Modest Aussie

Sir William Beach Thomas, speaking in Perth, suggested that Australians do not boast their country sufficiently.

Fellows!

We, as a nation
Are rather given to vituperation
Of the foreigner who belows
Loudly about the virtues of his na-
    tive land.
And,
While he deplores us,
Seeking every opportunity to criticise
    us,
Strives to impress us
With the possible beauty, natural re-
    sources, trade, commerce, wealth,
General health,
Absolute perfection and
Progress of his land,
And, heaven bless me!
We let this fellow plague us and 
distress us.

We ape our eyes
In mild surprise,
Remarking,
In the rare intervals of his boastful
    barking:
"Astounding! Marvellous! Austra-
    lia could never
Be anything like that!" And over
We adopt the shrinking mien, the
    modest pose, the drooping eye,
That leaves us as a nation, high and
    dry.

Fellows, are we to meek? 
Should we not seek
To advertise
To shout Australia's virtues to the
    skies
And crack the welkin with exultant
    cries?
Frankly I don't know what the wel-
    kin is,
But 'it'l
Good biz
To ring it till the nations of the
    earth
Learn our true worth.
This is the age of boost, my fellows,
    boost!
We must get used
To the loud voices and the loud suit
    and the aggressive tone;
We must secure a mighty megaphone
And join the chorus
Of loud self-adulation
Sung by each modern nation,
The thing might bore us.
But, lo, there's nothing now left for
   us
The day of doice far niente,
The day of full and plenty
Won
By basking in the sun
Watching crops grow
Is gone my friends or is about to go
And, lo,
The time has come to raise ourselves
    on end ...
And bravely send
Shouting to high heavens of our wonderous
    worth
The boasters have inherited the earth.
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