Poem by Henry Lawson

The Free-Selector’s Daughter

I met her on the Lachlan Side -- 
A darling girl I thought her, 
And ere I left I swore I’d win 
The free-selector’s daughter. 

I milked her father’s cows a month, 
I brought the wood and water, 
I mended all the broken fence, 
Before I won the daughter. 

I listened to her father’s yarns, 
I did just what I `oughter’, 
And what you’ll have to do to win 
A free-selector’s daughter. 

I broke my pipe and burnt my twist, 
And washed my mouth with water; 
I had a shave before I kissed 
The free-selector’s daughter. 

Then, rising in the frosty morn, 
I brought the cows for Mary, 
And when I’d milked a bucketful 
I took it to the dairy. 

I poured the milk into the dish 
While Mary held the strainer, 
I summoned heart to speak my wish, 
And, oh! her blush grew plainer. 

I told her I must leave the place, 
I said that I would miss her; 
At first she turned away her face, 
And then she let me kiss her. 

I put the bucket on the ground, 
And in my arms I caught her: 
I’d give the world to hold again 
That free-selector’s daughter!

1. On the Wallaby
2. The Flour Bin
3. The Days When We Went Swimming
4. When the Bush Begins to Speak
5. The Men Who Made Australia

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