What do you think?
Collected Verse
The poet A B 'Banjo' Paterson, best known for his rousing folk classics "The Man from Snowy River" and "Waltzing Matilda," is widely acknowledged as Australia's greatest and most popular balladist. His poems, written with great gusto and humour, celebrate all the romance and rough-and-tumble of old Australia. In this collection, leading Paterson scholar Clement Semmler presents more than 100 of Paterson's poems that reflect the remarkable richness and range of his writings. Generously illustrated with period drawings, this first Penguin edition of Paterson's verse pays tribute to one of Australia's favourite sons – 'the Banjo of the Bush.'
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1921
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 8, 2021
He is the poet who wrote some of the best known lines of Australian poetry so getting to know more of his repertoire made sense, especially since his book of poems had been on the shelf for a while. The man from snowy river was good to read directly, while waltzing Matilda I already knew from end to end. They are a good snapshots of the general style that Paterson uses - ballads with a rollicking rhythm and regular rhymes (occasionally forced) which tell light hearted stories about Australia as he liked to imagine it. Which usually involve horses somehow. Included in the collection were stories from his international experience, as a journalist in South Africa, for example, or as an observer from a distance in the case of his story about Chile.
These are very accessible poems compared to Neruda or Bruce Dawe, with little abstraction beyond the story to pull it all together. It probably doesn't rank as good poetry in literary critique terms but maybe it's a better place to start - since aren't they all trying to tell a story at their heart? The acclaimed stuff disguises them but still strives to tell them. Perhaps it's just a pity that banjo didn't take a more expansive range of topics to tell his stories about!
These are very accessible poems compared to Neruda or Bruce Dawe, with little abstraction beyond the story to pull it all together. It probably doesn't rank as good poetry in literary critique terms but maybe it's a better place to start - since aren't they all trying to tell a story at their heart? The acclaimed stuff disguises them but still strives to tell them. Perhaps it's just a pity that banjo didn't take a more expansive range of topics to tell his stories about!
June 12, 2021
Containing Australian classics, like Waltzing Matilda and The Man From Snowy River, Banjo Paterson: Collected Verse, is full of bushman poetry.
It’s so quintessentially Australian, with poems about the drover’s life, living in the outback, horses, and the lawlessness of the life back then.
I loved this collection of poems – every Australian should have a copy.
It’s so quintessentially Australian, with poems about the drover’s life, living in the outback, horses, and the lawlessness of the life back then.
I loved this collection of poems – every Australian should have a copy.
Want to Read
April 23, 2025Biblio.com US$6.71
July 7, 2022
This was so shit. Yes I read all of these so-called poems and goddamn it, The Man From Snowy River sucked hard. This collection of horse fetish erotica was an absolute chore to get through and having established my disdain for the "great Aussie poet" I now feel obliged to hand in my citizenship.
What's up with all the love for this tripe? I don't get it. I like horses. They're marvellous creatures. I don't feel any need to sit on top of them personally but I can see how others doing so had an impact on our history. No less so in Australia and apparently Banjo found no end of fascination with them.
Ok. I suppose I get it an itty bit. I expected all of these to be great because the name is associated with greatness, but that's not fair and I should expect some gems and some duds. I don't like everything Byron wrote (not even nearly) or everything by Tennyson etc...
Also. I know it was a different time, and we shouldn't judge too harshly with our modern perspective, yada yada.... but while this guy wasn't always banging on about it, the racist language can be uncomfortable at times. For example this line from 'Johnson's Antidote':
"Think of all the foreign nations, negro, chow, and blackamoor".
I don't even know what blackamoor is supposed to mean but sitting there next to the other two derogatory titles I can't imagine it's very nice.
Australia is a bit weird because we're generally extremely comfortable with (and casual about) insults. Most of us would likely mean nothing by it, but that careless language bolsters bigots and I think we're learning to do better. What I'm saying is that I don't know if this lawyer-masquerading-as-a-poet was actually an asshat or if he was just absent mindedly using the parlance of the time.
I pulled this collection out of the cute little community library box in the park on my street and I'm thoroughly looking forward to returning it, so to finish this review and move on with my life, here's a list of the few that I did enjoy:
Saltbush Bill - a fight on the edge of the Wilga Run, serves as a distraction to feed Bill's sheep.
The Man From Ironbark - a man gets more than he bargained for when he visits a barber in Sydney.
Lost - a mother searching for her lost child.
How M'Ginnis Went Missing - spoiler alert, he had a little too much to drink.
The Wind's Message - about the scents and sounds of a familiar breeze.
Come By Chance - a unique Utopian view.
Waltzing Matilda - was ok. The song by the Bushwhackers rhymes better!
As Long As Your Eyes Are Blue - a lurve poem.
Gilhooley's Estate - actually this one sucked too, but was notable for taking a swipe at Banjo's own profession with the line: "attorneys are worms".
Sunrise on the Coast - about a sunrise, on the coast. o_0
Final score: 9 out of 130
(Gilhooley's doesn't count).
What's up with all the love for this tripe? I don't get it. I like horses. They're marvellous creatures. I don't feel any need to sit on top of them personally but I can see how others doing so had an impact on our history. No less so in Australia and apparently Banjo found no end of fascination with them.
Ok. I suppose I get it an itty bit. I expected all of these to be great because the name is associated with greatness, but that's not fair and I should expect some gems and some duds. I don't like everything Byron wrote (not even nearly) or everything by Tennyson etc...
Also. I know it was a different time, and we shouldn't judge too harshly with our modern perspective, yada yada.... but while this guy wasn't always banging on about it, the racist language can be uncomfortable at times. For example this line from 'Johnson's Antidote':
"Think of all the foreign nations, negro, chow, and blackamoor".
I don't even know what blackamoor is supposed to mean but sitting there next to the other two derogatory titles I can't imagine it's very nice.
Australia is a bit weird because we're generally extremely comfortable with (and casual about) insults. Most of us would likely mean nothing by it, but that careless language bolsters bigots and I think we're learning to do better. What I'm saying is that I don't know if this lawyer-masquerading-as-a-poet was actually an asshat or if he was just absent mindedly using the parlance of the time.
I pulled this collection out of the cute little community library box in the park on my street and I'm thoroughly looking forward to returning it, so to finish this review and move on with my life, here's a list of the few that I did enjoy:
Saltbush Bill - a fight on the edge of the Wilga Run, serves as a distraction to feed Bill's sheep.
The Man From Ironbark - a man gets more than he bargained for when he visits a barber in Sydney.
Lost - a mother searching for her lost child.
How M'Ginnis Went Missing - spoiler alert, he had a little too much to drink.
The Wind's Message - about the scents and sounds of a familiar breeze.
Come By Chance - a unique Utopian view.
Waltzing Matilda - was ok. The song by the Bushwhackers rhymes better!
As Long As Your Eyes Are Blue - a lurve poem.
Gilhooley's Estate - actually this one sucked too, but was notable for taking a swipe at Banjo's own profession with the line: "attorneys are worms".
Sunrise on the Coast - about a sunrise, on the coast. o_0
Final score: 9 out of 130
(Gilhooley's doesn't count).
December 10, 2015
A wonderful book filled with some of Australias best poetry.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews