Clancy of the Overflow
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"Clancy of The Overflow" is a poem by Banjo Paterson, first published in The Bulletin, an Australian news magazine, on December 21 1889. The poem is typical of Paterson, offering a romantic view of rural life, and is one of his best-known works.
The poem is written from the point of view of a city-dweller who once met the title character, a shearer and drover, and now envies the imagined pleasures of Clancy's lifestyle, which he compares favourably to life in "the dusty, dirty city" and "the round eternal of the cashbook and the journal".
And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars, And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wond'rous glory of the everlasting stars.
The title comes from the address of a letter the city-dweller sends, "The Overflow" being the name of the sheep station where Clancy was working when they met.
Clancy himself makes a brief appearance in another popular Banjo Paterson poem, "The Man From Snowy River", which was first published the following year.
The poem has been set to music and recorded several times, perhaps the most notable version by folk band Wallis and Matilda in 1981.
Film director Simon Wincer, responsible for Free Willy and the Australian historical drama Phar Lap, has announced plans for a film based on the poem. The film is scheduled for shooting in early 2005.
External link
- The text of the poem (http://www.uq.edu.au/~mlwham/banjo/clancy_of_the_overflow.html)