Project Gutenberg's The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke, by C. J. Dennis

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Title: The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke

Author: C. J. Dennis

Posting Date: September 4, 2009 [EBook #4730]
Release Date: December, 2003
First Posted: March 8, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SONGS OF A SENTIMENTAL BLOKE ***

Produced by an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer.

The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke

C. J. Dennis

To Mr and Mrs J. G. Roberts

La vie est vaine:
Un peu d'amour,
Un peu de haine...
Et puis--bonjour!

La vie est breve:
Un peu d'espoir,
Un peu de reve...
Et puis--bonsoir!

Leon Montenaeken

Foreword

My young friend Dennis has honoured me with a request to write
a preface to his book. I think a man can best write a preface
to his own book, provided he knows it is good. Also if he knows
it is bad.

"The Sentimental Bloke", while running through the Bulletin,
brightened up many dark days for me. He is more perfect
than any alleged "larrikin" or Bottle-O character I have ever
attempted to sketch, not even excepting my own beloved Benno.
Take the first poem for instance, where the Sentimental Bloke
gets the hump. How many men, in how many different parts of
the world--and of how many different languages--have had the
same feeling--the longing for something better--to be something
better?

The exquisite humour of The Sentimental Bloke speaks for itself;
but there's a danger that its brilliance may obscure the rest,
especially for minds, of all stations, that, apart from sport
and racing, are totally devoted to boiling

"The cabbitch storks or somethink"

in this social "pickle found-ery" of ours.

Doreen stands for all good women, whether down in the smothering
alleys or up in the frozen heights. And so, having introduced
the little woman (they all seem "little" women), I "dips me lid"--
and stand aside.

HENRY LAWSON
SYDNEY, 1st September, 1915.

Contents

I. A SPRING SONG
The world 'as got me snouted jist a treat;...

II. THE INTRO
'Er name's Doreen...Well, spare me