Antipodean, of Irish descent, CJ Dennis, aka Clarrie, managed to create many beautiful and striking lines, such as his combination of eye dialect, slang and paraphrase of Shakespeare in ‘The Play’:
This Romeo ‘e’s lurkin’ wiv a crew— A dead tough crowd o’ crooks – called Montague (31-32).
Dennis’ work was very popular with Australian forces during World War I (as well as during other uncertainty trenches in 2017) when special 'trench editions' were printed to fit inside soldiers' pockets.
The books were often torn apart so pages could be passed on, to provide some relief and laughter for weary troops.
In the wake of the Gallipoli landing and retreat, C.J. Dennis wrote another highly popular work about a soldier he called Ginger Mick.
ABC: C. J. Dennis biography gives new insight into Australian writer's talent and demons Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was a poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century (C. J. Dennis is buried in Box Hill Cemetery, Melbourne)
Dustjacket synopsis:
"The verse of C.J. Dennis celebrates the simple pleasures of life. His uniquely Australian poems paint a vivid picture of ordinary Australians and their way of life. His most successful poems capture the patriotic mood of the Great War - 'The Austra-laise' became the unofficial anthem of the Australian troops. Some of his most enjoyable poems are presented to us through the eyes of the larrikin 'Sentimental Bloke', a character well loved by generations of Australians. Others are presented from the viewpoint of a farmer or a small country townsman. All have a special charm - they evoke a time of innocence, when a job was worth doing, a marriage was for life, and a mate could be relied upon through thick and thin.
"The verse of C.J. Dennis celebrates the simple pleasures of life. His uniquely Australian poems paint a vivid picture of ordinary Australians and their way of life. His most successful poems capture the patriotic mood of the Great War - 'The Austra-laise' became the unofficial anthem of the Australian troops. Some of his most enjoyable poems are presented to us through the eyes of the larrikin 'Sentimental Bloke', a character well loved by generations of Australians. Others are presented from the viewpoint of a farmer or a small country townsman. All have a special charm - they evoke a time of innocence, when a job was worth doing, a marriage was for life, and a mate could be relied upon through thick and thin.
"This selection includes many favourite poems featuring well-known characters - the Kid, Doreen, Ginger Mick and Digger Smith are well represented here - as well as several other poems written in more conventional verse which convey Dennis's appreciation of the Australian way of life as it was during the 1910s and through the Great War to the late 1920s.
...
"Time does a bunk as us-u-al, nor stays
A single instant, e'en at Day's be'est.
Alas, the 'eavy-weight's 'igh-livin' ways
'As made 'im soft, an' large around the vest.
'E sez 'e's fat inside; 'e starts to whine;
'E sez 'e wants to dror the colour line.
The Stoush o' Day by C. J. Dennis
