To a Bird (1892)
I'm listening, father, to a sound
That I have heard thee say
Did come to call thee to thy toil
Just at the break of day.
It's sweet and thrilling melody
Is ringing in the air,
And tells me that the day will break
With promise bright and fair.
I wonder if it is the same
Bright warbler of the sky
That came so oft to waken thee
In busy days gone by.
I bless it though it may not be,
And also fate that led
It hither to dispel a dream
That filled my soul with dread.
For thoughts of that real-seeming dream
Still fill my heart with pain,
And echoes of a stricken scream
Come back to me again.
For thou had weary grown, I thought,
And cast thy burden down,
And I was here for evermore
To toil on earth alone.
But when I woke and heard that bird
Its sweet notes on me fell
With re-assurance calm and sweet
That told me all was well.
I thank it now most fervently
For singing o'er my head;
But, father, may it call in vain
To wake me when thou'rt dead.
But, oh! could we together leave
This weary world, at best,
We'd happy be did song as sweet
Proclaim our dawn of rest.
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
- published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
- anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
- government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).
This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.
Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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