| Walter Murdoch (1874–1970). The Oxford Book of Australasian Verse. 1918. |
| |
| 181. The Welcome |
| | | By Nettie Palmer |
| |
| |
| DID you know, little child, | |
| Ere you left the outer wild, | |
| There were strong hands steady, | |
| There were old songs ready, | |
| There was love prepared to keep you with the hard earth reconciled? | 5 |
| |
| Did you learn beyond the moon | |
| All the happy sounds of noon? | |
| A creek’s voice will greet you, | |
| A wattle bend to meet you, | |
| There are visions, there are voices: you will know them soon and soon. | 10 |
| |
| Yes, for you will surely go | |
| Where the deepest gullies grow, | |
| They will feel you and take you, | |
| With birds to lure and wake you, | |
| They will set your spirit dancing, they will tell you all they know. | 15 |
| |
| There beneath the radiant dome | |
| Unafraid your feet will roam, | |
| With the soft creek lapping, | |
| And the loose bark flapping, | |
| While the waving tree-ferns whisper, ‘Little girl, you’ve wandered home.’ | 20 |
| |
|
|
|
