The Voice of Dan Crook in the Australian Poem “Said Hanarahan”
“Said Hanrahan” is an unpublished poem written by Australian bush poet John OBrien, better known as the pen name of Catholic priest Patrick Joe Hartigan. The first published version of the poem was in 1920 in The Catholic Press, having been included in that same book for the first time only months earlier. In the decades since its original publication, this poem has grown in both fame and popularity and is now considered an essential part of the canon of Australian Christian poetry.
Of particular interest is the voice of Dan Croke
With Dan Croke‘s notable comments such as “It’s looking crook” as a voice of pessimism. The poem begins as a simple poem about the significance of nature, which ends with the powerful, moving love poem that is the climax of the piece.
A Reading of the Poem, including Dan Croke. Read by Jack Thompson Live
The Poem
SAID HANRAHAN
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began,
One frosty Sunday morn.
The congregation stood about,
Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought,
As it had done for years.
“It’s lookin’ crook,” said Daniel Croke;
“Bedad, it’s cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad.”
“It’s dry, all right,” said young O’Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.
And so around the chorus ran
“It’s keepin’ dry, no doubt.”
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“Before the year is out.
“The crops are done; ye’ll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o’-Bourke
They’re singin’ out for rain.
“They’re singin’ out for rain,” he said,
“And all the tanks are dry.”
The congregation scratched its head,
And gazed around the sky.
“There won’t be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There’s not a blade on Casey’s place
As I came down to Mass.”
“If rain don’t come this month,” said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak–
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“If rain don’t come this week.”
A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed a piece of bark.
“We want a inch of rain, we do,”
O’Neil observed at last;
But Croke “maintained” we wanted two
To put the danger past.
“If we don’t get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“Before the year is out.”
In God’s good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.
And through the night it pattered still,
And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill
Kept talking to themselves.
It pelted, pelted all day long,
A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song
Way out to Back-o’Bourke.
And every creek a banker ran,
And dams filled overtop;
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“If this rain doesn’t stop.”
And stop it did, in God’s good time;
And spring came in to fold
A mantle o’er the hills sublime
Of green and pink and gold.
And days went by on dancing feet,
With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat
Nid-nodding o’er the fence.
And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey’s place
Went riding down to Mass.
While round the church in clothes genteel
Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed his piece of bark.
“There’ll be bush-fires for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“Before the year is out.”
Published at Wikipedia
John O’Brien
“Said Hanrahan” is written from the point of view of the narrator, described as “said Hanrahan”. It is composed in the first person and speaks of what it was like to be in his or her position. The narrator’s name is revealed in the opening line of the poem: “My name is Said Hanrahan, and I have no more to do.”
But there is much more to this story than meets the eye; there is much more to this man and his life, and much more to this story than what is revealed in the first lines of the poem. The narrator tells us that he has been given a difficult task, that he is faced with a choice between two paths. He must choose which path to take; which one will take him to the freedom and joy he so desperately longs for.
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Update 11/11/2020
Australian bush poetry dates back to colonial times, but it did not have a literary reputation until the twentieth century. The arrival of the first British fleet in 1788 marked the beginning of an indigenous poetry movement in Australia, specifically the Western frontier. This history of indigenous Australian history can be seen in bush poetic performance, which has been recorded by native writers in prose bush poetry during the later colonial era.
Bush poetry, according to legend, originated as a way for the aborigines to commemorate their battles and victories over invading tribes and outsiders. As a form of commemorative art, bush poetry is often a blend of narrative, song, and dance. The indigenous poets who record these performances in this form of poetic performance often do so using songs and other indigenous Australian instruments, such as the kangaroo drum, the gulet, and the drum.
About The Author
Dan Croke was a disadvantaged young man living in relative poverty in his formative years. Dan Croke then became a giver to others, not a taker. In this interview Dan Croke explains how coming from a childhood of “living from hand to mouth” led to a lifetime of him trying to create sustainable wealth for his family and also to give back to people he felt had been left behind.
Dan Croke is now a successful property investor, helping others to achieve financial freedom through investing. This Brisbane man, Dan Croke, who grew up in Warwick, Qld, moved to Brisbane and went on to become a wealthy property investor, having so far acquired almost 200 properties, some of which are individually worth as much as $5M and $10M. He has silently and anonymously helped scores of people over the years
You can find more at the Dan Croke website or by watching “A Current Affair” on Channel 9 from the 28th January 2021 about the secret philanthropist: Dan Croke.
Connect with Dan Croke on Zoom
Dan Croke the author