Author: Henry Lawson

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    O my prow vas plack mit curses,
    Ven I dries to write dose verses;
    Ven I dries to write dot boem,
    Dot de best was effer been.
    All in vain my peer I guzzles,
    But I gannod solve dot broblem,
    Whos dot Western Pulleteen?

    Und I swear mit pleets and dvonder,
    Und I ferry often wonder,
    Would dot pabers cirgulation
    Shusta little pigger been,
    If dey toog deir seissor-pinchers,
    Shust to cut some leetle inches
    From that smarty-smarty writer
    Of dot Western Pulleeteen.

    Let dose mountains fall and hide us
    Gry benighded odersiders,
    Shame come round and woe betide us,
    Und our fellow men deride us
    If we effer yet can find oud
    Whos dot Western Pull-it-in?

    HENRICH HERTZBERG LAWSON

    I remain, Yours etc.,
    JOE SWALLOW

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Type of Poem: Clerihew

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: The poem presents itself as a playful and humorous piece, utilizing phonetic spelling to imitate a thick accent, adding a distinct flavor and charm to its delivery. The theme reveals the speaker's struggle to pen the perfect poem and his envy or frustration towards another poet, the mysterious 'Western Pulleteen', who is seemingly more successful or widely read.

The structure is relatively straightforward but is punctuated with colloquial terms and phrases that add to the comedic tone and make for a lively reading. There's also a sense of self-deprecation as the speaker acknowledges his shortcomings and laments his inability to match up to the 'Western Pulleteen'. The writer uses repetition effectively, particularly in the recurring question 'Whos dot Western Pulleteen?', which becomes a refrain echoing the speaker's confoundedness. This is not just a poem about the challenges of writing, but also about comparison, competition, and the quest for identity within the literary world.