AustLit
Latest Issues
Notes
-
Author's note: 'Benjamin Boyd, a Scotsman, came to New South Wales in 1848. Possessing either unlimited wealth or unlimited credit, he invaded the financial system of the colony with amazing ease, winning over many incautious speculators, founding banks, and actually building his own town at Twofold Bay. His brief career almost ended in bankruptcy, and finally he disappeared on a lone shooting expedition at Guadalcanal. The Oberon, chartered to discover some trace of him, returned with a skull, which was later proved to be that of a native.'
-
A poem in fifteen numbered parts, some with titles.
Contents
- 'From Our Roving Reporter'i"Well, friends, after a very trying fortnight", single work poetry (p. 1-2, 4-5)
- Author's prologue : A Drum for Ben Boyd, Part Two Author's Prologuei"Light quakes over the city, contracts, drives on:", single work poetry (p. 7-9)
- Untitledi"1842. An immense shaking of the sun", single work poetry (p. 11)
- A Boat Builderi"I, Jan Strindberg, boat-builder from Vossvangen,", single work poetry (p. 13-14)
- Journalisti"A new ship's in, dirt-cheap at sixpence per line,", single work poetry (p. 15-16)
- Untitledi"Ringed with a million sterling, the name of Boyd", single work poetry (p. 17)
- Sir Oswald Brierlyi"You will not find me lurking in the shadows", single work poetry (p. 19)
- A Whaleri"A dressed-up ape with a patronising stick", single work poetry (p. 21-22)
- A Papuan Shepherdi"Through the thick morning steam they took shape,", single work poetry (p. 23-24)
- Untitledi"Brierly dreams of a studio,", single work poetry (p. 25)
- Politiciani"This is a good man for a colony like ours,", single work poetry (p. 27)
- A Pioneer of Monaroi"I have loved two things deeply: the earth and silence,", single work poetry (p. 29)
- Untitledi"After the groups at corners, the upraised fist,", single work poetry (p. 31)
- The Captain of the Oberoni"I had never before held death, pale and polished, in my hands,", single work poetry (p. 33-34)
- John Websteri"Perhaps I foresaw the future of this last voyage,", single work poetry (p. 35-37)
Includes
-
Author's Prologue
i
"Light quakes over the city, contracts, drives on:",
1947
single work
poetry
— Appears in: Australian Poetry, 1946 1947; (p. 13-15) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 7-9) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 19-21) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 42-43) Legionary Ants and Other Poems 2008; (p. 4-5) -
Untitled
i
"1842. An immense shaking of the sun",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 3 July vol. 67 no. 3464 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 11) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 21) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 43-44) -
A Boat Builder
i
"I, Jan Strindberg, boat-builder from Vossvangen,",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 3 July vol. 67 no. 3464 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 13-14) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 22) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 44-45) -
Journalist
i
"A new ship's in, dirt-cheap at sixpence per line,",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 3 July vol. 67 no. 3464 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 15-16) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 23) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 45) -
Untitled
i
"Ringed with a million sterling, the name of Boyd",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 3 July vol. 67 no. 3464 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 17) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 23) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 45-46) -
Sir Oswald Brierly
i
"You will not find me lurking in the shadows",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 10 July vol. 67 no. 3465 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 19) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 23-25) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 46-47) -
A Whaler
i
"A dressed-up ape with a patronising stick",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 10 July vol. 67 no. 3465 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 21-22) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 25) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 47-48) -
A Papuan Shepherd
i
"Through the thick morning steam they took shape,",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 10 July vol. 67 no. 3465 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 23-24) Modern Australian Verse 1964; (p. 183-184) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 26) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 48) -
Untitled
i
"Brierly dreams of a studio,",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 10 July vol. 67 no. 3465 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 25) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 26-27) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 49) -
Politician
i
"This is a good man for a colony like ours,",
1948
single work
poetry
— Appears in: A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 27) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 27) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 49-50) -
A Pioneer of Monaro
i
"I have loved two things deeply: the earth and silence,",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 17 July vol. 67 no. 3466 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 29) Modern Australian Poetry [1946] 1952; (p. 10) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 27-28) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 50-51) -
Untitled
i
"After the groups at corners, the upraised fist,",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 17 July vol. 67 no. 3466 1946; (p. 2) Australian Poetry, 1946 1947; (p. 15-17) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 31) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 28-29) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 51) -
The Captain of the Oberon
i
"I had never before held death, pale and polished, in my hands,",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 17 July vol. 67 no. 3466 1946; (p. 2) Poets of Australia : An Anthology of Australian Verse 1946; (p. 374) Australian Poetry, 1946 1947; (p. 17-18) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 33-34) An Anthology of Australian Verse 1952; (p. 374) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 29-30) -
John Webster
i
"Perhaps I foresaw the future of this last voyage,",
1946
single work
poetry
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 17 July vol. 67 no. 3466 1946; (p. 2) A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 35-37) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 30-31) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 53-54) -
'From Our Roving Reporter'
i
"Well, friends, after a very trying fortnight",
1948
single work
poetry
— Appears in: A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948; (p. 1-2, 4-5) Collected Poems 1969; (p. 17-19) Cap and Bells : The Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 39-41)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
A Waterhole, Fishermen and Ben Boyd
single work
review
— Review of A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948 sequence poetry -
y
On the Australian poet Francis Webb
John Hawke
(presenter),
Ian Dickson
(presenter),
Southbank
:
Australian Book Review, Inc.
,
2021
23441898
2021
single work
podcast
'Francis Webb, an Australian poet born in 1925, was widely regarded by his contemporaries as one of the most gifted poets of his generation. His creative output was extensive, despite a troubled life living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. His first major poem, ‘A Drum for Ben Boyd’, appeared in book form when he was only twenty-two. In today’s episode, listen to ABR’s Sydney theatre critic Ian Dickson read the poem in its entirety.'
(Production summary)
-
Spotlight on Francis Webb
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Poetry Journal , vol. 2 no. 2 2012; (p. 65-66) Francis Webb burst onto the Australian poetry scene in 1948 with his first book, A Drum for Ben Boyd. He followed this with Leichhardt in Theatre three years later. Right from the start it was impossible to ignore him. The poem 'Morgan's Country' - an inner-portrait of Dan 'mad-dog' Morgan in which Webb seems to enter the outlaw's consciousness - is an innovative work that ran against the grain for an Australian poem in 1950. However, instead of embellishing a bushranger myth as Nolan did with his images of Ned Kelly, Webb strips away traces of narrative and then focuses on tiny details in a filmic way: 'At the window sill/ A blowfly strums on two strings of air'. (Author's introduction 65) -
Tracing the Spectre of Death in Francis Webb's Last Poems
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , no. 9 2009;'In much of Francis Webb's poetry "the tale brings death" ("A Drum for Ben Boyd") but death remains largely off-stage. The poetry eschews the space of death and seems unwilling to explore the possibility of nothingness. There is a significant change, however, that is particularly noticeable in Webb's last three published poems. This paper focuses on the naming of death in "Sturt and the Vultures" but it traces first a progression in Webb's poetry - from "A Death at Winson Green" through "Socrates" and "Rondo Burleske: Mahler's Ninth" - in which the poet seems increasingly ready to contemplate the possibilities of the void.'
-
'The Tiny Not the Immense' : Francis Webb and the Location of the Sacred
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Intimate Horizons : The Post-Colonial Sacred in Australian Literature 2009; (p. 69-103)
-
[Review] Pacific Sea [et al]
1948
single work
review
— Appears in: Meanjin , Spring vol. 7 no. 3 1948; (p. 202-203)
— Review of Pacific Sea 1947 selected work poetry ; A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948 sequence poetry ; Beware the Cuckoo and Other Poems 1947 selected work poetry ; Glencoe 1940-1949 single work poetry ; Wind from Caribbee : Poems 1948 selected work poetry -
Of Ben Boyd and the Sea
1948
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 3 July 1948; (p. 8)
— Review of Songs of the East Coast 1947 selected work poetry ; A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948 sequence poetry -
Ocean, Fire and Time
1949
single work
review
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 10 no. 1 1949; (p. 49-53)
— Review of Songs of the East Coast 1947 selected work poetry ; A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948 sequence poetry ; Beware the Cuckoo and Other Poems 1947 selected work poetry ; The Waterhole : A Poem 1948 sequence poetry ; The Secret Fire : Poems 1947 selected work poetry -
A Waterhole, Fishermen and Ben Boyd
single work
review
— Review of A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948 sequence poetry -
An Australian Epic
1948
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 19 May vol. 69 no. 3562 1948; (p. 2)
— Review of A Drum for Ben Boyd 1948 sequence poetry -
'The Tiny Not the Immense' : Francis Webb and the Location of the Sacred
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Intimate Horizons : The Post-Colonial Sacred in Australian Literature 2009; (p. 69-103) -
Tracing the Spectre of Death in Francis Webb's Last Poems
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , no. 9 2009;'In much of Francis Webb's poetry "the tale brings death" ("A Drum for Ben Boyd") but death remains largely off-stage. The poetry eschews the space of death and seems unwilling to explore the possibility of nothingness. There is a significant change, however, that is particularly noticeable in Webb's last three published poems. This paper focuses on the naming of death in "Sturt and the Vultures" but it traces first a progression in Webb's poetry - from "A Death at Winson Green" through "Socrates" and "Rondo Burleske: Mahler's Ninth" - in which the poet seems increasingly ready to contemplate the possibilities of the void.'
-
Spotlight on Francis Webb
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Poetry Journal , vol. 2 no. 2 2012; (p. 65-66) Francis Webb burst onto the Australian poetry scene in 1948 with his first book, A Drum for Ben Boyd. He followed this with Leichhardt in Theatre three years later. Right from the start it was impossible to ignore him. The poem 'Morgan's Country' - an inner-portrait of Dan 'mad-dog' Morgan in which Webb seems to enter the outlaw's consciousness - is an innovative work that ran against the grain for an Australian poem in 1950. However, instead of embellishing a bushranger myth as Nolan did with his images of Ned Kelly, Webb strips away traces of narrative and then focuses on tiny details in a filmic way: 'At the window sill/ A blowfly strums on two strings of air'. (Author's introduction 65) -
The Thematic of History in Francis Webb's Poetry
1993
single work
criticism
— Appears in: New Literatures Review , Winter South no. 26 1993; (p. 58-67) -
Palace of Dreams (1925-1945)
1991
single work
criticism
biography
— Appears in: God's Fool : The Life and Poetry of Francis Webb 1991; (p. 10-44)
Awards
- 1948 winner Grace Leven Poetry Prize