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Quote by Dorothea Mackellar

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The Poems of Dorothea Mackellar

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Dorothea Mackellar
Dorothea Mackellar

Dorothea Mackellar was an Australian poet celebrated for her evocative imagery and lyrical style. Born on July 1, 1885, in Sydney, she is best known for her poem 'My Country', which has become an anthem for Australians. Mackellar's work often reflected her deep connection to the Australian landscape and its people, and she published her first collection of poems, 'Sentimental Journey', in 1908. She passed away on January 14, 1968. more

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“I sit alone in a dead world. The wind blows hot and dry, and the dust gathers like particles of memory waiting to be swept away. I pray for forgetfulness, yet my memory remains strong, as does the outstretched arm of the oppressive air. It seems as if the wind has been there since the beginning of the nightmare. Sometimes loud and harsh, a thousand sharp needles scratching at my reddened skin. Sometimes a whisper, a curious sigh in the black of night, of words more frightening than pain. I know now the wind has been speaking to me. Only I couldn't understand because I was too scared. I am scared now as I write these words. Still, there is nothing else to do.”

“Let me alone," said Mildred "Let you alone!" He almost cried out with laughter. "Letting you alone is easy, but how can I leave myself alone? That's what's wrong. We need not to be let alone. We need to be upset and stirred and bothered, once in a while, anyway. Nobody bothers anymore. Nobody thinks. Let a baby alone, why don't you? What would you have in twenty years? A savage, unable to think or talk--like us!”