Venice masks

Thursday 20 October 2022

An Australian girl - Ethel Castilla

She has a beauty of her own, 
A beauty of a paler tone 
   Than English belles. 
The Southern sun and Southern air 
Have kissed her cheeks until they wear 
The dainty tints that oft appear 
   On rosy shells. 

Her frank, clear eyes bespeak a mind 
Old-world traditions fail to bind. 
   She is not shy 
Or bold, but simply self-possessed; 
Her independence adds a zest 
Unto her speech, her piquant jest, 
   Her quaint reply. 

O'er classic volumes she will pore 
With joy; and some scholastic lore 
   Will often gain. 
In sports she bears away the bell, 
Nor under music's siren spell 
To dance divinely, flirt as well. 
   Does she disdain. 

Ethel Castilla (1861 - 1937) Australia
Source:  Australian poets, 1788-1888, Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen, Cassell publishing company, 1890

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