On The Poet John Shaw Neilson Poem by Francis Duggan

In Australian literature one worthy of note
In his poems he lives on as a legendary poet
In Nhill where he lived for many years his old cottage does stand
As a memorial to a great of the Wimmera Mallee land
With Australia's best poets he is one you could rate
John Shaw Neilson's name lives as a poetic great
Though he never had children or never had a wife
And one who laboured quite hard for his living in life
Far from Australia by poetry lovers in Lands far away
His poems read and enjoyed and recited today
Though long dead his poetic legend has grown
His beautiful rhyme in a class of it's own
In old age he had poor sight life to him was unkind
But a better poet than him would be hard to find.