I have returned to Alice Springs,
right in the Red Centre of Australia,
where the landscape is translucent;
at dusk the horizon a line of fire.
A perfect town for an artist like me,
so I made the most of being there,
painting two thousand watercolours
which reflected the way I saw the light
in the Red Centre, around Ayers Rock.
My paintings sold well in exhibitions,
making me very wealthy and famous
in the icy art circles of white people,
and my own people, the Aranda.
I have returned to Alice Springs,
where I could not even build a house:
I ended up in that shantytown, Morris Soak,
with Rubena, my companion in poverty.
I had shared my money with my people,
because of tribal custom, maybe kindness...
I had brushes with the law late in life,
over alcohol, and some jail time
where I just lost the will to paint.
It was love-hate: me and Alice Springs,
where I yet found my last resting place.
I hope you remember me, my friend,
for my paintings of Ayers Rock ablaze,
and 'Red Bluff', that made my name.
-April,2016.(Albert Namatjira,1902-1959) .
'painting two thousand watercolors' I would love to be lost for a few hours in those paintings, watching 'Ayers Rock ablaze' Yes I also found outback Australia beautiful and the cities good ant hills to be lost in, loved the poem Michael.
Thanks for your observations Terry. You have an advantage over me in that you have actually been to the Outback: I have not. You appreciate art and Australia as I do.
He did paint two thousand watercolours. The first figure was wrong. Thanks for your comments. I look forward to 'haiku' and 'tanka'. M.Walker.
an early painting of his mission buildings was found in a wardrobe in Adelaide recently and auctioned for 28thou, It's on a piece of wood about 20x30cm. The Museum of Australia in Canberra bought it. It's a timeless land up there.
I am very interested to learn that about Namatjira. It shows how priceless and timeless genuine art is. I would love to visit that area. Maybe one day.
as I wrote in my msg to you: your poems make me feel how bad it was -is- that I didn't get the chance to visit Australia & NZ when I could..
I think the 'red centre' of Australia would be special to see. There is still time.
oh.. BTW: next project will be on the Japanese form of poetry 'haiku & tanka'. Since it is not so easy for non-Japanese or not learned poets writing waka poetry, also 'so called' Taoist poems will be accepted [there will be an 'Addendum /Appendix']. Think about.. OK?
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I read in the other poem of yours that ''Namatjira was a very successful Aboriginal artist, mainly of the central Australian landscape. He completed more than a thousand paintings.'' - Interesteing and well penned poems, Michael. Congrats.
Thanks for your affirming comment. Painting is another tremendous art form.