Chinese Immigration
You doubtless read the papers,
And as men of observation,
Of course you watch the progress
Of Chinese immigration--
For thousands of these pigtail chaps
In Adelaide are landing;
And why they let such numbers come
Exceeds my understanding.
On Emerald Hill it now appears
A Joss House they've erected;
And they've got an ugly idol there--
It's just what I expected;
And they offer nice young chickens
Unto this wooden log;
And sometimes with a sucking pig
They go the entire hog.
Now some of you, perhaps, may laugh,
But 'tis my firm opinion,
This colony some day will be
Under Chinese dominion.
They'll upset the Australian government,
The place will be their own;
And an Emperor with a long pigtail,
Will sit upon the throne.
Melbourne will be the seat of power,
And then 'tis my impression,
Of the stations up the country
They'll quickly take possession.
The squatters will be used as slaves,
By the Celestial nation;
And growing tea or rice will be
Their only compensation.
The mandarins will seize for wives
The fair Australian girls;
And from Melbourne to the diggings
They'll cut lots of canals.
And for fear the coves of New South Wales
Should pay a hostile call;
Between this colony and that
No doubt they'll build a wall.
The customs of their country
Of course will then prevail;
And every English slave will have
To wear a long pigtail.
We'll all of us be fed on rice,
As true as I'm a sinner;
And 'stead of spoons we'll have to use
Those chopsticks for our dinner.
This picture, perhaps, is overdrawn;
But, however, who can say,
That all these things will not take place,
If we let them have their way.
If it comes to pass, these English songs
Away I'll quick be flinging,
And learn their language; and come out
In Chinese comic singing.
poem by Charles Thatcher
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Related quotes
The Pigtail
There lived a sage in days of yore,
And he a handsome pigtail wore;
But wondered much, and sorrowed more,
Because it hung behind him.
He mused upon this curious case,
And swore he’d change the pigtail’s place,
And have it hanging at his face,
Not dangling there behind him.
Says he, “The mystery I’ve found;
I’ll turn me round.” He turned him round,
But still it hung behind him.
Then round, and round, and out, and in,
All day the puzzled sage did spin;
In vain—it mattered not a pin—
The pigtail hung behind him.
And right, and left, and round about,
And up, and down, and in, and out
He turned. But still the pigtail stout
Hung steadily behind him.
And though his efforts never slack,
And though he twist, and whirl, and tack,
Alas! still faithful to his back
The pigtail hangs behind him!
poem by Adelbert von Chamisso
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A Tragic Story
There lived a sage in days of yore,
And he a handsome pigtail wore;
But wondered much and sorrowed more,
Because it hung behind him.
He mused upon this curious case,
And swore he'd change the pigtail's place,
And have it hanging at his face,
Not dangling there behind him.
Says he, 'The mystery I've found -
Says he, 'The mystery I've found!
I'll turn me round,' - he turned him round;
But still it hung behind him.
Then round and round, and out and in,
All day the puzzled sage did spin;
In vain - it mattered not a pin -
The pigtail hung behind him.
And right and left and round about,
And up and down and in and out
He turned; but still the pigtail stout
Hung steadily behind him.
And though his efforts never slack,
And though he twist and twirl, and tack,
Alas! Still faithful to his back,
The pigtail hangs behind him.
poem by William Makepeace Thackeray
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The Fine Fat Saucy Chinaman
I'll sing a little ditty, which
I trust you'll not think flat.
Of a fine fat saucy Chinaman
Who lives on Ballarat,
Whose pigtail is wound round his nut
In a tremendous plait,
And who wears on most occasions
A mushroom-looking hat.
Like a fine fat saucy Chinaman,
One of the present time.
His tent is on the Red Hill, and
He's fossicking all day;
And though he takes what others leave,
Contrives to make it pay;
And sometimes gets big nuggets,
As I've heard people say,
For, by dint of perseverance,
He always pays his way.
But the people on the diggings
Complain of him in shoals -
They say he's always damaging
The splendid waterholes;
And when they catch him at it,
Into a rage they fly;
But, "Welly good no sabby,"
Is all John will reply.
There's an awful insurrection
In China now 'tis said;
He comes away, but finds here too
A price set on his head;
But as the ten pound poll tax
He swears he will not stand,
He goes on shore at Adelaide,
And tramps it overland.
Now John with all his many faults,
Leads an industrious life;
The greatest drawback that he has
Is that he has no wife;
And as he is a bachelor,
Of course he never pops
To spend his tin in any of
The millinery shops.
Now as he's getting lots of gold,
I've not the slightest doubt
That ultimately Chinese girls
By thousands will come out,
Of all sizes and complexions
To please both great and small,
For John says that without a wife,
He can't get on at all.
poem by Anonymous Oceania
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October Silk
I liked the rice candy
at the Chinese market
at University Heights
where the Chinese lady
with the blue-black bangs
wrapped Almond cookies
in cellophane packets
where Pork Fried Rice
came in square containers
with no.3 choice of chow mein,
as people lined up out the door
and into the street
Four lanes of heavy bags
of Jasmine rice and Plum paste
of Green tea and rice cakes
and I stumble into the aisle
You like cookies? the Chinese man
asks holding up the small bag,
leaning over the rows of Bok Choy
and loose-packed Snow-peas
The Chinese lady
moves in October silk
she gives me my Rice candy
and a sample of dried Plums,
the fragrant smell of Jasmine
and Vanilla Bean heavy in the air.
poem by Louise Marie DelSanto
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Black Market Payoff Blood Ivory Pyramid
Chinese government
shame covert secret
blood run ivory policy
wise rats don't talk sell...
to honest foreigners
non-Chinese buyers
Chinese government
customs bribed officials...
demand their silence
cut $100,000 US
dollars a small container
of illegal black market...
African ivory capitalist smiles
where are Chinese heroes?
not in power not in politics
not in party in protest jails...
poem by Terence George Craddock
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PARTY AT THE LEPER COLONY
Finger food and an ice cold keg
It won't cost you an arm and a leg
Dance all night to a rotten band
Come on, people, let's give 'em a hand
Saturday night it's the place to be
Everybody cut footloose with me
At the party at the leper colony
Oh, there's a party at the leper colony
Met a little lady so pretty and young
She was quite a talker till the cat got her tongue
She oozed up beside me, I turned on my charm
Well, pretty soon she was completely disarmed
I said, "Girl, now don't fall to pieces on me"
But she cried her eyes out . literally
At the party at the leper colony
Oh, there's a party at the leper colony
Hey! Hey!
Hey now, buddy, don't you give me no lip
Sorry I was using your head for a dip
There's a guy in the hot tub, I don't know who
Wait a minute, it looks like Stu
Well, hold the phone now, what do I see?
Another pretty mama got her eye on me
At the party at the leper colony
Oh, there's a party at the leper colony
There's a party at the leper colony
(Party at the leper colony)
There's a party at the leper colony
(Party at the leper colony)
Oh, there's a party at the leper colony, yeah, party at the leper colony
Well, there's a party at the lepr colony
(Party at the leper colony)
Hey!
song performed by by Weird Al Yankovic
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Chinese Girls
(jack hues)
A star is shining
Into my eyes
It will not fall
A star is wise
Across the harbor
Perfumed hills
The silent waters
And all is still
Oh yeah
Chinese girls stand, see right through you
Chinese girls can sway
Chinese girls will melt your heart
And take your breath away
Chinese girls would dance with god
Chinese girls dont care
Put their hands around their heads
And through their chinese hair
She is not moving
She does not talk
Birds in her hair
Where she walks
And when she gazes
Theres a pearl
I will not forget
My chinese girl
song performed by by Wang Chung
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When the Chinese first came to San Francisco, they were actually welcomed by the mayor and they had special ceremonies for them-again this is when their colony was very small, only a few Chinese.
quote by Iris Chang
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Down South In South Australia
Down south in South Australia in old Port Adelaide
A place of Indigenous history where history has often been made
Home of renowned Australian Rules Footballers men who are known Worldwide
They wore the magpie colours with a certain sense of pride.
In the beautiful Port River the dolphins sport and play
In fancy I can see them in the sunlight of the day
From the pier at Port Adelaide one them often does see
Marvellous memories of such beauty keep on coming back to me.
Those grand old Towns of South Australia by the far southern shore
Port Adelaide and West Lakes, Largs Bay and Semaphore
Fond memories of such beauty one always does retain
And in my flights of fancy I visit there again.
One can only imagine in the warm sunshine and breeze
The very first Australians had their corroborees
Long before the coming of the Europeans many centuries ago
Though little of their history or their ways we do know.
Down south in South Australia in old Port Adelaide
Of there I have great memories and great memories never fade
Of an old place that's full of history and the friendly people who live there
It's famous Football Club and renowned Australian Rules Players are well known everywhere.
poem by Francis Duggan
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They Make Them Tough In Beech Forest
They make them tough in Beech Forest it has become a well known place
As the former home of Cliff Young the ageing man who won the great race
From Sydney all of the way to Melbourne some two decades ago
Even in death the great man's legend does seem to grow and grow.
Forty five kilometres south of Colac the nearest big country Town
And though Beech Forest has a small population 'tis a place that has won renown
For it's hardy breed of people who possess great pride of place
A pride and courage that Cliff Young displayed in his greatest ever race.
They make them tough in Beech Forest in the potato growing countryside
The achievements of Cliff Young their most famous athlete to them a source of pride
A stranger there made to feel welcome of which many do testify
Of their friendly and hospitable nature of them none can deny.
They make them tough in Beech Forest the once home of the great Cliff Young
For his Sydney to Melbourne ultra Marathon winning run
His praises have been sung
One of the hardy breed of men from that famous place south of old Colac Town
Who from Sydney all of the way to Melbourne jogged his way to renown.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Learn Chinese July 11th,2012
LEARN CHINESE July 11th,2012
By
James Bredin
If it was Gaelic they were speaking I might catch a word or two,
But Toronto has turned Chinese and I don't have a clue,
So I think I should learn Mandarin and then we can get along,
I don't know; but is that the language they speak in Hong Kong?
I just looked it up on the Internet and found out to my surprise,
They have more than a hundred languages so I can't improvise,
Has an English-speaking Canadian ever learned Chinese?
Which is easier to learn - Mandarin or Cantonese?
Years ago, I thought of becoming bilingual and learning French,
But Canada is has gone multicultural down a communication trench,
And now I have to find out where they teach easy Chinese,
And maybe eventually, I can pretend I'm Cantonese.
July 11th,2012
poem by James Bredin
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The Australian people want to help build this country into a great nation. This budget... has not realized the capacity of the Australian people. It has underestimated them. It has let us down.
quote by Lionel K. Murphy
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Chinese woman
When your eyes,
Meet mine,
You smile,
So fine.
The thought
Of being with you,
Excites me,
It’s all I wanna do.
Chinese woman,
I love you,
Chinese woman,
Why don’t you love me too?
Chinese woman,
Don’t go far away,
Chinese woman,
Why don’t you stay?
Every time,
You see me,
I try
to be funny.
I don’t understand,
You laugh and smile,
Yet I don’t hear from
You in a while.
Chinese woman,
I love you,
Chinese woman,
Why don’t you love me too?
Chinese woman,
Don’t go far away,
Chinese woman,
Why don’t you stay?
Days come
In and out.
Still I have
To shout.
Just so you
Look at me.
Just so you
Can see…
Chinese woman,
I love you,
Why don’t you love me too?
Chinese woman,
Don’t go away,
Why don’t you want to stay?
With me.
Chinese woman.
This poem, is actually the words to a song. I wrote them as lyrics first.
poem by Roger Naya
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You need to learn a lot from us, the tiny creatures, cockroaches
We were a colony
I had no head count and
Cannot tell you how many were there
We must be in thousands
We were too crowded was the fact
No one can walk, all of us practically crawling
Our living conditions compare no where
Near the ways you live
Not that we were in discomfort
That is the way we live
This colony got established over a period
We were sure of getting food
Any time any quantity
We were thriving on whatever left over by you people
Our colony grew steadily
Along the road to its full length
It was not known to you people
That there existed colony of ours
Under your own nose
One of your lads
Stumbled in our colony
When he was cleaning the unauthorized canteen
Run on the footpath
Whose kitchen rejects were our feed
He was frightened at the sight of our crowd
And yelled
A war like situation came up
And our colony was invaded
By an army of people
With broomsticks, long flat wooden panels, etc.
In addition, they fumigated our colony
Making us rush out in the open
Young ones managing to run with their guiding mothers
Elder ones even flying
We were not sure as to where
We would be shifting
We crawled here and there
Crossing the road
Minding not the heavy traffic
Some of us got crushed too
We were fleeing for life
We got spread so much
The entire passers by had a feel of our unique scent
Some of them even holding their breathe
And some using out their handkerchief as respiratory protection
There was no need for this invasion
We were in no competing with any of your things
We were making a living of your left over
We were not seen in your midst
It is alright, if you want us to vacate
But, it hurts if you take measures to eliminate us
We were created by the same nature
That created you
We assure you
Despite your dislike and distaste for us
We will survive as we are determined
You should appreciate the strength
And steadfastness with which we survive
Even the toughest of conditions
Will not eliminate this gene
You need to learn a lot from us
The tiny creatures, cockroaches
poem by Bashyam Narayanan
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My Modern Day Rapunzel....
the rain is the wall that divides us
i whistle
to make a connection
you open the window
and we created a world
between us
i need to climb
the long stretch of your golden
pigtail
to finally kiss you
my Rapunzel
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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South Africa Is Also My Country
From my birth South Africa is my own country
and my people can flee to an island
but my own culture and language stays holy
although this place is not safe,
I still trust on a much higher hand,
from my birth South Africa is my own country.
From my birth South Africa is my own country
even if the struggling government gives me resistance,
do oppress me with unfair laws,
even if nothing can stop the disintegration,
even if I am not safe against the onslaught,
from my birth South Africa is my own country.
From my birth South Africa is my own country,
even if some act with effrontery against my people
I come from a noble heritage,
I am proud on my Afrikaner lineage,
even if people and buildings are set alight,
from my birth South Africa is my own country.
From my birth South Africa is my own country
with no other place I have such a deep bond
and even if here I will never have any job,
I believe in God and a Christian church,
God himself still keeps my ways intact,
from my birth South Africa is my own country.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Republican Pioneers
We're marching along, we're gath'ring strong'
We place on our right reliance,
We fling in the air, for all who care,
Our first loud notes of defiance!
We fling in the air,
For all who care,
Our first loud notes of defiance!
Laugh long and loud, you toady crowd,
At the men you call benighted,
In spite of your sneers, we are pioneers
Of "Australian States United"!
In spite of your sneers, We are pioneers
Of "Australian States United"!
Not long we'll stand as an outlaw band,
And be in our country lonely,
For soon to the sky shall ring our cry,
Our cry of "Australia only"!
For soon to the sky
Shall mount our cry,
Our cry of "Australia only"!
And we'll sleep sound in Australian ground,
'Neath the blue-cross flag star lighted,
When it freely waves o'er the grass-grown graves
Of the pioneers united!
When it floats and veers
O'er the pioneers
Of "Australian States United"!
poem by Henry Lawson
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Our Maecenas
What! Don't you our Mæcenas know
The man who started, years ago,
Our Wild Australian Author show?
You don't? Your ignorance sublime
Exceeds - to use a Boston rhyme -
The taciturnity of time.
Well, there he is, across the way -
Tall, thin, and growing somwhat grey -
He has good reason, you will say.
He's entering a bookshop. Fine!
He buys a book. Don't make a sign!
Don't speak! Don't breathe! It may be mine!
Alas! The cover isn't blue;
It's green - it's Quinn's - I always knew
His taste was never sound and true!
We all have hobbies. Some endure,
Some pass. Australian Literature
Is his. He likes it straight and pure.
Those breezy gentlemen you see
Walk up the street so spaciously,
He started them; he started me.
My word! My oath, if that you wish!
I would have now been selling fish,
Or something hot and sausageish -
And friends of mine, with names renowned
Would now be driving picks in ground,
And hoisting New South Wales around,
If he - the Lord of the Event -
Had not appeared, pre-subsequent,
And given us encouragement.
He's now, you see, just skin and bone,
Yet once he weighed quite fourteen stone -
When he left coves like us alone.
And he was - breathe it hoarse and low -
A man of substance. This I know -
But that was several years ago.
Now was he thus to leanness brought?
What tragic Fate his sorrow wrought?
Alas! he read the books he bought!
And now he's growing grey and old:
But while he lives, we'll say: 'Behold!
One copy of our works is sold!'
He is the apple of our eye;
His health to us is precious. Why?
We have to live; he dare not die.
poem by Victor James Daley
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To All The Girls
Yea...
To all the brooklyn girls
To all the french girls
To all the oriental girls
Chinese...
Japanese...
To all the swiss girls
To the italian women
To the upper east side mombiles
To all the jamaican girls
And to the top-less dancers
Australian...
And brazilian
To the southern belles
To the porte rican girls
To the stewardesses flying around the world...
song performed by by Beastie Boys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Build
Clambering men in big bad boots
Dug up my den, dug up my roots
Treated us like plasticine town
They built us up and knocked us down
From meccano to legoland
Here they come with a brick in their hand
Men with heads filled up with sand
Its build
Its build a house where we can stay
Add a new bit everyday
Its build a road for us to cross
Build us lots and lots and lots and lots and lots
Whistling men in yellow vans
They can and drew us diagrams
Showed us how it all worked it out
And wrote it down in case of doubt
Slow, slow, quick, quick, quick
Its wall to wall and brick to brick
They work so fast it makes you sick
Its build
Its build a house where we can stay
Add a new bit everyday
Its build a road for us to cross
Build us lots and lots and lots and lots and lots
Its build
Down with sticks and up with bricks
In with boots and up with roots
Its in with suits and new recruits
Its build
song performed by by Housemartins
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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