by Elizabeth Lhuede
Another in our series of posts on authors with works published in 1924.
One of six children, Nellie A Evans was born in the mid 1880s to a Mr William Evans, resident of “Roslyn”, in the Goulburn district of NSW. Nellie, along with her sister Mabel, had early literary success, winning competitions and achieving publication in local newspapers. Later she added journalism to her literary endeavours, and, despite suffering poor health, continued to publish verse prolifically throughout her life. Subsequent to her death in 1944, a volume of her work appeared, and was reviewed by Elizabeth Liggins in Southerly in 1948.
The publication in book-form of a selection of the work of the journalist-poet, Nellie A Evans, seems to be a tribute to the memory of a shy and lovable woman rather than an important contribution to Australia poetry.
Miss Evans seldom breaks away from her surroundings. It is easy to imagine her as the winner of many verse competitions, for much of her work shows too plainly the signs of hasty writing, of writing “to order” instead of to the dictates of the spirit.
Nevertheless, the posthumous collection was deemed worthy enough to have forewords written by both Dame Mary Gilmore and fellow writer Dulcie Deamer, while, during her lifetime, Evans attracted the praise of Masefield who, visiting Australia, described her work “as having a true singing quality of the best lyric verse”.
The first poem below, “Triolets”, appeared in The Bulletin in 1924. It adopts the strict form referred to in its title: eight lines, each with eight syllables, rhyming abaaabab, with the first line repeated as the fourth and seventh, and the second as the eighth. It’s a clever exercise, but, for me, doesn’t quite have the charm of the second poem, “Word Witch”, which appeared in The Sun more than a decade later.
Triolets
by Nellie A Evans
Milady frowns lest one should guess
His presence sets her heart astir
With sudden, vivid happiness;
Milady frowns lest one should guess
That his dear coming brings to her
A blaze of light where shadows were.
Milady frowns lest one should guess
His presence sets her heart astir.
Milady smiles lest one should know
His careless words are barbed with pain,
As happily her gay words flow.
The Word Witch
by Nellie A Evans
She dwelt apart and cherished words,
Not earth’s material things,
And some, she kept like homing birds,
For some she fashioned wings.
And some she made as soft as sleep,
Or winds in langorous mood;
And some, with thundrous tones and deep
As mountain streams in flood.
And some all tremulous, that told
Of long heart—deep desire;
And others strong as steel and cold
Or swift as searing fire.
And moulding well, she gave to all
The magic power to win
Their way to Memory’s Treasure Hall
To hold their sway therein.
~
References
Advertisement, Crookwell Gardens, 8 Oct 1947: 7. “A New Book Just Published”: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/221313237 accessed 06/09/24
Evans, Nellie A, “Triolets”, The Bulletin Vol 45, no 2293 (24 Jan 1924): 7. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-617418218/view?sectionId=nla.obj-628907754&searchTerm=%22Triolets%22+Nellie+Evans&partId=nla.obj-617474789 accessed 06/09/24
Evans, Nellie A, “The Word Witch”, The Sun 29 Aug 1937: 42. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231079322 accssed 06/0924
“ ‘Gipsy’ Evans Dies”, The Daily News, 19 Jun 1944: 5. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78307646 accessed 05/09/24
“Grant From Literary Fund”, The Sun, 28 Apr 1932: 4 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22988810 accessed 05/09/24
Liggins, Elizabeth, “Of Roads, Roses and Philosophers” [review], Southerly, vol 9, no 4: 234-5.
“Miss Nellie Evans” [photograph], The Triad, Vol 11, No 5: 50. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1125692563/view?sectionId=nla.obj-1245891970&searchTerm=%22Miss+Nellie+Evans%22&partId=nla.obj-1125834581#page/n51/mode/1up/search/%22Miss+Nellie+Evans%22 accessed 05/09/24
“Miss Nellie Evans Dead”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Jun 1944: 4. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/27939374 accessed 05/09/24
“Obituary: Miss N. A. Evans”, Goulburn Evening Post, 23 Jun 1944: 2. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/103145389 accessed 05/09/24
“Vale – Nellie A Evans”, Pertinent, Vol 3, no 7: 323. &searchTerm=”Nellie+A+Evans”&partId=nla.obj-3077196394#page/n46/mode/1up/search/”Nellie+A+Evans” accessed 05/09/24
~
Elizabeth Lhuede has a PhD in Australian Poetry from Macquarie University. In 2012, she instigated the Australian Women Writers Challenge as a contribution to overcoming gender bias in the reviewing of works by Australian women. More recently she has focused on bringing to light the life and works of forgotten Australian women writers.
Thanks for this Elizabeth is Nelly another one about women writers who didn’t marry. Regardless I’d love to know how many of these women actually managed to survive on their journalistic and other writing.
I enjoy both your choices but I agree with you regarding your preference for the second one.