REFUGEE YEAR
Olive Coury's Sonnet
(New Zealana Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 27.
The sonnet with which the Prime Minister (Mr Nash) concluded his broadcast opening World Refugee Year was written specially for him by Mrs Olive Coury, wife of his press secretary. Mr R. E. Coury. When Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was here in 1957, Mrs Coury wrote two sonnets which Mr Nash read to welcome and farewell Her Majesty. Mrs Coury’s sonnet "or World Refugee Year, is:
THEY ARE HUNGRY Our fields at harvest gave us golden sheaves, Our land with plenty faced the glowing sun, Our fruits grew mellow underneath their leaves, A garden, rich as Eden, had been
won. Beyond the heedless seas of hungry stood And smiled if scanty kindness came their way, Were grateful for the rich man’s crumbs of food, Thanked God, most humbly, for a
meal that day. Our people were straight-limbed, and clothed and glad, And in our plenty hunger, nagging care Ana all the misery that others had Seemed not for us. But may we grant this prayer: That nevermore shall those who ask for bread Be left to starve, and starving, join the dead. . . .
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19590528.2.4.12
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28906, 28 May 1959, Page 2
Word Count
195REFUGEE YEAR Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28906, 28 May 1959, Page 2
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.