Don Bosco College (Co-Ed), Yelagiri Hills

House and Land by Allen Curnow

Wasn't this the site, asked the historian, 

Of the original homestead? 

Couldn't tell you, said the cowman; 

I just live here, he said, 

Working for old Miss Wilson 

Since the old man's been dead. 

Moping under the bluegums 

The dog trailed his chain 

From the privy as far as the fowlhouse 

And back to the privy again, 

Feeling the stagnant afternoon 

Quicken with the smell of rain. 

There sat old Miss Wilson, 

With her pictures on the wall, 

The baronet uncle, mother's side, 

And one she called The Hall; 

Taking tea from a silver pot For fear the house might fall. 

People in the colonies, she said, 

Can't quite understand... 

Why, from Waiau to the mountains 

It was all father's land.

She's all of eighty said the cowman, 

Down at the milking-shed. 

I'm leaving here next winter. 

Too bloody quiet, he said. 

The spirit of exile, wrote the historian, 

Is strong in the people still. 

He reminds me rather, said Miss Wilson, 

Of Harriet's youngest, Will. 

The cowman, home from the shed, went drinking 

With the rabbiter home from the hill. 

The sensitive nor'west afternoon 

Collapsed, and the rain came; 

The dog crept into his barrel 

Looking lost and lame. 

But you can't attribute to either 

Awareness of what great gloom 

Stands in a land of settlers  

With never a soul at home

Overall Structure

• Form and Stanzas:
  The poem is divided into nine stanzas of varying lengths. Each stanza introduces either a new speaker or a shift in perspective—from historical inquiry to personal reminiscence to atmospheric description—mirroring the multifaceted nature of settlement and identity.

• Voices and Dialogue:
  Multiple speakers (the historian, the cowman, and Miss Wilson) contribute their viewpoints. The dialogue and internal commentary create a layered narrative where personal experience and broader historical or cultural observations intersect.

• Tone and Imagery:
  The poem mixes conversational tone with vivid rural imagery (bluegum trees, privy, milking-shed) and natural phenomena (rain, collapsing afternoon) to evoke both a sense of place and an underlying melancholy. The recurring imagery of decay, isolation, and the inexorable passage of time reinforces themes of exile and alienation.

Line-by-Line Explanation

Stanza 1

Wasn't this the site, asked the historian,
Of the original homestead?
Couldn't tell you, said the cowman;
I just live here, he said,
Working for old Miss Wilson
Since the old man's been dead.

1. "Wasn't this the site, asked the historian,"
   – The poem opens with a historian posing a question, which immediately signals a concern with the past and the significance of place. The historian represents a formal, perhaps academic, interest in origins.

2. "Of the original homestead?"
   – The question clarifies that the inquiry is about the birthplace or initial settlement—a nod to the founding or traditional claim of the land.

3. "Couldn't tell you, said the cowman;"
   – The cowman, a working man with a direct but unrefined connection to the land, replies dismissively, suggesting that the formal history is either unknown or irrelevant to him.

4. "I just live here, he said,"
   – Emphasizes his focus on the present; he is a resident rather than a guardian of history.

5. "Working for old Miss Wilson"
   – Introduces Miss Wilson, a figure who symbolizes the old order or tradition in this rural setting, hinting at a hierarchy or social structure rooted in the past.

6. "Since the old man's been dead."
   – Indicates a generational shift. The death of “the old man” (possibly the patriarch or original owner) suggests that the history is already partly lost or transformed by time, setting up a contrast between memory and lived experience.

Stanza 2

Moping under the bluegums
The dog trailed his chain
From the privy as far as the fowlhouse
And back to the privy again,
Feeling the stagnant afternoon
Quicken with the smell of rain.

1. "Moping under the bluegums"
   – Establishes a vivid rural setting. The image of bluegum trees (common in New Zealand) coupled with the word “moping” evokes a sense of languor or melancholy in the landscape.

2. "The dog trailed his chain"
   – The chained dog symbolizes restriction or a life confined to a small area, perhaps mirroring the limitations felt by the inhabitants.

3. "From the privy as far as the fowlhouse"
   – Specifies the dog’s limited range—from one mundane, utilitarian spot (the privy) to another (the fowlhouse), reinforcing a feeling of confinement and routine.

4. "And back to the privy again,"
   – The repetition underscores a cyclical, unchanging existence.

5. "Feeling the stagnant afternoon"
   – Conveys the heavy, unchanging atmosphere of a rural day that seems stuck in time.

6. "Quicken with the smell of rain."
   – Introduces a sensory detail that hints at change. The rain’s approach may symbolize a potential cleansing or the inevitable passage of time, even if briefly invigorating the stagnant air.

Stanza 3

There sat old Miss Wilson,
With her pictures on the wall,
The baronet uncle, mother's side,
And one she called The Hall;
Taking tea from a silver pot
For fear the house might fall.

1. "There sat old Miss Wilson,"
   – Focus shifts to Miss Wilson, anchoring the personal history of the place. Her presence is almost emblematic of the old world.

2. "With her pictures on the wall,"
   – The portraits connect her to her lineage and past, suggesting a reverence for heritage.

3. "The baronet uncle, mother's side,"
   – Specific mention of aristocratic or titled relations underscores an inherited social status and the weight of family legacy.

4. "And one she called The Hall;"
   – “The Hall” may refer to an ancestral home or estate—a symbol of a grander, now perhaps fading, past.

5. "Taking tea from a silver pot"
   – This detail portrays a genteel, ritualized behavior. The act of tea-making from a prized vessel evokes a delicate care for tradition.

6. "For fear the house might fall."
   – The concluding line carries a dual meaning: it could be a literal anxiety about the decay of the physical structure or a metaphor for the crumbling of old social orders and traditions.

Stanza 4

People in the colonies, she said,
Can't quite understand...
Why, from Waiau to the mountains
It was all father's land.

1. "People in the colonies, she said,"
   – Miss Wilson offers a remark that shifts the focus to the wider colonial context, highlighting cultural and geographical dislocations.

2. "Can't quite understand..."
   – Her pause or trailing off suggests that the colonial mindset may lack a deeper, intuitive connection to the land.

3. "Why, from Waiau to the mountains"
   – These geographical markers define the extent of the land, grounding her claim in the physical landscape.

4. "It was all father's land."
   – The phrase asserts a traditional, perhaps inherited, right to the land—implying that its true ownership is bound up with lineage and ancestry rather than modern colonial legalities.

Stanza 5

She's all of eighty said the cowman,
Down at the milking-shed.
I'm leaving here next winter.
Too bloody quiet, he said.

1. "She's all of eighty said  the cowman,"
   – The cowman informs us of Miss Wilson’s advanced age, emphasizing the passage of time and possibly the old-fashioned nature of her world view.

2. "Down at the milking-shed."
   – His location in the working area of the farm underlines his connection to the daily, practical realities of rural life.

3. "I'm leaving here next winter."
   – A personal declaration of departure reflects a sense of restlessness or discontent with the static, perhaps oppressive, environment.

4. "Too bloody quiet, he said."
   – His blunt language and reasoning reveal his inability or unwillingness to embrace the quiet, isolated life—a contrast to those who find meaning in tradition.

Stanza 6

The spirit of exile, wrote the historian,
Is strong in the people still.

1. "The spirit of exile, wrote the historian,"
   – The historian now steps back to offer a broader observation: a pervasive sense of alienation or displacement among the people. This “spirit” is not just physical but emotional and cultural.

2. "Is strong in the people still."
   – This statement reinforces the idea that despite generations in the land, there remains an inherent disconnection—a feeling of being forever outsiders in one’s own home.

Stanza 7

He reminds me rather, said Miss Wilson,
Of Harriet's youngest, Will.

1. "He reminds me rather, said Miss Wilson,"
   – Miss Wilson offers a personal reflection, comparing a (likely previously mentioned) figure to someone from her memory or family lore.

2. "Of Harriet's youngest, Will."
   – The reference to “Harriet's youngest, Will” is ambiguous but suggests a symbolic connection—perhaps linking the qualities of vulnerability, unfulfilled potential, or a sense of exile that Miss Wilson sees in this person. This line deepens the personal and historical allusions running throughout the poem.

Stanza 8

The cowman, home from the shed, went drinking
With the rabbiter home from the hill.
The sensitive nor'west afternoon
Collapsed, and the rain came;
The dog crept into his barrel
Looking lost and lame.

1. "The cowman, home from the shed, went drinking"
   – We return to the cowman, now depicted leaving his work behind for a drink. This action hints at an escape or a temporary relief from his daily life.

2. "With the rabbiter home from the hill."
   – The introduction of another rural character (a rabbiter, or someone who hunts rabbits) broadens the depiction of settler life, emphasizing the rugged, working-class world.

3. "The sensitive nor'west afternoon"
   – The personification of the afternoon as “sensitive” imbues the setting with emotion, almost as if the day itself shares the characters’ moods.

4. "Collapsed, and the rain came;"
   – The collapse of the afternoon into rain mirrors an emotional or atmospheric breakdown, suggesting that even nature seems to surrender to a pervasive gloom.

5. "The dog crept into his barrel"
   – The dog, previously shown in a limping, confined state, retreats further into seclusion, reinforcing the themes of isolation and resignation.

6. "Looking lost and lame."
   – This final image of the dog, forlorn and defeated, symbolically reflects the condition of the human inhabitants—a sense of being unmoored in a land that they inhabit but never truly call home.

Stanza 9

But you can't attribute to either
Awareness of what great gloom
Stands in a land of settlers
With never a soul at home

1. "But you can't attribute to either"
   – The poem concludes with a reflective, almost detached observation: neither the cowman nor the rabbiter (nor any individual) can fully grasp or take responsibility for the deeper emotional malaise that pervades the landscape.

2. "Awareness of what great gloom"
   – This “great gloom” is an existential sadness or melancholy that lies beneath the surface of settler life.

3. "Stands in a land of settlers"
   – The phrase “land of settlers” emphasizes that the very nature of colonization and the act of settling brings with it a kind of inherent desolation—a disconnection from a sense of belonging.

4. "With never a soul at home"
   – This final line drives home the irony: despite physically occupying the land, its inhabitants are perpetually estranged, never truly “at home.” It speaks to a loss of rootedness, where the attempts to claim and civilize the land have left a void of genuine belonging.

Concluding Thoughts

“House and Land” employs conversational exchanges, vivid rural imagery, and reflective commentary to explore how historical legacy, personal memory, and the act of settling intersect to create a sense of profound alienation. The characters—each representing different facets of rural and colonial life—offer fragmented insights into a collective experience of exile: a land rich in heritage and natural beauty yet marked by an underlying loneliness and disconnection. Through its shifting perspectives and poignant details, the poem questions the true cost of colonization and the price of forsaking a deeper, more intrinsic connection to one’s homeland.

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