Song for a honeymoon

Component identifier:

Item 64

Content Summary:

This poem is mentioned by James Devaney in his book, Shaw Neilson, 1944, on pages 18, 140 and 142. Neilson in his Autobiography wrote: "This piece was finished sometime before Christmas and A.G. got it into Art in Australia [February 1932]. The editors sent me a cheque for two guineas but they wished me to send back the ordinary receipt which gave them the copyright. Previous to this A.G. had asked me not to give the copyright to them. I scarcely knew what to do but sent them back the two guineas cheque and asked them to send me a guinea merely for the right to publish. This they did, accordingly, but A.G. seemed displeased about the whole matter. He admitted after, in a letter, that he was vexed with me for doing this. I think he thought that the right to publish was worth two guineas".

This folder contains a series of photo-copies of Neilson's manuscripts in the Mitchell Library. Also included are copies of A.G.'s typescripts, with his emendations and suggestions clearly shown. Copy of letter from Neilson to A.G.S. is included, also some typewritten notes by the critic upon Neilson as a poet. These copies provide a graphic demonstration of the collaboration between poet and critic upon this particular poem. The progress of the poem can be traced from first draft to the final typescript, which with a few variations was printed in Art in Australia. It is of interest to note that after all the work put in on the poem to bring it to finality, it was the subject of further alteration when it appeared in Collected Poems. One line was completely re-written and the sequence of five of the stanzas was changed.

Inserted is letter from Neilson to Devaney, 27 January 1935, written at dictation by Lisette Neilson. One extract: "We wrote to each other a good deal over Song for a Honeymoon. I owe A.G. a great lot over this piece. At first it was very slow and I had to cut out a good many verses on his advice. I don't suppose there are more than two or three lines of his in it, but the value of his advice made the piece. At times when he was in New Zealand and when I was kicking about after the War, we did not correspond regularly and he might take the liberty of putting in a word or a phrase but generally speaking he gave me the opportunity to alter everything.

With this is autograph letter from Frank Neilson to H.F. Chaplin with references to this poem, together with copy in full of A.G.'s letter to Neilson, reproduced by James Devaney (in part) in his book. Other items of interest are included.

Names:

John Shaw Neilson

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