A Morning at the Cascades, from Poems of Queensland by Constance Gittens, 1917
Courtesy State Library of Queensland.
Constance Gittens lived at Glen Aplin and wrote several poetry books, including Poems of Queensland, All Things Needful: Verse for Quiet Moments, Little Ministries: A Rainbow of Rhyme, and Chosen Gems.
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There are many cascades in the Stanthorpe area – do you know of any? Which do you think this poem might be about?
Have you ever been to an area like The Cascades? What was it like?
Can you think of places near Stanthorpe that have water and water features?
Find the description of the following objects in the poem: boulders, rock-pools, tree-tops, clouds. Discuss as a class what these descriptions mean. Draw what that might look like.
Use Stanthorpe, or a local place such as Red Bridge, Quart Pot Creek, and write an acrostic poem about it.
Read verse 1, 2 and/or 3 as a class – what descriptive words and language has been used? What scene or part of the landscape is being depicted? What do you imagine it looks like from this description?
Illustrate a verse using some of the description as inspiration. Think about if you will create your image in landscape or portrait orientation, what the focal point might be, what media will you use?
Poetry and literature have inspired artists for centuries. Research some artworks that were made in response to poems. Re-read The Cascades and develop your own visual response.
10 Artworks Inspired By Bittersweet Poetry, The Art Gorgeous
10 Art Works Inspired by Great Literature for Your Summer Reading List, Artnet
Select a natural landscape in our area that has special meaning to you. Brainstorm about it using the 5 senses and then construct your own poem. Illustrate it in your own choice of media.