Thieve’s Kitchen

During the 1920’s Norman had begun writing a series of bawdy short stories centered around characters in his own fantasy world – the domains of Pattipanonia and Micomicon and the dukedom of the Duke of Franfrolico with its capital, Catchcrumpet. Nine of the published etchings represent poems. The inspiration for this etching was the poem by Kenneth Slessor of the same name &#8220Good roaring pistol-boys, brave lads of gold, good roistering easy maids, blown cock-a-hoop on floods of tavern-steam, I greet you! Drunk with wild Canary, drowned in wines of old, I’ll swear your round, red faces dive and swim like clouds of fire-fish in a waxen tide, and these are seas of smoke we thieves behold. Yet I’ve a mind I know what arms enchain with flesh my shoulders &#8230 aye, and what warm legs wind quickly into mine &#8230’tis no pale mermaid, no water-wench that floats in a smoky main betwixt the tankard and my knees in faith, I know thee, Joan, and by the beard of God, I’ll prove to-night thy mortal parts again! Leap, leap, fair vagabonds, your lives are short dance fire lit in your cauldron-fumes, o thieves, ram full your bellies with spiced food, gulp deep those goblets of thick ale – a yea, feast and sport. Ye Cyprian maids lie with great, drunken rogues, jump by the fire, soon, soon your flesh must crawl and Tyburn flap with birds, long-necked and swart!&#8221 References Mendelssohn 1999 312 Art in Australia, 3.35, December 1930 pl 35 Norman Lindsay Two Hundred Etchings 1973 pl 169 Norman Lindsay Favourite Etchings 1977 pl 26 niakj