第1章

SydneyPrefaceTheEditorhasendeavouredtomakethisselectionrepresentativeofthebestshortpoemswrittenbyAustraliansorinspiredbyAustraliansceneryandconditionsoflife，——"Australian"inthisconnectionbeingusedtoincludeNewZealand。Thearrangementisasnearlyaspossiblechronological；andtheappendixcontainsbriefbiographicalparticularsoftheauthors，togetherwithnoteswhichmaybeusefultoreadersoutsideAustralia。

TheEditorthanksMessrs。H。H。Champion，HenryGylesTurner，E。B。Loughran，A。BrazierandWalterMurdoch(Melbourne)，Mr。SydneyJephcott(UpperMurray，Vic。)，Mr。Fred。Johns(Adelaide)，Mr。ThomasCottle(Auckland)，Mr。J。C。Andersen(Christchurch)，Messrs。DavidScottMitchell，AlfredLee，A。W。Jose，andJ。LeGayBrereton(Sydney)，fortheirgeneroushelp。

Mr。DouglasSladen"santhologies，Messrs。TurnerandSutherland"s"DevelopmentofAustralianLiterature"，and`TheBulletin"havealsofurnishedmuchusefulinformation。

ContentsIntroductionWilliamCharlesWentworth。

Australasia"Australasia:aPoem"

CharlesHarpur。

LoveWordsACoastView"Poems"

WilliamForster。

`TheLoveinherEyeslaySleeping"

"Midas"

JamesLionelMichael。

`ThroughPleasantPaths"

"JohnCumberland"

PersonalityPeriodical(Sydney，1858)

DanielHenryDeniehy。

LoveinaCottageASongfortheNightPeriodical(Sydney，1847)

RichardRowe。

SuperstitesRosaeSoulFerry"Peter"Possum"sPortfolio"

SirHenryParkes。

TheBuriedChief"FragmentaryThoughts"

ThomasAlexanderBrowne(`RolfBoldrewood")。

Perdita"OldMelbourneMemories"

AdamLindsayGordon。

ADedication"BushBalladsandGallopingRhymes"

Thora"sSong"Ashtaroth:ADramaticLyric"

TheSickStock-rider"BushBalladsandGallopingRhymes"

HenryKendall。

PrefatorySonnetsSeptemberinAustraliaRoseLorraine"LeavesfromAustralianForests"

ToaMountainAraluenAfterManyYearsHy-Brasil"SongsfromtheMountains"

OutreMer"Poems"

MarcusClarke。

TheSongofTigilau"AustralEditionofthecollectedWorksofMarcusClarke"

PatrickMoloney。

Melbourne"AnEasterOmelette"(Melbourne，1879)

AlfredDomett。

AnInvitationAMaoriGirl"sSong"RanolfandAmohia"

JamesBruntonStephens。

TheDominionofAustraliaTheDarkCompanion"MiscellaneousPoems"

DayNight"ConvictOnce"

ThomasBracken。

NotUnderstoodSpiritofSong"MusingsinMaoriland"

AdaCambridge。

WhatoftheNight？

Good-byeTheVirginMartyrHonourDespairFaithManuscriptAlexanderBathgate。

TheClematis"FarSouthFancies"

PhilipJosephHoldsworth。

QuisSeparabit？

ManuscriptMyQueenofDreams"StationHuntingontheWarrego"

MaryHannayFoott。

WherethePelicanBuildsNewCountryNoMessageHappyDays"MornaLeeandotherPoems"

HenryLeaTwisleton。

ToaCabbageRose"Poems"

Mrs。JamesGlennyWilson。

FairylandAWinterDaybreakTheLark"sSong"ABookofVerses"

EdwardBoothLoughran。

DeadLeavesIsolationIshmonie""NeathAustralSkies"

JohnLiddellKelly。

ImmortalityHeredity"HeatherandFern"

RobertRichardson。

ABalladeofWattleBlossomASong"WillowandWattle"

JamesListerCuthbertson。

AustraliaFederataAtCapeSchanck"BarwonBallads"

WattleandMyrtlePeriodical(Melbourne)

TheAustralianSunrisePeriodical(Geelong)

JohnFarrell。

AustraliatoEnglandPeriodical(Sydney，1897)

ArthurPatchettMartin。

Bushland"TheWitheredJester，andotherVerses"

DouglasBrookeWheeltonSladen。

UndertheWattlePeriodical(1888)

VictorJamesDaley。

PlayersPeriodical(Sydney，1900)

AnnaPeriodical(Sydney，1902)

TheNightRideManuscriptAliceWerner。

BannermanoftheDandenong"ATimeandTimes"

EthelCastilla。

AnAustralianGirlASongofSydney"TheAustralianGirl，andotherVerses"

FrancisWilliamLauderdaleAdams。

SomethingGordon"sGraveToA。L。Gordon"PoeticalWorks"

LoveandDeathManuscriptThomasWilliamHeney。

Absence"InMiddleHarbour，andotherVerse"

ARiverinaRoadPeriodical(Sydney，1891)

PatrickEdwardQuinn。

AGirl"sGravePeriodical(Sydney，1889)

JohnSandes。

`WithDeath"sPropheticEar"

"BalladsofBattle"

InezK。Hyland。

ToaWaveBreadandWine"InSunshineandinShadow"

GeorgeEssexEvans。

AnAustralianSymphonyANocturneAPastoral"Loraine，andotherVerses"

TheWomenoftheWestPeriodical(Melbourne)

MaryColborne-Veel。

`WhatLookhathShe？"

SaturdayNight`Resurgam"

"TheFairestoftheAngels，andotherVerse"

DistantAuthorsPeriodical(London)

JohnBernardO"Hara。

HappyCreekACountryVillageFlinders"LyricsofNature"

M。A。Sinclair。

TheChatelainePeriodical(Dunedin，N。Z。)

SydneyJephcott。

ChaucerWhitePaperSplitting"TheSecretsoftheSouth"

Home-woeABalladofthelastKingofThuleAFragmentManuscriptAndrewBartonPaterson(`Banjo")。

TheDaylightisDyingClancyoftheOverflowBlackSwansTheTravellingPostOffice"TheManfromSnowyRiver"

TheOldAustralianWaysBytheGreyGulf-Water"RioGrande"sLastRace，andotherVerses"

JessieMackay。

TheGreyCompanyAFolkSongDunedinintheGloamingTheBurialofSirJohnMackenziePeriodical(Dunedin，N。Z。)

HenryLawson。

Andy"sgonewithCattleOutBackTheStarofAustralasiaMiddleton"sRouseaboutTheVagabondTheSliprailsandtheSpur"IntheDayswhentheWorldwasWide，andotherVerses"

ArthurAlbertDawsonBayldon。

SunsetTheSeaToPoesy"TheWesternTrack，andotherVerses"

JenningsCarmichael。

AnOldBushRoadAWoman"sMood"Poems"

AgnesL。Storrie。

TwentyGallonsofSleepAConfession"Poems"

MarthaM。Simpson。

ToanOldGrammarPeriodical(Sydney)

WilliamGay。

Primroses"ChristonOlympus，andotherPoems"

ToM。

VestigiaNullaRetrorsum"Sonnets"

EdwardDyson。

TheOldWhimHorse"RhymesfromtheMines，andotherLines"

DowellO"Reilly。

TheSea-MaidenPeriodical(Sydney，1895)

DavidMacDonaldRoss。

Love"sTreasureHouseTheSeatotheShellTheSilentTideTheWatchonDeckAutumn"TheAfterGlow"

MaryGilmore。

ALittleGhostPeriodical(Orange，N。S。W。)

Good-NightPeriodical(Brisbane)

BernardO"Dowd。

Love"sSubstituteOurDutyManuscriptEdwinJamesBrady。

TheWardensoftheSeasManuscriptWill。H。Ogilvie。

QueenslandOpalPeriodical(London)

Windo"theAutumnPeriodical(London)

DaffodilsPeriodical(Edinburgh)

AQueenofYorePeriodical(Sydney)

DroughtPeriodical(London)

TheShadowontheBlindPeriodical(London)

RodericQuinn。

TheHouseoftheCommonwealthPeriodical(Sydney)

TheLotus-FlowerManuscriptDavidMcKeeWright。

AnOldColonist"sReverie"StationBallads，andotherVerses"

ChristopherJohnBrennan。

Romance"XXIPoems:TowardstheSource"

PoppiesManuscriptJohnLeGayBrereton。

TheSeaMaid"Oithona"

Home"SeaandSky"

WilfredPeriodical(Sydney)

ArthurH。Adams。

Bayswater，W。

ManuscriptBondStreetPeriodical(London)

EthelTurner。

ATremblingStar`Oh，ifthatRainbowupthere!"

"GumLeaves"

JohannesCarlAndersen。

Soft，LowandSweet"SongsUnsung"

MauiVictorPeriodical(Dunedin，N。Z。)

DoraWilcox。

InLondon"VersesfromMaoriland"

ErnestCurrie。

LaudabuntAliiPeriodical(Timaru，N。Z。)

GeorgeCharlesWhitney。

SunsetManuscriptJamesListerCuthbertson。[reprise]

OdetoApolloPeriodical(Melbourne)

NotesonthePoemsBiographicalNotes——

AnAnthologyofAustralianVerse——

IntroductionAstheliteratureofacountryis，incertainrespects，areflexofitscharacter，itmaybeadvisabletointroducethisAnthologywithsomeaccountofthemaincircumstanceswhichhaveaffectedtheproductionofAustralianpoetry。

AustraliawasfirstsettledbytheBritishalittlemorethanacenturyago，sothatwearestillayoungcommunity。Thepresentpopulation，includingthatofNewZealand，isalittleunderfivemillions，oraboutthesameasthatofLondon；itischieflyscatteredalongthecoastandthefewpermanentwaterways，andavastcentralregionisbutsparselyinhabitedasyet。Allclimates，fromtropicaltofrigid，areincludedwithinthecontinent，butthewantofsatisfactorywatershedsrendersitpeculiarlyliabletolongdroughtsandsuddenfloods。

Theabsenceofthosebroad，outwardsignsofthechangingseasonswhichmarkthepageantoftheyearintheoldworldisprobablyagreaterdisadvantagethanweareapttosuspect。Here，too，haveexistedhardlyanyoftheconditionswhichobtainedinoldercommunitieswheregreatliteraturearose。ThereisnoglamourofoldRomanceaboutourearlyhistory，noshadingofffromtheactualintoadimregionofmythandfable；ourbeginningsareclearlydefinedandofaneminentlyprosaiccharacter。Theearlysettlerswereengagedinahand-to-handstrugglewithnature，andintheestablishmentoftheprimitiveindustries。Theirstrenuouspioneeringdayswerefollowedbythefeverishexcitementofthegoldperiodandaconsequentrapidexpansionofallindustries。Businessandpoliticshaveaffordedreadyroadstosuccess，andhaveabsorbedtheenergiesofthebestintellects。

Therehasbeennoleisuredclassofculturedpeopletoprovidetheatmosphereinwhichliteratureisbestdevelopedasanart；and，untilrecently，wehavebeencontenttolooktothemothercountryforourartisticstandardsandsupplies。Theprincipalliteraryproductionsofourfirstcenturycamefromwriterswhohadbeenbornelsewhere，andnaturallybroughtwiththemthetraditionsandsentimentsoftheirhomecountry。

Wehavenotyethadtimetosettledownandformanydecidedracialcharacteristics；norhasanygreatcrisisoccurredtofuseourcommonsympathiesandcreateanationalsentiment。

Australiahasproducednogreatpoet，norhasanyremarkableinnovationinverseformsbeensuccessfullyattempted。Buttheoldformshavebeensocolouredbythestrangeconditionsofanewcountry，andsochargedwiththethoughtsandfeelingsofavigorous，restlessdemocracynowjustoutofitsadolescence，thattheyhaveaninterestandavaluebeyondthatofperhapstechnicallybetterminorpoetryproducedunderEnglishskies。

ThefirstversesactuallywrittenandpublishedinAustraliaseemtohavebeentheRoyalBirthdayOdesofMichaelRobinson，whichwereprintedasbroadsidesfrom1810to1821。Theirpublicationinbookformwasannouncedin`TheHobartTownGazette"of23rdMarch，1822，butnocopyofsuchavolumeisatpresentknowntoexist。Thefamous"Prologue"，saidtohavebeenrecitedatthefirstdramaticperformanceinAustralia，onJanuary16th，1796

(whenDr。Young"stragedy"TheRevenge"and"TheHotel"wereplayedinatemporarytheatreatSydney)，wasforalongtimeattributedtothenotoriousGeorgeBarrington，andrankedasthefirstverseproducedinAustralia。Thereis，however，noevidencetosupportthisclaim。

Thelinesfirstappearedinavolumecalled"OriginalPoemsandTranslations"

chieflybySusannahWatts，publishedinLondonin1802，afewmonthsbeforetheappearanceofthe"HistoryofNewSouthWales"(1803)——

knownasGeorgeBarrington"s——whichalso，inallprobability，wasnotwrittenbyBarrington。InSusannahWatts"bookthePrologueisstatedtobewrittenby"AGentleman"，butthereisnocluetothenameoftheauthor。Mr。BarronField，JudgeoftheSupremeCourtofNewSouthWales，printedinSydneyin1819

his"FirstFruitsofAustralianPoetry"，forprivatecirculation。

FieldwasafriendofCharlesLamb，whoaddressedtohimtheletterprintedin"TheEssaysofElia"underthetitleof"DistantCorrespondents"。

Lambreviewedthe"FirstFruits"in`TheExaminer"，andonewishesforhissakethattheversesweremoreworthy。

ThefirstpoemofanyimportancebyanAustralianisWilliamCharlesWentworth"s"Australasia"，writtenin1823

atCambridgeUniversityincompetitionfortheChancellor"smedal。

Thereweretwenty-sevencompetitors，andtheprizewasawardedtoW。MackworthPraed，Wentworthbeingsecondonthelist。Wentworth"spoemwasprintedinLondoninthesameyear，andshortlyafterwardsin`TheSydneyGazette"，thefirstAustraliannewspaper。

In1826therewasprintedattheAlbionPress，Sydney，"WildNotesfromtheLyreofaNativeMinstrel"byCharlesTompson，Junior，thefirstverseofanAustralian-bornwriterpublishedinthiscountry。

TherewasalsopublishedinSydneyin1826abookofversesbyDr。JohnDunmoreLang，called"AuroraAustralis"。

BothLangandWentworthafterwardsconductednewspapersandwrotehistoriesofNewSouthWales，buttheirnamesaremorefamousinthepoliticalthanintheliteraryannalsofthecountry。

AtHobartTownin1827appeared"TheVanDiemen"sLandWarriors，ortheHeroesofCornwall"by"PindarJuvenal"，thefirstbookofversepublishedinTasmania。Duringthenexttenyearsvariouspoeticaleffusionswereprintedinthecolonies，whichareofbibliographicalinterestbutofhardlyanyintrinsicvalue。Newspapershadbeenestablishedatanearlydate，butuntiltheendofthisperiodtheywerelittlebetterthannews-sheetsorofficialgazettes，givingnoopportunitiesforliterature。Theproportionofwell-educatedpersonswassmall，themajorityofthefreesettlersbeingmembersoftheworkingclasses，asveryfewrepresentativesofBritishculturecamewillinglytothiscountryuntilafterthediscoveryofgold。

Itwasnotuntil1845thatthefirstgenuine，thoughcrude，Australianpoetryappeared，intheformofasmallvolumeofsonnetsbyCharlesHarpur，whowasbornatWindsor，N。S。W。，in1817。

Hepassedhisbestyearsinthelonelybush，andwrotelargelyundertheinfluenceofWordsworthandShelley。Hehadsomeimaginationandpoeticfacultyofthecontemplativeorder，butthedisadvantagesofhislifeweremany。Harpur"sbestworkisinhislongerpoems，fromwhichextractscannotconvenientlybegivenhere。

Theyear1842hadseenthepublicationofHenryParkes""StolenMoments"，thefirstofanumberofvolumesofversewhichthatstatesmanbravelyissued，thelastbeingpublishedjustbeforehiseightiethyear。ThecareerofParkesiscoincidentwithalongandimportantperiodofourhistory，inwhichheisthemoststrikingfigure。Nottheleastinterestingaspectofhischaracter，whichcontainedmuchofruggedgreatness，washisloveofpoetryandhisunfailingkindnesstothestrugglingwritersofthecolony。OtherswhodeserveremembrancefortheirservicesatthistimeareNicolD。StenhouseandDr。Woolley。AmongthewritersoftheperiodD。H。Deniehy，HenryHalloran，J。SheridanMooreandRichardRowecontributedfairlygoodversetothenewspapers，theprincipalofwhichwere`TheAtlas"(1845-9)，`TheEmpire"(1850-8)，andtwopapersstillinexistence——`TheFreeman"sJournal"(1850)and`TheSydneyMorningHerald"，whichbeganas`TheSydneyHerald"in1831。Noneoftheirwritings，however，reflectedtoanyappreciableextentthesceneryorlifeofthenewcountry。

WiththediscoveryofgoldanewerabeganforAustralia。

Thateventinducedtheflowofalargestreamofimmigration，andgaveanenormousimpetustothedevelopmentofthecolonies。

AmongtheardentspiritsattractedherewereJ。LionelMichael，RobertSealy，R。H。Horne，theHowitts，HenryKingsleyandAdamLindsayGordon。MichaelwasafriendofMillais，andanearlychampionofthePre-RaphaeliteBrotherhood。

SoonafterhisarrivalinSydneyheabandonedtheideaofdiggingforgold，andbegantopractiseagainasasolicitor。LateronheremovedtoGraftonontheClarenceRiver；therein1857HenryKendall，aboyof16，foundworkinhisoffice，andMichael，discerninghispromise，encouragedhimtowrite。Mostoftheboy"searliestversesweresentfromMichael"sofficetoParkes，whoprintedtheminhispaper`TheEmpire"。WhenKendallleftGrafton，MichaelgavehimaletterofintroductiontoStenhouse，whichbroughthimintouchwiththesmallliterarygroupinSydney；

andhisfirstvolume，"PoemsandSongs"，waspublishedinSydneyin1862。

Itwasnotlongbeforeherecognisedtheextremeweaknessofmostofitscontents，anddidwhathecouldtosuppressthebook。

HesentspecimensofhisbestworktotheLondon`Athenaeum"，andwroteapatheticlettertotheEditor，whichwasprintedintheissueof27thSeptember，1862，togetherwithsomeofthepoemsandamostkindlycomment。Kendallsoonwroteagain，sendingmorepoems，andreceivedencouragingnoticesin`TheAthenaeum"on19thSeptember，1863，27thFebruary，1864，and17thFebruary，1866。TheseformthefirstfavourablepronouncementuponAustralianpoetrybyanEnglishcriticaljournalofimportance。TheirstimulatingeffectuponKendallwasverygreat。Fromtheindifferenceofthemanyandthecarpingcriticismsofsomeofthemagnateshere，hehadappealedtooneofthehighestliteraryauthoritiesinEngland，andreceivedpraisebeyondhiswildestexpectations。

MeanwhilethecolonyofVictoria，whichbeganitsindependentcareerin1851，hadbeenadvancingevenmorerapidlythanNewSouthWales。

`TheArgus"newspaperhadbeeninexistencesince1846，andotherperiodicalssprangupinMelbournewhichgavefurtherscopetoletters。

`TheAustralasian"wasestablishedin1854，andsoonbecamethemostimportantliteraryjournalinAustralia。AdamLindsayGordon，whohadlandedinAdelaideinthesameyearasHenryKingsley——1853——

publishedalittlebookofversein1864atMt。Gambier，S。A。，andbegantocontributeversestoaMelbournesportingpaperin1866。

Thesewereprintedanonymously，andattractedsomeattention；

butacollectionofhisballads——"SeaSprayandSmokeDrift"——

broughtverylittlepraiseandnoprofit。MarcusClarkecametoMelbournein1864，andsoonafterwardsbegantowritefor`TheArgus"andotherpapers。

AboutthesametimethepresenceofR。H。Horne，thedistinguishedauthorof"Orion"，inMelbournelentalustretothatcity，whichwasforthetimetheliterarycentreofAustralia。

HornecorrespondedwithKendall，andcontributedtoapapereditedbyDeniehyinSydney——`TheSouthernCross"(1859-60)。

HewasthepresidinggeniusoftheliterarygatheringsatDwight"sbook-shopinMelbourne，andnodoubtexercisedabeneficialinfluenceuponthewritersaroundhim。

In1870，afteraseriesofcrushingdisappointments，Gordoncommittedsuicide。

Hisdramaticendawakenedsympathyandgaveanadditionalinteresttohiswritings。Itwassoonfoundthatinthecityandthebushmanyofhisspiritedracingballadswerewellknown。Thevirile，athletictoneofhisverse，whichtaught"HowamanshouldupholdthesportsofhislandAndstrikehisbestwithastrongrighthandAndtakehisstrokesinreturn"——

andthepracticalphilosophy，summedupinthewell-knownquatrain——

"Lifeismostlyfrothandbubble，Twothingsstandlikestone；

Kindnessinanother"strouble，Courageinyourown"——

appealstronglytoAustralians。Gordon"sworkcannotbeconsideredaspeculiarlyAustralianincharacter；butmuchofitisconcernedwiththehorse，andallofitisa-throbwiththemanly，recklesspersonalityofthewriter。Horsesandhorse-racingareespeciallyinterestingtoAustralians，theSwinburnianrushofGordon"sballadscharmstheirear，andinmanyrespectsheembodiestheiridealofaman。

TherearefewAustralianswhodonotknowsomeofhispoems，eveniftheyknownoothers，andhisinfluenceuponsubsequentwritershasbeenverygreat。

BruntonStephens，whocametoQueenslandin1866，wrotetherealongpoemcalled"ConvictOnce"which，whenpublishedinLondonin1871，gainedhighpraisefromcompetentcritics，andgavetheauthoranacademicreputation。AlittlebookofhumorousversesissuedinMelbournein1873almostimmediatelybecamepopular，andalatervolumeof"MiscellaneousPoems"(1880)，containingsomefinepatrioticutterancesaswellasmanyinlightervein，establishedhimasoneofourchiefsingers。

ThefirstimportantpoemfromNewZealand——Domett"s"RanolfandAmohia"——

waspublishedinLondonin1872。DomettspentthirtyyearsinNewZealand。

HewroteagooddealofversebeforeleavingEnglandandafterhisreturn，but"RanolfandAmohia"istheonlypoemshowingtracesofAustralianinfluence。Itisamiscellanyinverseratherthananepic，andcontainssomefinedescriptionsofNewZealandscenery。

ThedeathofKendallinSydneyin1882closedwhatmayberegardedasthesecondliteraryperiod。Hehadpublishedhisfinestworkin"SongsfromtheMountains"(1880)，andhadthesatisfactionofknowingthatitwasasuccess，financiallyandotherwise。Kendall"saudienceisnotsolargeasGordon"s，butitisasteadilygrowingone；

andmanyreaderswhohavebeenaffectedbyhismusicalverseholdtheill-fatedsingerinmoretenderregardthananyother。

HelivedatatimewhenAustralianshadnotlearnedtothinkitpossiblethatanygoodthinginartcouldcomeoutofAustralia，andweretoofullyoccupiedwiththingsofthemarket-placetoconcernthemselvesmuchaboutliterature。

SeveralattemptshavebeenmadetomaintainmagazinesandreviewsinSydneyandMelbourne，butnoneofthemcouldcompetesuccessfullywiththeimportedEnglishperiodicals。`TheColonialMonthly"，`TheMelbourneReview"，`TheSydneyQuarterly"，and`TheCentennialMagazine"

werethemostimportantofthese。TheycostmoretoproducethantheirEnglishmodels，andthefactthattheircontentswereAustralianwasnotsufficientinitselftoobtainforthemadequatesupport。

Newspapershaveplayedafarmoreimportantpartinourliteraryworld。

`TheAustralasian"，`SydneyMail"and`Queenslander"havedoneagooddealtoencouragelocalwriters，butthemostpowerfulinfluencehasbeenthatof`TheBulletin"，startedinSydneyin1880。

Itsracy，irreverenttoneanditshumourarecharacteristicallyAustralian，andthroughitscolumnsthefirstrealisticAustralianverseofanyimportance——thewritingsofHenryLawsonandA。B。Paterson——becamewidelyknown。

Whenpublishedinbookform，theirversesmetwithphenomenalsuccess；

Paterson"s"TheManfromSnowyRiver"(1895)havingalreadyattainedacirculationofoverthirtythousandcopies。Itisthefirstofalongseriesofvolumes，issuedduringthelasttenyears，whosecharacterisfarmoredistinctivelyAustralianthanthatoftheirpredecessors。

Theirnumberandsuccessareevidencesofthelivelyinteresttakenbythepresentgenerationhereinitsnativeliterature。

Australiahasnowcomeofage，andisbecomingconsciousofitsstrengthanditspossibilities。Itswritersto-dayare，asarule，self-reliantandhopeful。Theyhavefaithintheirowncountry；

theywriteofitastheyseeit，andoftheirworkandtheirjoysandfears，insimple，directlanguage。Itmaybethatnoneofitispoetryinthegrandmanner，andthatsomeofitislackingintechnicalfinish；

butitisavividandfaithfulportrayalofAustralia，anditsruggednessisincharacter。ItishopedthatthisselectionfromtheversethathasbeenwrittenuptothepresenttimewillbefoundanotunworthycontributiontothegreatliteratureoftheEnglish-speakingpeoples。

WilliamCharlesWentworth。

AustralasiaCelestialpoesy!whosegenialswayEarth"sfurthesthabitableshoresobey；

Whoseinspirationsshedtheirsacredlight，FarastheregionsoftheArcticnight，AndtotheLaplanderhisBorealgleamEndearnotlessthanPhoebus"brighterbeam，——

Descendthoualsoonmynativeland，Andonsomemountain-summittakethystand；

ThenceissuingsoonapurerfontbeseenThancharmedCastaliaorfamedHippocrene；

Andtherearicher，noblerfanearise，ThanonParnassusmettheadoringeyes。

Andtho"，brightgoddess，onthefarbluehills，ThatpourtheirthousandswiftpellucidrillsWhereWarragamba"sragehasrentintwainOpposingmountains，thunderingtotheplain，Nochildofsonghasyetinvokedthyaid"Neaththeirprimevalsolitaryshade，——

Still，graciousPow"r，somekindlingsoulinspire，Towaketolifemycountry"sunknownlyre，Thatfromcreation"sdatehasslumberinglain，Oronlybreathedsomesavageuncouthstrain；

AndgrantthatyetanAustralMilton"ssongPactolus-likeflowdeepandrichalong，——

AnAustralShakespearerise，whoselivingpageTonaturetruemaycharminev"ryage；——

AndthatanAustralPindardaringsoar，WherenottheThebaneaglereach"dbefore。

And，OBritannia!shouldstthouceasetorideDespoticEmpressofoldOcean"stide；——

ShouldthytamedLion——spenthisformermight，——

Nolongerroartheterrorofthefight；——

Shoulde"erarrivethatdarkdisastroushour，Whenbow"dbyluxury，thouyield"sttopow"r；——

Whenthou，nolongerfreestofthefree，Tosomeproudvictorbend"stthevanquish"dknee；——

MayallthygloriesinanothersphereRelume，andshinemorebrightlystillthanhere；

Maythis，thylast-borninfant，thenarise，Togladthyheartandgreetthyparenteyes；

AndAustralasiafloat，withflagunfurl"d，AnewBritanniainanotherworld。

CharlesHarpur。

LoveShelovesme!Fromherownbliss-breathinglipsTheliveconfessioncame，likerichperfumeFromcrimsonpetalsburstingintobloom!

AndstillmyheartattheremembranceskipsLikeayounglion，andmytongue，too，tripsAsdrunkwithjoy!whileeveryobjectseenInlife"sdiurnalroundwearsinitsmienAclearassurancethatnodoubtseclipse。

AndifthecommonthingsofnaturenowArelikeoldfacesflushedwithnewdelight，MuchmoretheconsciousnessofthatrichvowDeepensthebeauteous，andrefinesthebright，WhilethronedIseemonlove"sdivinestheight"Midallthegloriesglowingrounditsbrow。

WordsWordsaredeeds。ThewordswehearMayrevolutionizeorrearAmightystate。ThewordswereadMaybeaspiritualdeedExcellinganyfleshlyone，AsmuchasthecelestialsunTranscendsabonfire，madetothrowAlightuponsomeraree-show。

AsimpleproverbtaggedwithrhymeMaycolourhalfthecourseoftime；

ThepregnantsayingofasageMayinfluenceeverycomingage；

AsonginitseffectsmaybeMoregloriousthanThermopylae，AndmanyalaythatschoolboysscanAnoblerfeatthanInkerman。

ACoastViewHigh"midtheshelvesofagreycliff，thatyetRisethinBabylonianmassabove，Inabenchedcleft，asinthemoulderedchairOfgrey-beardTimehimself，Isitalone，AndgazewithakeenwonderinghappinessOuto"erthesea。UntothecirclingbendThatvergesHeaven，avastluminousplainItstretches，changefulasalover"sdream——

IntogreatspacesmappedbylightandshadeInconstantinterchange——either"neathcloudsThebillowsdarken，ortheyshimmerbrightInsunnyscopesofmeasurelessexpanse。

"TisOceandreamlessofastormyhour，Calm，orbutgentlyheaving；——yet，OGod!

Whatablindfate-likemightinessliescoiledInslumber，underthatwide-shiningface!

Whileo"erthewaterygleam——therewhereitsedgeBanksthedimvacancy，thetopmostsailsOfsometallship，whosehullisyetunseen，HangasifclingingtoacloudthatstillComesrisingwiththemfromthevoidbeyond，Liketoaheavenlynet，drawnfromthedeepAndcarriedupwardbyetherealhands。

WilliamForster。

`TheLoveinherEyeslaySleeping"

Theloveinhereyeslaysleeping，Asstarsthatunconsciousshine，Till，underthepinklidspeeping，Iwakeneditupwithmine；

AndwepledgedourtrothtoabrimmingoathInabumperofblood-redwine。

Alas!toowellIknowThatithappenedlongago；

Thosememoriesyetremain，Andsting，likethrobsofpain，AndI"malonebelow，Butstilltheredwinewarms，andtherosygobletsglow；

Iflovebetheheart"senslaver，"Tiswinethatsubduesthehead。

Butwhichhasthefairestflavour，Andwhoseisthesoonestshed？

WinewaxesinpowerinthatdesolatehourWhenthegloryofloveisdead。

Lovelivesonbeauty"sray，Butnightcomesafterday，AndwhentheexhaustedsunHishighcareerhasrun，Thestarsbehindhimstay，Andthenthelightthatlastsconsolesourdarkeningway。

Whenbeautyandloveareover，Andpassionhasspentitsrage，Andthespectresofmemoryhover，Andglareonlife"slonelystage，"TiswinethatremainstokindletheveinsAndstrengthenthestepsofage。

Lovetakesthetaintofyears，Andbeautydisappears，ButwineinworthmaturesThelongeritendures，Andmoredivinelycheers，Andripenswiththesunsandmellowswiththespheres。

JamesLionelMichael。

`ThroughPleasantPaths"

Throughpleasantpaths，throughdaintyways，Loveleadsmyfeet；

Wherebeautyshineswithlivingrays，Soft，gentle，sweet；

Theplacidheartatrandomstrays，Andsings，andsmiles，andlaughsandplays，AndgathersfromthesummerdaysTheirlightandheat，ThatinitschambersburnandblazeAndbeamandbeat。

IthrowmyselfamongthefernsUndertheshade，AndwatchthesummersunthatburnsOndellandglade；

Tothee，mydear，myfancyturns，IntheeitsParadisediscerns，Fortheeitsighs，fortheeityearns，Mychosenmaid；

AndthatstilldepthofpassionlearnsWhichcannotfade。

Thewindthatwhispersinthenight，Subtleandfree，Thegorgeousnoonday"sblindinglight，Onhillandtree，Alllovelythingsthatmeetmysight，Allshiftinglovelinessesbright，Speaktomyheartwithcalmdelight，SeemingtobeCloth"dwithenchantment，robedinwhite，Tosingofthee。

ThewaysoflifearehardandcoldToonealone；

Bitterthestrifeforplaceandgold——

Weweepandgroan:

Butwhenlovewarmstheheartgrowsbold；

Andwhenourarmstheprizeenfold，Dearest!theheartcanhardlyholdTheblissunknown，Unspoken，nevertobetold——

Myown，myown!

Personality"Deathistouschange，notconsummation。"

HeartofMidlothian。

Achange!no，surely，notachange，Thechangemustbebeforewedie；

Deathmayconferawiderrange，Frompoletopole，fromseatosky，ItcannotmakemeneworstrangeTomineownPersonality!

ForwhatamI？——thismortalflesh，Theseshrinkingnerves，thisfeebleframe，ForeverrackedwithailmentsfreshAndscarcefromdaytodaythesame——

Aflywithinthespider"smesh，Amoththatplaysaroundtheflame!

THISisnotI——withinsuchcoilTheimmortalspiritrestsawhile:

Whenthisshallliebeneaththesoil，Whichitsmeremortalpartsdefile，THATshallforeverliveandfoilMortality，andpain，andguile。

WhateverTimemaymakeofmeEternitymustseemestillClearfromthedrossofearth，andfreeFromeverystainofeveryill；

Yetstill，where-e"er——what-e"erIbe，Time"sworkEternitymustfill。

Whenalltheworldshaveceasedtoroll，WhenthelonglighthasceasedtoquiverWhenwehavereachedourfinalgoalAndstandbesidetheLivingRiver，Thisvitalspark——thislovingsoul，Mustlastforeverandforever。

TochoosewhatImustbeismine，Mineinthesefewandfleetingdays，ImaybeifIwill，divine，StandingbeforeGod"sthroneinpraise，——

ThroughallEternitytoshineInyonderHeaven"ssapphireblaze。

Father，thesoulthatcountsitgainToloveTheeandThylawonearth，Unchangedbutfreefrommortalstain，Increasedinknowledgeandinworth，Andpurifiedfromthisworld"spain，ShallfindthroughTheeasecondbirth。

Achange!nosurelynotachange!

Thechangemustbebeforewedie；

DeathmayconferawiderrangeFromworldtoworld，fromskytosky，ItcannotmakemeneworstrangeTomineownPersonality!

DanielHenryDeniehy。

LoveinaCottageAcottagesmallbemine，withporchEnwreathedwithivygreen，Andbrightsomeflowerswithdew-filledbells，"Midbrownoldwattlesseen。

Andonetowaitatshutofeve，Witheyesasfountainclear，Andbraidedhair，andsimpledress，Myhomewardsteptohear。

Onsummerevestosingoldsongs，Andtalko"erearlyvows，Whilestarslookdownlikeangels"eyesAmidtheleafyboughs。

WhenSpringflowerspeepfromflossycells，Andbright-wingedparrotscall，InforestpathsbeourstoroveTillpurpleeveningsfall。

Thecurtainsclosed，bytaperclearToreadsomepagedivine，Onwinternights，thehearthbeside，Hersoft，warmhandinmine。

Andsotoglidethroughbusylife，Likesomesmallbrookalone，Thatwindsitsway"midgrassyknolls，Itsmusicallitsown。

ASongfortheNightOtheNight，theNight，thesolemnNight，WhenEarthisboundwithhersilentzone，Andthespangledskyseemsatemplewide，Wherethestar-tribeskneelattheGodhead"sthrone；

OtheNight，theNight，thewizardNight，Whenthegarishreignofdayiso"er，Andthemyriadbarquesofthedream-elvescomeInabrightsomefleetfromSlumber"sshore!

OtheNightforme，Whenblitheandfree，Gothezephyr-houndsontheirairychase；

WhenthemoonishighInthedewysky，Andtheairissweetasabride"sembrace!

OtheNight，theNight，thecharmingNight!

Fromthefountainsideinthemyrtleshade，AllsoftlycreepontheslumbrousairThewakingnotesoftheserenade；

Whilebrighteyesshine"midthelattice-vines，Andwhitearmsdroopo"erthesculpturedsills，Andaccentsfalltotheknightsbelow，Likethebabblingssoftofmountainrills。

Loveintheireyes，Loveintheirsighs，Loveintheheaveofeachlily-brightbosom；

Inwordssoclear，LestthelisteningearAndthewaitingheartmaylosethem。

OthesilentNight，whenthestudentdreamsOfkneelingcrowdsroundasage"stomb；

Andthemother"seyeso"erthecradlerainTearsforherbaby"sfadingbloom；

OthepeacefulNight，whenstilledando"erIsthecharger"stramponthebattleplain，Andthebugle"ssoundandthesabre"sflash，Whilethemoonlookssadoverheapsofslain；

AndtearsbespeakOntheironcheekOfthesentinellonelypacing，ThoughtswhichrollThroughhisfearlesssoul，Day"ssternermoodreplacing。

OthesacredNight，whenmemorycomesWithanaspectmildandsweettome，ButhertonesaresadasaballadairInchildhoodheardonanurse"sknee；

Androundherthrongfairformslongfled，Withbrowsofsnowandhairofgold，Andeyeswiththelightofsummerskies，Andlipsthatspeakofthedaysofold。

Wideisyourflight，OspiritsofNight，Bystrath，andstream，andgrove，ButmostinthegloomOfthePoet"sroomYechoose，fairones，torove。

RichardRowe。

SuperstitesRosaeThegrassisgreenuponhergrave，Thewestwindwhisperslow；

"Thecornischanged，comeforth，comeforth，Erealltheblossomsgo!"

Invain。Herlaughingeyesaresealed，Andcoldhersunnybrow；

Lastyearshesmiledupontheflowers——

Theysmileabovehernow!

SoulFerryHighanddryupontheshingleliesthefisher"sboatto-night；

Fromhisroof-beamdanklydrooping，rayingphosphorescentlight，Spectralinitspale-bluesplendour，hangshisheapofscalynets，Andthefisher，laptinslumber，surgeandseinealikeforgets。

Hark!therecomesasuddenknocking，andthefisherstartsfromsleep，Asahollowvoiceandghostlybidshimoncemoreseekthedeep；

Wearilyacrosshisshoulderflingethhetheashenoar，Anduponthebeachdescendingfindsaskiffbesidetheshore。

"Tisnothis，buthemustenter——rockingonthewatersdim，Awfulintheirhiddenpresence，whoaretheythatwaitforhim？

Whoaretheythatsitsosilent，ashepullethfromtheland——

Nothingheardsaverumblingrowlock，wavesoft-breakingonthesand？

Chilladownthetossingchannelblowsthewailing，wand"ringbreeze，Lonelyinthemurkymidnight，mutt"ringmournfulmemories，——

Summerlandswhereonceitbrooded，wrecksthatwidows"heartshavewrung——

Swiftthedrearyboatfliesonwards，spray，likerain，arounditflung。

Onapebbledstranditgrateth，ghastlycliffsarounditloom，Thinandmelancholyvoicesfaintlymurmurthroughthegloom；

Voicesonly，liplessvoices，andthefishermanturnspale，Asthemothergreetsherchildren，sisterslandingbrothershail。

Lightenedofitsunseenburden，cork-likeridestherockingbark，Fastthefishermanflieshomewardso"erthebillowsdeepanddark；

THATboatneedsnomortal"smooring——sadatheartheseekshisbed，Forhislifehenceforthisclouded——hehathpilotedtheDead!