an anthology of australian verse-第35章
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Here too hath taken root
A tree with golden fruit;
In purple clusters hangs the vine's increase;
And all the earth doth wear
The dry clear Attic air
That lifts the soul to liberty; and frees the heart from care。
Or if thy wilder mood
Incline to solitude;
Eternal verdure girds the lonely hills;
Through the green gloom of ferns
Softly the sunset burns;
Cold from the granite flow the mountain rills;
And there are inner shrines
Made by the slumberous pines;
Where the rapt heart with contemplation fills;
And from wave…stricken shores
Deep wistful music pours
And floods the tempest…shaken forest corridors。
Oh; give the gift of gold
The human heart to hold
With liquid glamour of the Lesbian line;
With Pindar's lava glow;
With Sophocles' calm flow;
Or Aeschylean rapture airy fine;
Or with thy music's close
Thy last autumnal rose
Theocritus of Sicily; divine;
O Pythian Archer strong;
Time cannot do thee wrong;
With thee they live for ever; thy nightingales of song。
We too are island…born;
Oh; leave us not in scorn
A songless people never yet was great。
We; suppliants at thy feet;
Await thy muses sweet
Amid the laurels at thy temple gate;
Crownless and voiceless yet;
But on our brows is set
The dim unwritten prophecy of fate;
To mould from out of mud
An empire with our blood;
To wage eternal warfare with the fire and flood。
Lord of the minstrel choir;
Oh; grant our hearts' desire;
To sing of truth invincible in might;
Of love surpassing death
That fears no fiery breath;
Of ancient inborn reverence for right;
Of that sea…woven spell
That from Trafalgar fell
And keeps the star of duty in our sight:
Oh; give the sacred fire;
And our weak lips inspire
With laurels of thy song and lightnings of thy lyre。
Notes on the Poems
Wentworth; 〃Australasia〃: ‘Warragamba' a tributary of the Nepean;
the upper part of the Hawkesbury River; New South Wales。
Rowe; 〃Soul Ferry〃: 〃Founded on a note by Tzetzes upon Lycophron;
quoted in Keightley's ‘Mythology of Greece and Rome'。〃 Author's Note。
Parkes; 〃The Buried Chief〃: Sir James Martin; born 1820;
Premier and subsequently Chief Justice of New South Wales;
died 4th November; 1886。
Gordon; 〃A Dedication〃: The first six stanzas of The Dedication of
〃Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes〃 to the author of 〃Holmby House〃
(Whyte Melville)。
Gordon; 〃Thora's Song〃: First printed in ‘The Australasian'
under the title of 〃Frustra〃。
Gordon; 〃The Sick Stock…rider〃: First appeared in ‘The Colonial Monthly'
without the final stanza here printed; which was preserved
by Mr。 J。 J。 Shillinglaw。
Kendall; 〃Prefatory Sonnets〃: The phrase 〃tormented and awry
with passion〃 also appears in Walter Pater's essay on 〃Aesthetic Poetry〃;
which; according to Mr。 Ferris Greenslet's monograph on Pater;
was written in 1868; but first published in ‘Appreciations'; 1889。
〃Leaves from Australian Forests〃; in which these sonnets were first printed;
was published in Melbourne in 1869。
Kendall; 〃To a Mountain〃: Dedicatory verses of 〃Songs from the Mountains〃。
Kendall; 〃Araluen〃: The author's daughter; named after a town
in the Shoalhaven District; New South Wales。
Kendall; 〃Hy…Brasil〃: Hy…Brasil; or Tir…Nan…Oge; is the fabled
Island of the Blessed; the paradise of ancient Ireland。
Kendall; 〃Outre Mer〃: From a poem left unfinished at the author's death。
First printed in 〃Poems〃 (1886)。
Clarke; 〃The Song of Tigilau〃: 〃Tigilau; the son of Tui Viti〃;
an attempt to paraphrase a legend of Samoa; is remarkable
as evidence of direct intercourse between Samoa and Fiji;
and as showing by the use of the term 〃Tui Viti〃 that a king once reigned
over ALL Fiji。 The singularly poetic and rhythmical original
will be found in a paper contributed by Mr。 Pritchard; F。A。S。I。; etc。;
to the Anthropological Society of London。〃 Author's Note。
Moloney; 〃Melbourne〃: First printed in ‘The Australasian'
over the signature 〃Australis〃。
Domett; 〃An Invitation〃: First printed in 〃Flotsam and Jetsam〃: reprinted;
with alterations; as Proem to 〃Ranolf and Amohia〃; Second Edition; 1883。
Domett; 〃A Maori Girl's Song〃: 〃A very free paraphrase of a song
in Sir George Grey's collection。 ‘Ropa' is a declaration of love
by pinching the fingers。〃 Author's Note。
Stephens; 〃Day〃 & 〃Night〃: Stanzas from 〃Convict Once〃
'pp。 336…7; 297…9 respectively of 〃Poetical Works〃 (1902)'。
Foott; 〃Where the Pelican Builds〃: 〃The unexplored parts of Australia
are sometimes spoken of by the bushmen of Western Queensland
as the home of the Pelican; a bird whose nesting…place;
so far as the writer knows; is seldom; if ever; found。〃 Author's Note。
Foott; 〃New Country〃: ‘Gidya' a Queensland and N。S。W。 aboriginal word
for a tree of the acacia species (A。 homalophylla)。
‘Clay…Pan' a shallow depression of the ground on Australian plains;
whose thin clayey surface retains water for a considerable time。
Wilson; 〃Fairyland〃: ‘Parson Bird' The Tui; or New Zealand mocking bird。
The male has tufts of curled white feathers under the neck;
like a clergyman's bands。
Farrell; 〃Australia to England〃: First printed; under the title of
〃Ave Imperatrix〃; in ‘The Daily Telegraph' (Sydney); on June 22; 1897;
the day of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee。
F。 Adams; 〃Gordon's Grave〃: Adam Lindsay Gordon is buried
in Brighton (Victoria) Cemetery。 Above the grave is erected
a shattered column crowned with a laurel wreath。
Evans; 〃A Pastoral〃: ‘Apple…tree' an indigenous Australian tree;
so called from a supposed resemblance to the English apple…tree;
but bearing no edible fruit。
O'Hara; 〃Flinders〃: ‘Flinders' Matthew Flinders first came to Australia
with Bass and Hunter in 1795; and made several heroic voyages
around Australian coasts。
Jephcott; 〃A Ballad of the last King of Thule〃: ‘Mannan' the ancient
bardic name of the Isle of Man。
‘Eire' the ancient name of Ireland。
‘The Isle of Apple…trees' 〃Emhain Ablach〃; the Isle of Arran。
This was the land of faery to the Northern and Western Gaels。
Mackay; 〃The Burial of Sir John Mackenzie〃: ‘Sir John Mackenzie'
Born 1838; for many years Minister for Lands in New Zealand。 Died 1891。
Holy Hill Puketapu; a hill sacred to the Maoris on the Otago coast。
Lawson; 〃Andy's gone with Cattle〃: ‘Riders' timber used to hold down
the bark roofs of primitive bush houses。
Lawson; 〃Out Back〃: ‘Mulga' an aboriginal name given to various trees
of the acacia family (A。 aneura)。
Lawson; 〃The Star of Australasia〃: ‘Jackeroo' a 〃new chum〃;
or person recently arrived in Australia; who goes to work on a station
to gain experience。
‘Push' a gang of larrikins; or city roughs。
Lawson; 〃Middleton's Rouseabout〃: ‘Rouseabout' a man who does
general work on a station。
Lawson; 〃The Vagabond〃: ‘Flax' a native New Zealand plant
yielding a strong fibre (Phormium tenax; N。 O。 Liliaceae)。
‘Tussock' a native grass; common in New Zealand (Lomandra longifolia)。
R。 Quinn; 〃The Lotus…Flower〃: ‘Harbour' Sydney Harbour。
Wright; 〃An Old Colonist's Reverie〃: ‘Whare' Maori name
for a hut or house。
‘Kowhai' the Locust tree (yellow Kowhai); and the Parrot…bill
(scarlet Kowhai) N。Z。 flowering trees。
‘Rata' a remarkable New Zealand tree with crimson flowers
(Metrosideros robusta); which often starts from a seed
dropped in the fork of a tree;