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〃Poems〃
Agnes L。 Storrie。
Twenty Gallons of Sleep
A Confession
〃Poems〃
Martha M。 Simpson。
To an Old Grammar
Periodical （Sydney）
William Gay。
Primroses
〃Christ on Olympus； and other Poems〃
To M。
Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum
〃Sonnets〃
Edward Dyson。
The Old Whim Horse
〃Rhymes from the Mines； and other Lines〃
Dowell O'Reilly。
The Sea…Maiden
Periodical （Sydney； 1895）
David MacDonald Ross。
Love's Treasure House
The Sea to the Shell
The Silent Tide
The Watch on Deck
Autumn
〃The After Glow〃
Mary Gilmore。
A Little Ghost
Periodical （Orange； N。S。W。）
Good…Night
Periodical （Brisbane）
Bernard O'Dowd。
Love's Substitute
Our Duty
Manuscript
Edwin James Brady。
The Wardens of the Seas
Manuscript
Will。 H。 Ogilvie。
Queensland Opal
Periodical （London）
Wind o' the Autumn
Periodical （London）
Daffodils
Periodical （Edinburgh）
A Queen of Yore
Periodical （Sydney）
Drought
Periodical （London）
The Shadow on the Blind
Periodical （London）
Roderic Quinn。
The House of the Commonwealth
Periodical （Sydney）
The Lotus…Flower
Manuscript
David McKee Wright。
An Old Colonist's Reverie
〃Station Ballads； and other Verses〃
Christopher John Brennan。
Romance
〃XXI Poems： Towards the Source〃
Poppies
Manuscript
John Le Gay Brereton。
The Sea Maid
〃Oithona〃
Home
〃Sea and Sky〃
Wilfred
Periodical （Sydney）
Arthur H。 Adams。
Bayswater； W。
Manuscript
Bond Street
Periodical （London）
Ethel Turner。
A Trembling Star
‘Oh； if that Rainbow up there！'
〃Gum Leaves〃
Johannes Carl Andersen。
Soft； Low and Sweet
〃Songs Unsung〃
Maui Victor
Periodical （Dunedin； N。Z。）
Dora Wilcox。
In London
〃Verses from Maoriland〃
Ernest Currie。
Laudabunt Alii
Periodical （Timaru； N。Z。）
George Charles Whitney。
Sunset
Manuscript
James Lister Cuthbertson。 ＇reprise＇
Ode to Apollo
Periodical （Melbourne）
Notes on the Poems
Biographical Notes
An Anthology of Australian Verse
Introduction
As the literature of a country is； in certain respects；
a reflex of its character； it may be advisable to introduce this Anthology
with some account of the main circumstances which have affected
the production of Australian poetry。
Australia was first settled by the British a little more than a century ago；
so that we are still a young community。 The present population；
including that of New Zealand； is a little under five millions；
or about the same as that of London； it is chiefly scattered
along the coast and the few permanent waterways； and a vast central region
is but sparsely inhabited as yet。 All climates； from tropical to frigid；
are included within the continent； but the want of satisfactory watersheds
renders it peculiarly liable to long droughts and sudden floods。
The absence of those broad； outward signs of the changing seasons
which mark the pageant of the year in the old world is probably
a greater disadvantage than we are apt to suspect。 Here； too；
have existed hardly any of the conditions which obtained in older communities
where great literature arose。 There is no glamour of old Romance
about our early history； no shading off from the actual
into a dim region of myth and fable； our beginnings are clearly defined
and of an eminently prosaic character。 The early settlers were engaged
in a hand…to…hand struggle with nature； and in the establishment
of the primitive industries。 Their strenuous pioneering days
were followed by the feverish excitement of the gold period and a consequent
rapid expansion of all industries。 Business and politics have afforded
ready roads to success； and have absorbed the energies of the best intellects。
There has been no leisured class of cultured people to provide the atmosphere
in which literature is best developed as an art； and； until recently；
we have been content to look to the mother country for our artistic standards
and supplies。 The principal literary productions of our first century
came from writers who had been born elsewhere； and naturally brought with them
the traditions and sentiments of their home country。
We have not yet had time to settle down and form any decided
racial characteristics； nor has any great crisis occurred
to fuse our common sympathies and create a national sentiment。
Australia has produced no great poet； nor has any remarkable innovation
in verse forms been successfully attempted。 But the old forms
have been so coloured by the strange conditions of a new country；
and so charged with the thoughts and feelings of a vigorous；
restless democracy now just out of its adolescence； that they have
an interest and a value beyond that of perhaps technically better minor poetry
produced under English skies。
The first verses actually written and published in Australia seem to have been
the Royal Birthday Odes of Michael Robinson； which were printed as broadsides
from 1810 to 1821。 Their publication in book form was announced
in ‘The Hobart Town Gazette' of 23rd March； 1822； but no copy of such a volume
is at present known to exist。 The famous 〃Prologue〃； said to have been
recited at the first dramatic performance in Australia； on January 16th； 1796
（when Dr。 Young's tragedy 〃The Revenge〃 and 〃The Hotel〃 were played
in a temporary theatre at Sydney）； was for a long time attributed
to the notorious George Barrington； and ranked as the first verse
produced in Australia。 There is； however； no evidence to support this claim。
The lines first appeared in a volume called 〃Original Poems and Translations〃
chiefly by Susannah Watts； published in London in 1802；
a few months before the appearance of the 〃History of New South Wales〃 （1803）
known as George Barrington's which also； in all probability；
was not written by Barrington。 In Susannah Watts' book
the Prologue is stated to be written by 〃A Gentleman〃；
but there is no clue to the name of the author。 Mr。 Barron Field；
Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales； printed in Sydney in 1819
his 〃First Fruits of Australian Poetry〃； for private circulation。
Field was a friend of Charles Lamb； who addressed to him the letter
printed in 〃The Essays of Elia〃 under the title of 〃Distant Correspondents〃。
Lamb reviewed the 〃First Fruits〃 in ‘The Examiner'； and one wishes
for his sake that the verses were more worthy。
The first poem of any importance by an Australian is
William Charles Wentworth's 〃Australasia〃； written in 1823
at Cambridge U