AustLit
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.
Latest Issues
Notes
-
Dedication: This book is for Liam, Claudia, Elliot, Ella, Zoe, Chloe and Rex and all the other children of the 21st century.
-
In her introduction, the Editor describes River of Verse as 'fundamentally an historical journey, a distillation of Tasmanian history' in which she has aimed 'to represent the diversity of both Tasmanian life and poetic impulse'. Containing over two hundred poems by almost as many writers, this anthology is the most comprehensive selection of Tasmanian poetry currently available. As various as are the poems' subjects and themes, a significant number reflects the Editor's interest in conservation issues and her commitment to the preservation of the State's wilderness areas.
-
To provide a sense of 'historical chronology', the Editor has included dates alongside the titles of many poems, not appearing in the original versions. In most cases, these dates have been omitted from the AustLit Index of titles, but included in the notes on individual poems.
Contents
* Contents derived from the
Buckland,
Southeast Tasmania,
Tasmania,:Back River Press
, 2004 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
- Corroboree Songi"Pappela rayna ngonyna,", single work lyric/song (p. 1)
- Spring Songi"Niggur luggarato pawe,", single work lyric/song (p. 1-2)
- Van Diemen's Landi"Come all you gallant poachers that ramble free from care,", single work poetry (p. 2-3)
-
The Female Transporti"Come all young girls, both far and near, and listen unto me,",
single work
poetry
(p. 3)
Note: Comprises the first four stanzas only of the poem as it appears in other works such as The New Oxford Book of Australian Verse.
-
Van Diemen's Land or Tasmania in 1818i"Together let us range the fields,",
extract
lyric/song
(p. 4)
Note: This extract from Van Diemen's Land: An Operatic Drama in Three Acts comprises excerpts from pages 5, 7, 11 and 15 of the published work.
- The Native's Lamenti"Oh! Where are the wilds I once sported among,", single work poetry (p. 5-6)
- The Bush Rangers 1829i"He then approached me with a monkey grin,", extract poetry (p. 6)
-
Seizure of the Cyprus Brig in Recherche Bay, Aug. 1829i"Come all you sons of Freedom, a chorus join with me,",
single work
poetry
(p. 6-9)
Note: Arrangement of lines differs from that in other sources.
-
The Van Diemen's Land Warriorsi"The unsuspecting Captain Snip descries",
extract
poetry
(p. 9-10)
Note: An extract from the Third Canto of The Van Diemen's Land Warriors - from pages 28-30 of the edition edited by George Mackaness (1944)
- Verses in Sketchbook : 1831i"'We will rear new homes under trees that glow", single work poetry (p. 10-11)
-
Coat of Armsi"My name is Francis Macnamara,",
single work
poetry
(p. 11)
Note: The Editor titles the poem '1842 Coat of Arms' and states that it comes from 'the manuscript of James Lester Burke, ed, The Adventures of Martin Cash (1870) [and that the] lines were recited by MacNamara to his fellow convicts in Port Arthur as they celebrated Christmas of 1842.' (p.233)
-
On Leaving Van Diemen's Landi"Land of Lags and Kangaroo,",
single work
poetry
(p. 11)
Note: Editor's note: From a manuscript in the Mitchell Library. An article in the Bulletin, 10 March 1888 gives two lines of a different version: "Squatters' home and prisoners' hell / Land of Sodom, fare thee well".
- The Ballad of Martin Cashi"Come all you sons of Erin's Isle that love to hear your tuneful notes -", single work poetry (p. 12-13)
-
The Tasmanian Looking Glass,
selected work
poetry
satire
(p. 13-14)
Note: This comprises extracts from the complete work. The extracts are from pages 6-7, 14, 15, 18 and 19.
-
A Voice from Tasmania,
single work
poetry
(p. 15)
Note: An extract from the work (24 lines) beginning with the line: 'Isle of the South, destined for many a year,'.
-
An Address to the Native-Born Tasmaniansi"And must I let that sentence pass me by?",
single work
poetry
(p. 15-16)
Note: An extract of 22 lines from various sections of the work.
- The Chained Eaglei"What now avails thy pinioned power", single work poetry (p. 16)
- Lines Intended as an Inscription for a Sketch of Maria Island 1850i"Behold a scene in Tasman's Land", single work poetry (p. 17)
- Journal, 1857i"In lone St Pauls remote from human view", extract poetry (p. 17)
- The Convict Dreami"I dreamt I saw some prisoners bound,", single work poetry (p. 17-18)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Poetry Anthology
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Island , Summer no. 103 2005; (p. 46-47)
— Review of River of Verse : A Tasmanian Journey 1800-2004 2004 anthology poetry lyric/song extract -
Tribute to Tasmania in Variable Verse
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 5 February 2005; (p. 16)
— Review of River of Verse : A Tasmanian Journey 1800-2004 2004 anthology poetry lyric/song extract
-
Tribute to Tasmania in Variable Verse
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 5 February 2005; (p. 16)
— Review of River of Verse : A Tasmanian Journey 1800-2004 2004 anthology poetry lyric/song extract -
Poetry Anthology
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Island , Summer no. 103 2005; (p. 46-47)
— Review of River of Verse : A Tasmanian Journey 1800-2004 2004 anthology poetry lyric/song extract
Last amended 25 Feb 2009 16:07:05
Export this record