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Topic I: Quest for Identity and National Beginnings
A. American Experience
The English were not the first in America. It was the Spanish, after all, who, in 1492, had
commissioned the Genoa-born Christoforo Colombo (or known as Christopher Columbus in
English) to seek out a westerly route to the East Indies. His discovery of the New World was a
happy accident. The continent itself was named after the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.
Ironically, though, Columbus never knew what he had actually found. Until his death, he refused
to accept the truth that it was ‘A merica’. He was of an idea that all the new land he encountered
was merely the outer reaches of Asia. However, this discovery marks the colonization of America
by European countries.
When James I (or James VI of Scotland who had been chosen by Elizabeth to succeed her)
was King (1603-1625) the Puritans were often put in prison and sometimes even killed. The
conflict also assumed a political character: between parliament and King, between Liberty and
Autocracy. Some of the Puritans decided to leave England to find freedom in a new country.
They sailed from Plymouth in 1620 in a ship called the ‘ Mayflower’, and these ‘ Pilgrim Fathers’ —as
they were called—started a new life in America. The service which they held to thank God for
their arrival, became a traditional annual festival in America called ‘ Thanksgiving’.
England made its first successful colonization in the early 17th century, and the first
successful colony was established in Jamestown in 1607, and these colonies finally got their
independence from Britain after the war of independence between 1775—83.
The early literature in American colonial time was mainly made by immigrants from
England, and, therefore, the poems that were produced were much influenced by the English
writing tradition to address the subject matter confronted in a strange, new environment. As the
country developed, there were also poems which discussed different aspects of American life and
nature.
Anne Bradstreet (c. 1612 – September 16, 1672) was an EnglishAmerican writer, the first notable American poet, and the first woman to
be published in Colonial America. Her work was very influential to
Puritans in her time.
On July 10, 1666, her home burned down in a fire along with her
personal library of books. This event w hich left the family homeless and in
poverty inspired a poem entitled "Upon the Burning of Our House July
10th, 1666". She rejects the anger and grief that this worldly tragedy has
caused her and instead looks toward God and the assurance of heaven as
consolation.
Much of Bradstreet's poetry is based on observation of the world
around her, focusing heavily on domestic and religious themes. Despite the
traditional attitude toward women of the time, she clearly valued
knowledge and intellect; she was a free thinker and some consider her an
early feminist. (Adapted from Highlights of American Literature, p.6)
To my Dear and Loving Husband
I f ever t wo wer e one, t hen sur ely we1).
I f ever man wer e loved by wif e, t hen t hee;
I f ever wif e was happy in a man,
Compar e wit h me, ye women, if you can.
I pr ize t hy love mor e t han whole Mines of gold
Or all t he r iches t hat t he East 2) dot h hold.
My love is such t hat r iver s cannot quench,
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Nor ought 3) but love f r om t hee, give r ecompense.
Thy love is such I can no way r epay,
The heavens r ewar d t hee manif old, I pr ay.
Then while we live, in love let ' s so per sever e4)
That when we live no mor e, we may live ever .
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Vocabulary:
1) Anne's husband was Simon Bradstreet (1603-97). They were married in England in 1628.
2) East Indies.
3) an archaic word meaning “ anything whatever”
4) likely accented on the second syllable
Upon t he Bur ning of Our House,
J uly 18t h, 1666
I n silent night when r est I t ook,
For sor r ow near I did not look,
I waken' d was wit h t hundr ing nois
And Pit eous shr eiks of dr eadf ull voice.
That f ear f ull sound of “Fir e!” and “Fir e!”,
Let no man know is my Desir e.
I , st ar t ing up, t he light did spye,
And t o my God my hear t did cr y
To st r engt hen me in my Dist r esse
And not t o leave me succour lesse.
Then coming out beheld a space,
The f lame consume my dwelling place.
And, when I could no longer look,
I blest his Name t hat gave and t ook,
That layd my goods now in t he dust :
Yea so it was, and so ' t was j ust .
I t was his own: it was not mine;
Far be it t hat I should r epine.
He might of All j ust ly ber ef t ,
But yet suf f icient f or us lef t .
When by t he Ruines of t I past ,
My sor r owing eyes aside did cast ,
And her e and t her e t he places spye
Wher e of t I sat e, and long did lye.
Her e st ood t hat Tr unk, and t her e t hat chest ;
Ther e lay t hat st or e I count ed best :
My pleasant t hings in ashes lye,
And t hem behold no mor e shall I .
Under t hy r oof no guest shall sit t ,
Nor at t hy Table eat a bit t .
No pleasant t ale shall ' er e be t old,
Nor t hings r ecount ed done of old.
No Candle ' er e shall shine in Thee,
Nor br idegr oom' s voice er e hear d shall bee.
I n silence ever shalt t hou lye;
Adieu1), Adeiu; All' s vanit y.
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Then st r eight I gin my hear t t o chide,
And didst t hy wealt h on ear t h abide?
Didst f ix t hy hope on mouldr ing dust ,
The ar m of f lesh didst make t hy t r ust ?
Raise up t hy t hought s above t he skye
That dunghill mist s away may f lie.
Thou hast an house on high er ect
Fr am' d by t hat might y Ar chit ect ,
Wit h glor y r ichly f ur nished,
St ands per manent t ho' t his bee f led.
I t ' s pur chased, and paid f or t oo
By him who hat h enough t o doe.
A Pr ise so vast as is unknown,
Yet , by his Gif t , is made t hine own.
Ther ' s wealt h enough, I need no mor e;
Far ewell my Pelf 2), f ar ewell my St or e.
The wor ld no longer let me Love,
My hope and Tr easur e lyes Above.
Vocabulary:
1) French for “ goodbye”
Edward Taylor's tombstone, Westfield, M A .
2)
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A contemptuous term for wealth
Just like many other earlier colonial poets, Edward Taylor—
an immigrant who was born in 1642?-1729 in Leicestershire—was
influenced by his life-experiences in England. He landed in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony in America in 1668.
Although the writings of the American colonial poets were
much influenced by the English tradition, Taylor is believed to be
“ the only known American poet who wrote in the metaphysical
style” (Wikipedia, 2010:p.2). Furthermore, Wikipedia (2010:p.3)
explains that in his poem "Huswifery", he “ talks about God's
Word and holiness”. Here, the invented speaker “ wants to be like
a spinning wheel and equates godliness with the work of this
machine”. Taylor equates “ personal traits of holiness” with
“ wearing clothes”. In his second poem to be discussed here,
"Upon a Spider Catching a Fly", Taylor compares the spider to
“ the devil who traps the fly which is equated to man. Also says
the mercy of God saves” (Wikipedia, 2010:p.3).
Later until his death, Taylor spent most of his life serving in
“ the wilderness as minister, doctor, farmer, strategist to prevent
Indian attacks, and poet” (Edwardtaylor.poetry.php.htm,
2010:p.3)
Huswif er y 1)
Make me, O Lor d, t hy Spinning Wheel compleat e2).
Thy Holy Wor d my Dist af f make f or me.
Make mine3) Af f ect ions4) t hy Swif t Flyer s neat
And make my soul t hy holy Spool t o be.
My conver sat ion make t o be t hy Reel
And Reel t he yar n t her eon spun of t hy Wheel.
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Make me t hy Loom t hen, knit t her ein t his Twine:
And make t hy Holy Spir it , Lor d, winde quills5):
Then weave t he Web 6) t hyself . The yar n is f ine.
Thine Or dinances7) make my Fulling Mills8).
Then dye t he same in Heavenly Color s Choice.
All pinkt 9) wit h var nished10) Flower s of Par adise.
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Then clot he t her ewit h mine Under st anding, Will,
Af f ect ions, J udgment , Conscience, Memor y,
My wor ds and Act ions, t hat t heir shine may f ill
My ways wit h glor y and t hee glor if y.
Then mine appar el shall display bef or e ye
That I am Clot hed in Holy r obes f or glor y.
Vocabulary:
1) housewifery; the work of a housewife. Also
thrift, making the most of something
2) fully equipped; without defect
3) my
4) emotions
5) fill spools with thread or yarn
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6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
cloth
sacraments
mills where cloth is beaten and cleaned
adorned, shining
bright, shinning
Upon A Spider Cat ching A Fly
Thou sor r ow, venom Elf e.
I s t his t hy play,
To spin a web out of t hyself e
To cat ch a Fly?
For Why
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I saw a pet t ish 1) wasp
Fall f oule t her ein.
Whom yet t hy Whor le2) pins did not clasp
Lest he should f ling
His st ing.
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But as af f r aid, r emot e
Didst st and her eat
And wit h t hy lit t le f inger s st r oke
And gent ly t ap
His back .
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Thus gent ly him didst t r eat e
Lest he should pet 3),
And in a f r oppish4), waspish heat e
Should gr eat ly f r et 5)
Thy net .
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Wher eas t he silly Fly,
Caught by it s leg
Thou by t he t hr oat e t ookst hast ily
And ' hinde t he head
Bit e Dead.
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This goes t o pot 6), t hat not
Nat ur e clot h call.
St r ive not above what st r engt h hat h got
Lest in t he br awle
Thou f all.
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This Fr ey 7) seems t hus t o us.
Hells Spider get s
His int r ails spun t o whip Cor ds8) t hus
And wove t o net s
And set s.
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To t angle Adams r ace
I n' s st r at igems
To t heir Dest r uct ions, spoil' d, made base
By venom t hings
Damn' d Sins.
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But might y, Gr acious Lor d
Communicat e
Thy Gr ace t o br eake t he Cor d, af f or d
Us Glor ys Gat e
And St at e.
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We' l Night ingaile sing like
When pear cht on high
I n Glor ies Cage, t hy glor y, br ight ,
And t hankf ully,
For j oy.
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Vocabulary:
1) ill-humored
2) part of a spinning wheel
3) take offense, react negatively
4) fretful
5)
6)
7)
8)
destroy
put up, preserve
(fray), alarm, terror; assault
thin, tough hempen cord
Phillis Wheatley (1753 – December 5, 1784) was the first African
American poet and the first African-American woman whose writings were
published. Born in Gambia, Senegal, she was enslaved at age seven. She was
purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston, who taught her to read and
write, and helped encourage her poetry.
In 1775, she published a poem celebrating George Washington entitled,
“ To his Excellency General Washington.” In 1776, Washington invited
Wheatley to his home as thanks for the poem ,and Thomas Jefferson
republished the poem in the Pennsylvania Gazette as a result of Wheatley’s
audience with Washington.
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Wheatley's poetry overwhelmingly revolves around Christian themes,
with many poems dedicated to famous personalities. Over one-third consist
of elegies, the remainder being on religious, classical, and abstract themes.[3]
She rarely mentions her own situation in her poems. One of the few which
refers to slavery is "On being brought from Africa to America":
She is known to use three different elements to create make her poetry
meaningful: Christianity, classicism, and hierophantic solar w orship. The use
of classicism and Christianity do not only combine to make the structure of
Wheatley’s work completely pagan or Christian due to a third element used
in her poetry, hierophantic solar worship (Shields 103). The hierophantic
solar worship is what she brought with her from Africa; this is the worship of
sun gods (depicting her African culure). This idea of the sun worship is
significant due to the fact that her parents were sun worshipers. This is also
why she refers to the different words for sun so many times. The word
“ Aurora appears eight times, Apollo seven, Phoebus twelve, and Sol twice”
(Shields 103). The word light is of high importance to her, because it marks
her history. Therefore the significance of her writing about it alludes to the
past which she has left behind. But creating these experiences for the reader
gives her work an emotional appeal that captures her readers.
But remembering that the word Sun can also be written as Son is
important, inflicting a pun on the son of Christ which alludes to her biblical
ideas of writing (Shields 103). Other biblical references include the references
to muses.
Adapted from Wikipadea/ Phillis_Wheatley.htm
To His Excellency Gener al Washingt on
Celest ial choir ! ent hr on' d in r ealms of light ,
Columbia’s1) scenes of glor ious t oils2) I wr it e.
While f r eedom’s cause her anxious br east alar ms,
She f lashes dr eadf ul in r ef ulgent 3) ar ms.
See mot her ear t h her of f spr ing’s f at e bemoan,
And nat ions gaze at scenes bef or e unknown!
See t he br ight beams of heaven’s r evolving light
I nvolved in sor r ows and t he veil of night !
The goddess comes, she moves divinely f air ,
Olive and laur el 4) binds her golden hair :
Wher ever shines t his nat ive of t he skies,
Unnumber ’d char ms and r ecent gr aces r ise.
Muse5)! bow pr opit ious while my pen r elat es
How pour her ar mies t hr ough a t housand gat es,
As when Eolus6) heaven’s f air f ace def or ms,
Enwr app’d in t empest and a night of st or ms;
Ast onish’d ocean f eels t he wild upr oar ,
The r ef luent 7) sur ges beat t he sounding shor e;
Or t hick as leaves in Aut umn’s golden r eign,
Such, and so many, moves t he war r ior ’s t r ain.
I n br ight ar r ay t hey seek t he wor k of war ,
Wher e high unf ur l’d t he ensign8) waves in air .
Shall I t o Washingt on t heir pr aise r ecit e?
Enough t hou9) know’st t hem in t he f ields of f ight .
Thee, f ir st in peace and honour s,—we demand
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The gr ace and glor y of t hy mar t ial band.
Fam’d f or t hy valour , f or t hy vir t ues mor e,
Hear ever y t ongue t hy guar dian aid implor e!
One cent ur y space per f or m’d it s dest ined r ound,
When Gallic10)power s Columbia’s f ur y f ound:
And so may you, whoever dar es disgr ace
The land of f r eedom’s heaven-def ended r ace!
Fix’d ar e t he eyes of nat ions on t he scales11),
For in t heir hopes Columbia’s ar ms pr evails.
Anon Br it annia12) dr oops t he pensive head,
While r ound incr ease t he r ising hills of dead.
Ah! cr uel blindness t o Columbia’s st at e!
Lament t hy t hir st of boundless power t oo lat e.
Pr oceed gr eat chief , wit h vir t ue on t hy side,
Thy ev’r y act ion let t he goddess guide.
A cr own, a mansion. and a t hr one t hat shine,
Wit h gold unf ading, WASHI NGTON! be t hine.
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Vocabulary:
1) America (Columbia) is personified as a woman
2) efforts, refers to the war’s battles
3) rediant
4) (olive branch) symbolizes peace and laurel symbolizes achievement (ancient Olympic
winners received laurel wreaths)
5) one of the nine goddesses presiding over literature, the arts, and the sciences
6) in Greek mythology, the god of the winds
7) ebbing; flowing back
8) flag
9) you ( and thee as the object form of ‘thou’), refers to not only the British, but to any power or
force that might attempt to defy American Independence
10) French, the poet is referring to the victory of the colonists in the French and Indian War
11) The scales of justice (metaphor)
12) England
On Being Br ought Fr om Af r ica To Amer ica
‘Twas mer cy br ought me f r om my Pagan land,
Taught my benight ed soul t o under st and
That t her e’s a God, t hat t her e’s a Saviour t oo:
Once I r edempt ion neit her sought nor knew,
Some view our sable r ace wit h scor nf ul eye,
“Their colour is a diabolic dye.”
Remember , Chr ist ians, Negr oes1), black as Cain2),
May be r ef ined, and j oin t h’ angelic t r ain.
Vocabulary:
1) black
2) the slayer of Abel, see Genesis 4:1-15. The “ mark” set upon Cain by the
Lord was sometimes taken as the origin of the Negro.
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Philip Morin Freneau (January 2, 1752 – December 18,
1832) was a notable American poet, nationalist, polemicist, sea
captain and newspaper editor sometimes called the "Poet of the
American Revolution".
Freneau was born in New York City, the oldest of the five
children of Huguenot wine merchant Pierre Fresneau and his
Scottish wife. Philip was raised in Monmouth County, New
Jersey where he studied under William Tennent, Jr. He entered
the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, as a
sophomore in 1768 to study for the ministry.
The non-political works of Freneau are a combination of
neoclassicism and romanticism. His poem "The House of
Night" makes its mark as one of the first romantic poems
written and published in America. The gothic elements and
dark imagery are later seen in poetry by Edgar A llan Poe, who
is well known for his gothic works of literature. Freneau's
nature poem, "The Wild Honey Suckle" (1786), is considered an
early seed to the later Transcendentalist movement taken up by William Cullen Bryant, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. Romantic primitivism is also anticipated by his poems "The Indian
Burying Ground," and "Noble Savage."
“ The Wild Honey Suckle” was virtually unread in the poet’s lifetime, yet it deserves a place among
major English and American works of poetry at that time. This nature lyric is the first to give lyrical
expression to American nature. The idea for “ The Indian Burying Ground” was suggested by that fact that
some Indian tribes buried their died in a sitting, instead of lying, position. This poem is marked by the use
of “ Reason” as an abstraction which is personified. (A dapted from Philip Freneau-Poem and Biography by
AmericanPoem.com, W ikipeadia & Highlights of American Literature, p.29)
The Wild Honey Suckle
Fair f lower , t hat does so comely gr ow,
Hid in t his silent , dull r et r eat ,
Unt ouched t hy honied blossoms blow,
Unseen t hy lit t le br anches gr eet ;
No r oving f oot shall cr ush t hee her e,
No busy hand pr ovoke a t ear .
By Nat ur e’s self in whit e ar r ayed,
She bade t hee shun t he vulgar eye,
And plant ed her e t he guar dian shade,
And sent sof t wat er s mur mur ing by;
Thus quiet ly t hy summer goes,
Thy days declining t o r epose.
Smit wit h t hose char ms, t hat must decay,
I gr ieve t o see your f ut ur e doom;
They died—nor wer e t hose f lower s mor e gay,
The f lower s t hat did in Eden1) bloom;
Unpit ying f r ost s, and Aut umns’ power
Shall leave no vest ige of t his f lower .
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Fr om mor ning suns and evening dews
At f ir st t hy lit t le being came:
I f not hing once, you not hing lose,
For when you die you ar e t he same;
The space bet ween, is but an hour ,
The f r ail dur at ion of a f lower .
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Vocabulary:
1) Eden: garden that was the home of the first man and woman, Adam and Eva, as told in the
Book of Genesis of the English Bible.
The I ndian Bur ying Gr ound
Published in 1788, this poem is the earliest to
romanticize the I ndian as a child of nature.
I n spit e of all t he lear ned have said,
I st ill my old opinion keep;
The post ur e, t hat we give t he dead,
Point s out t he soul’s et er nal sleep.
Not so t he ancient s of t hese lands—
The I ndian, when f r om lif e r eleased,
Again is seat ed wit h his f r iends.
And shar es again t he j oyous f east 1).
His imaged bir ds, and paint ed bowl,
And venison, f or a 1j our ney dr essed,
Bespeak t he nat ur e of t he soul,
Act ivit y, t hat knows no r est .
His bow, f or act ion r ead bent ,
And ar r ows, wit h a head of st one,
Can only mean t hat lif e is spent ,
And not t he old ideas gone.
Thou, st r anger , t hat shalt come t his way,
No f r aud upon t he dead commit —
Obser ve t he swelling t ur f , and say
They do not lie, but her e t hey sit .
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Her e st ill a lof t y r ock r emains,
On which t he cur ious eye may t r ace
(Now wast ed, half , by wear ing r ains)
The f ancies of a r uder r ace.
Her e st ill an aged elm aspir es,
Beneat h whose f ar -pr oj ect ing shade
(And which t he shepher d st ill admir es)
The childr en of t he f or est played!
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Ther e of t a r est less I ndian queen
(Pale Shebah2), wit h her br aided hair )
And many a bar bar ous f or m is seen
To chide t he man t hat linger s t her e.
By midnight moons, o’er moist ening dews;
I n habit f or t he chase ar r ayed,
The hunt er st ill t he deer pur sues,
The hunt er and t he deer , a shade!
And long shall t imor ous f ancy see
The paint ed chief , and point ed spear ,
And Reason’s self shall bow t he knee
To shadows and delusions her e.
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Note:
1. feast—“ The north American Indians bury their dead in a sitting posture decorating the
corpse with wampum, the images of birds, quadrapeds, etc., and (if that of a warrior) with
bows, arrows, tomahawks, and other military weapons,” (Freneau’s note)
2. Shebah—queen of an ancient country in southern Arabia.
William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878)
was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor
of the New York Evening Post. He was born on November 3, 1794,
in a log cabin near Cummington, Massachusetts; the home of his
birth is today marked with a plaque. He was the second son of
Peter Bryant, a doctor and later a state legislator, and Sarah Snell.
His maternal ancestry traces back to passengers on the Mayflower;
his father's, to colonists who arrived about a dozen years later.
Bryant and his family moved to a new home when he was
two years old. The William Cullen Bryant Homestead, his
boyhood home, is now a museum. After just two years at
Williams College, he studied law in Worthington and
Bridgewater in Massachusetts, and he was admitted to the bar in
1815. He then began practicing law in nearby Plainfield, walking
the seven miles from Cummington every day. On one of these
walks, in December 1815, he noticed a single bird flying on the
horizon; the sight moved him enough to write "To a Waterfow l".
Here, he uses the bird to reflect his personal perspective.
Bryant developed an interest in poetry early in life. Under his father's tutelage, he emulated A lexander
Pope and other Neo-Classic British poets. The Embargo, a savage attack on President Thomas Jefferson
published in 1808, reflected Dr. Bryant's Federalist political views. The first edition quickly sold out—partly
because of the publicity earned by the poet's young age—and a second, expanded edition, which included
Bryant's translation of Classical verse, was printed. The youth wrote little poetry while preparing to enter
Williams College as a sophomore, but upon leaving Williams after a single year and then beginning to read
law, he regenerated his passion for poetry through encounter with the English pre-Romantics and,
particularly, William Wordsworth. (adapted from W ikipedia)
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To A Wat er f owl
Whit her , midst f alling dew,
While glow t he heavens wit h t he last st eps of day.
Far , t hr ough t heir r osy dept hs, dost t hou pur sue
Thy solit ar y way?
Vainly t he f owler ’s1) eye
Might mar k t hy dist ant f light t o do t hr ee wr ong,
As dar kly seen against t he cr imson sky,
Thy f igur e f loat s along.
Seek’st t hou t he plashy2) br ink
Of weedy lake, or mar ge oi r iver wide,
Or wher e t he r ocking billows r ise and sink
On t he chaf ed ocean-side?
Ther e is a Power whose car e
Teaches t hy way along t hat pat hless coast —
The deser t and illimit able air —
Lone wander ing, but not lost .
All day t hy wings have f anned,
At t hat f ar height , t he cold, t hin at mospher e,
Yet st oop not , wear y, t o t he welcome land,
Though t he dar k night is near .
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And soon t hat t oil shall end;
Soon shalt t hou f ind a summer home, and r est ,
And scr eam among t hy f ellows; r eeds shall bend,
Soon, o’er t hy shelt er ed nest .
Thou’r t gone, t he abyss of heaven
Hat h swallowed up t hy f or m; yet , on my hear t
Deeply has sunk t he lesson t hou hast given,
And shall not soon depar t .
He who, f r om zone t o zone,
Guides t hr ough t he boundless sky t hy cer t ain f light .
I n t he long way t hat I must t r ead alone,
Will lead my st eps ar ight .
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Vocabulary:
1. hunter’ s
2. marshy, swampy
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Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American
poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was a part of the transition
between Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his
works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon,
often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its
time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass (1855) with his own
money, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.
Born on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a
government clerk, and a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War in
addition to publishing his poetry. After a stroke towards the end of his life,
he moved to Camden, New Jersey where his health further declined. He died
at age 72 (1892) and his funeral became a public spectacle. Whitman was
concerned with politics throughout his life. He supported the Wilmot Proviso
and opposed the extension of slavery generally. His poetry presented an
egalitarian view of the races, and at one point he called for the abolition of
slavery, but later he saw the abolitionist movement as a threat to democracy. In “ For You O Democracy” ,
Whitman shows his patriotic feelings towards his country. (Adapated from Wikipedia, 2009:par.1—3)
For You O Democr acy
Come, I will make t he cont inent indissoluble,
I will make t he most splendid r ace t he sun ever shone upon,
I will make divine magnet ic lands,
Wit h t he love of comr ades,
Wit h t he lif e-long love of comr ades.
05
I will plant companionship t hick as t r ees along all t he r iver s of Amer ica, and
along t he shor es of t he gr eat lakes, and all over t he pr air ies
I will make insepar able cit ies wit h t heir ar ms about each ot her ’s necks,
By t he love of comr ades,
By t he manly love of comr ades.
10
For you t hese f r om me, O Democr acy, t o ser ve you ma f emme!
For you, f or you I am t r illing t hese songs.
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an
American poet born in San Fransisco, California and died in Boston. He is
highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of
American colloquial speech.[1] This makes him classified as a pastoral poet.
His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the
early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and
philosophical themes. A popular and often-quoted poet, Frost was honored
frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
Although his verse forms are traditional—he often said, in a dig at
archrival Carl Sandburg, that he would as soon play tennis without a net as
write free verse—he was a pioneer in the interplay of rhythm and meter His
poetry is thus both traditional and experimental, regional and universal. A
sense of national feelings can be felt in “ The Gift Outright” , and it was no
wonder then that he chose it for the inauguration of President John F.
Kennedy in January 1961. (Adapted from Wikipedia, 2009:par.1 & An American
Grab Bag, 1984:1)
12
Gif t Out r ight
The land was our s bef or e we wer e t he land’s.
She was our land mor e t han a hundr ed year s
Bef or e we wer e her people. She was our s
I n Massachuset t s, in Vir ginia,
But we wer e England’s, st ill colonials,
Possessing what we st ill wer e unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no mor e possessed.
Somet hing we wer e wit hholding made us weak
Unt il we f ound out t hat it was our selves
We wer e wit hholding f r om our land of living,
And f or t hwit h f ound salvat ion in sur r ender .
Such as we wer e we gave our selves out r ight
(The deed of gif t was many deeds of war )
To t he land vaguely r ealizing west war d,
But st ill unst or ied, ar t less, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.
The first inaugural poet, Robert Frost, recited “ The Gift Outright” for John F. Kennedy in 1961.
B. Australian Experience
The Industrial Revolution in Europe was marked with the invention of the
steam engine by a Scottish engineer named James Watts (1736-1819). Rural
populations, despite their isolation from urban centers, found themselves
directly affected by the events of the Industrial Revolution. Factories brought
about a decline in cottage industry and a consequent loss of vital income,
especially during winter months. If previously the countryside continued to hold
the bulk of the population, cities grew in size and number once the steam engine
made it practical to bring together large concentration of men, women, and
children to work in factories. In cities, communication and transportation were
more accessible which made it easier for central bureaucracies to collect taxes
13
from the citizens. This overcrowded population was a menace to the city life,
which was, among other things, responsible for the emergence of many crimeridden areas. Meanwhile, laws were harsh and many people were imprisoned for
trivial offences. Prisons were overcrowded and sometimes the hulks of old ships
were used as gaols. The British government thought that New Holland, as
Australia was then called, might be a suitable place to establish a penal
settlement, and hoped that one day it might become a rich colony. In 1788, a
convict fleet was sent to Botany Bay under the command of Captain Arthur
Phillip.
Prior to Phillip’s arrival in Australia, in 1768 the British Government sent
a scientific party to the Pacific Ocean in HMS Endeavour, commanded by James
Cook. Cook’s instructions were to observe an eclipse of the sun by Venus then
explore the coastlines of the south lands. For two years Cook carefully charted
the islands of New Zealand. In 1770 he explored the east coast of Australia as far
north as Cape York, w here he claimed possession of the land for King George III.
He called it New South Wales. Australia was at last to be conquered and
‘civilized’
Early Verse: the 1780s--the 1800s
The following texts are `broadside ballads' - that is poems or songs that were printed on large
sheets of paper and sold very cheaply in the streets and other public places of Britain from the seventeenth
to the nineteenth centuries. Broadsides, or 'street-ballads' as they are sometimes termed, carried Out many
of the functions of the newspaper and, indeed, were
the direct predecessors of that media form. Composed
by usually anonymous literary `hacks' writing at speed
and for an audience apparently hungry for the lurid,
the broadsides carried usually sensational stories in
verse about murders, robberies, rapes, scandals,
politics and other topical concerns. Often the seller of
the broadsides would sing them to folk and popular
tunes and many broadsides passed into oral
circulation, still being collected from singers even in
recent years. Although this does not seem to have
happened to the following texts, they are good
examples of the popular attitudes prevalent at the time
that New South Wales was being developed as a penal settlement, from 1788.
Bot any Bay, A New Song
(Anonymous)
Let us dr ink a good healt h t o our schemer s above,
Who at lengt h have cont r ived f r om t his land t o r emove
Thieves, r obber s and villains, t hey’ll send ‘em away,
To become a new people at Bot any Bay.
Some men say t hey have t alent s and t r ades t o get br ead,
Yet t hey spunge on mankind t o be cloat hed and f ed,
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They’ll spend all t hey get , and t ur n night int o day,
Now I ’d have all such sot s t o Bot any Bay.
Ther e’s gay powder ’d coxcombs and pr oud dr essy f ops,
Who wit h ver y small f or t unes set up in gr eat shops,
They’ll r un int o debt wit h design ne’er t o pay,
They should all be t r anspor t ed t o Bot any Bay.
The t r adesmen who play at car ds, billiar ds and dice,
Must pay f or t heir goods an ext r avagant pr ice,
No f ait h I ’m mist aken such r ogues never pay,
Ther ef or e t hey should all go t o Bot any Bay.
Many men t hey ar e mar r ied t o good-nat ur ’d wives,
They’ll r un af t er wenches and lead debauch’d lives;
Our wise legislat ur e should send such away,
To suppor t t heir syst em in Bot any Bay.
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15
20
Ther e’s night -walking st r umpet s who swar ms in each st r eet
Pr oclaiming t heir calling t o each man t hey meet ;
They become such a pest t hat wit hout delay,
These cor r upt er s of yout h should be sent t o Bot any Bay.
Ther e’s monopoliser s who add t o t heir st or e,
By cr uel oppr ession and squeezing t he poor ,
Ther e’s but cher s and f ar mer s get r ich quick in t hat way,
But I ’d have all such r ogues sent t o Bot any Bay.
We’ve gr eat men above and gent r y below,
They’ll t alk much of honour , and make a gr eat show,
But yet never t hink t heir poor t r adesmen t o pay,
Such def ault er s I ’d have sent t o Bot any Bay.
You lecher ous whor emast er s who pr act ise vile ar t s
To r uin young vir gins and br eak par ent s hear t s,
Or f r om t he f ond husband t he wif e leads ast r ay,
Let such debauch’d st allions be sent t o Bot any Bay.
And t hat we may sweep our f oul nat ion quit e clean,
Send of f t he shop-t ax pr omot er s1) so mean,
And t hose who depr ive t he light of t he day,
Should wor k f or a br eakf ast at Bot any Bay.
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30
35
40
The hulks and t he j ails had some t housands in st or e,
But out of t he j ails ar e t en t housand t imes mor e,
Who live by f r aud, cheat ing, vile t r icks, and f oul play,
They should all be sent over t o Bot any Bay.
Now, should any t ake umbr age, at what I have wr it ,
Or her e f ind a bonnet or cap t hat will f it ,
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15
To such I have only t his one wor d t o say,
Ther e ar e all welcome t o wear it at Bot any Bay.
1) the shop-tax promoters - a reference to the tax on shops and windows
proposed by the government of William Pitt, the younger.
Bot any Bay
(Anonymous)
Away wit h t hese whimsical bubbles of air
Which only excit e a moment ar y st ar e;
At t ent ion t o plant s of ut ilit y pay,
Weigh anchor , and st eer f or Bot any Bay.
Let no-one t hink much of a t r if ling expense,
Who knows what may happen a hundr ed year s hence?
The loss of Amer ica what can r epay?
New colonies seek f or at Bot any Bay.
O’er Nept une’s domain, how ext ensive t he scope,
Of quickly r et ur ning, how def iant t he hope.
The Capes must be doubled, and t hen bear away
Thr ee t housand good leagues t o r each Bot any Bay.
Of t hose pr ecious souls who f or nobody car e,
I t seems a lar ge car go t he kingdom can spar e,
To ship of f a gr oss or t wo, make no delay,
They cannot t oo soon go t o Bot any Bay.
They go t o an island t o t ake per sonal char ge,
Much war mer t han Br it ain, and t en t imes as lar ge,
No cust om-house dut y, no f r eight age t o pay,
And t ax f r ee t hey live when at Bot any Bay.
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This gar den of Eden, t his new pr omised land,
The t ime t o set sail f or will soon be at hand;
Ye wor st of land of land-lubber s make r eady f or sea,
Ther e’s r oom f or you all about Bot any Bay.
For a gener al good make a gener al sweep,
The beaut y of lif e in good or der t o keep,
Wit h night -pr owling hat ef ul dist ur ber s away,
And send t he whole t r ibe unt o Bot any Bay.
Ye chief s who go out on t his naval exploit ,
The wor k t o accomplish, and set mat t er s r ight ,
To I r eland be kind, call at Cor k on your way,
And t ake some Whit e Boys1) unt o Bot any Bay.
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30
Commer cial ar r angement s give pr ospect s of j oy,
16
Fair and f ir m may be kept ever y nat ional t ie,
And mut ual conf idence may t hose who bet r ay
Be sent t o t he bot t om of Bot any Bay.
35
1) White Boys - Irish anti-English agitators
Convict Poetry and Song
The ballad "The Female Transport" takes the
theme of transportation to penal settlements in NSW and
Van Diemen's Land, as Tasmania was known at the time.
Many such ballads were produced and a number of them
are still collected from traditional singers in Australia,
Britain and elsewhere.
The Female Tr anspor t
(Anonymous)
Come all young gir ls, bot h f ar and near , and list en unt o me,
While unt o you I do unf old what pr oved my dest iny,
My mot her died when I was young, it caused me t o deplor e,
And I did get my way t oo soon upon my nat ive shor e.
Sar ah Collins is my name, most dr eadf ul is my f at e,
My f at her r ear ed me t ender ly, t he t r ut h I do r elat e,
Till ent iced by bad company along wit h many mor e,
I t led t o my discover y upon my nat ive shor e.
My t r ial it appr oached f ast , bef or e t he j udge I st ood,
And when t he j udge’s sent ence passed it f air ly chilled my blood,
Cr ying, ‘You must be t r anspor t ed f or f our t een year s or mor e,
And go f r om hence acr oss t he seas unt o Van Diemen’s shor e.’
I t hur t my hear t when on a coach I my nat ive t own passed by;
To see so many I did know, it made me heave a sigh;
Then t o a ship was sent wit h speed along wit h many mor e,
Whose aching hear t s did gr ieve t o go unt o Van Diemen’s shor e.
The sea was r ough, r an mount ains high, wit h us poor gir ls ‘t was har d,
No one hut God t o us came nigh, no one did us r egar d.
At lengt h, alas! we r eached t he land, it gr ieved us t en t imes mor e,
That wr et ched place Van Diemen’s Land, f ar f r om our nat ive shor e.
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They chained us t wo by t wo, and whipped and lashed along,
They cut of f our pr ovisions if we did t he least t hing wr ong;
They mar ch us in t he bur ning sun unt il our f eel ar e sor e,
So har d’s our lot now we ar e got t o Van Diemen’s shor e.
We labour har d f r om mor n t o night unt il our hones do ache,
Then ever y one t hey must obey, t heir mouldy beds must make;
We of t en wish when we lay down we ne’er may r ise no mor e
To meet our savage Gover nor upon Van Diemen’s shor e.
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17
Ever y night when I lay down I wet my st r aw wit h t ear s,
While wind upon t hat hor r id shor e did whist le in our ear s,
Those dr eadf ul beast s upon t hat land ar ound our cot s do r oar ,
Most dismal is our doom upon Van Diemen’s shor e.
Come all young men and maidens, do bad company f or sake,
I f t ongue can t ell our over t hr ow it will make your hear t t o ache;
Young gir ls I pr ay be r uled by me, your wicked ways give o’er ,
For f ear like us you spend your days upon Van Diemen’s shor e.
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‘ Frank The Poet’
This text is usually attributed to Francis McNamara (1811--?), (alias Goddard) transported in 1832 for
‘uttering’ or distributing forged bank notes. Known as ‘Frank the Poet’, McNamara’s works were wellknown amongst the convicts and ex-convicts of the 1820s and after. This ballad provide an interpretation of
early colonial life from the convicts’ point of view.
Labour ing wit h t he Hoe
I was convict ed by t he laws of England’s host ile cr own,
Conveyed acr oss t hose swelling seas in slaver y’s let t er s bound,
For ever banished f r om t hat shor e wher e love and f r iendship gr ow,
That loss of f r eedom t o deplor e and wor k t he labour ing hoe.
Despised, r ej ect ed and oppr essed in t at t er ed r ags I m clad.
What anguish f ills my aching br east and almost dr ives me mad,
When I hear t he set t ler ’s t hr eat ening voice say, ‘Ar ise! t o labour go,
Take scour ging, convict s, f or your choice or wor k t he labour ing hoe.’
Gr owing wear y f r om compulsive t oil beneat h t he noon-t ide sun,
While dr ops of sweat bedew t he soil my t ask r emains undone.
I ’m f logged f or wilf ul negligence, or t he t yr ant s call it so.
Ah what a dolef ul r ecompense f or labour ing wit h t he hoe.
Behold yon lof t y woodbine hills wher e t he r ose in t he mor ning shines,
Those cr yst al br ooks t hat do dist il and mingle t hr ough t hose vines,
Ther e seems t o be no pleasur es gained: t hey but augment my woe,
Whilst her e an out cast doomed t o live and wor k t he labour ing hoe.
You gener ous sons of Er in’s I sle, whose hear t f or glor y bur ns,
Pit y a wr et ched exile who his long-lost count r y mour ns.
Rest or e me heaven t o liber t y whilst I lie her e below,
Unt ie t hat clew of bondage and r elease me f r om t he hoe.
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20
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Early Bushranging Ballad
The two ballads, "Bold Jack Donahoe" and "Jim
Jones at Botany Bay" concerning the activities and the fate
of Jack Donahoe, an early bushranging hero.
Jack Donahue (1804 — 1 September, 1830),
sometimes called John Donohue, was a famous Australian
bushranger. With the exception of Ned Kelly, there have
been more songs, poems and stories about him than any
other bushranger. He quickly became a folk hero. Governor
Ralph Darling told hotel owners they would have their
hotels closed if they allowed people to sing songs about
Donahue.
Jack Donahue was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1804.
He was in trouble with the police for his political activities
to gain independence for Ireland. In 1824, he was found guilty of “ intent to commit a felony” . This means he
was going to do something wrong, but he had not done it yet. He was sent to Sydney on the convict ship
Ann and Amelia, which arrived on 2 January, 1825. He was sent to work for a Mr. Pagan at Parramatta. He
was soon in trouble and put to work on a road gang. Major West, at Quaker’s Hill, employed Donahue to
look after his pigs.
With two other men, George Kilroy and Bill Smith, he held up some carts on the Richmond Road.
The police soon caught them and the court sentenced them to death. As he was being taken back to gaol
(jail) in Sydney he escaped. The government offered a reward of £20 for his capture.
"Jim Jones at Botany Bay" is a traditional Australian folk ballad written as early as 1907. The
narrator, Jim Jones, is found guilty of an unnamed crime and sentenced to transportation. En route, his ship
is attacked by pirates, but the crew holds them off. Just when the narrator remarks that he would rather
have joined the pirates or indeed drowned at sea than gone to Botany Bay, he is reminded by his captors
that any mischief with be met with the whip. The final verse sees the narrator describing the daily drudgery
and degradation of life in the penal colony, and dreaming of joining the bushrangers and taking revenge on
his floggers.
Bold J ack Donahue
(Anonymous)
I n Dublin t own I was br ought up, in t hat cit y of gr eat f ame
My decent f r iends and par ent s, t hey will t ell t o you t he same.
I t was f or t he sake of f ive hundr ed pounds I was sent acr oss t he main,
For seven long year s in New Sout h Wales t o wear t he convict ’s chain.
Chor us:
Then come, my hear t ies, we’ll r oam t he mount ains high!
Toget her we will plunder , t oget her we will die!
We’ll wander over t he mount ains and we’ll gallop over plains
For we scor n t o live in slaver y, bound down wit h ir on chains.
I ’d scar ce been t her e t welve mont hs or mor e upon t he Aust r alian shor e,
When I t ook t o t he highway, as I ’d of t -t imes done bef or e.
Ther e was me and J acky Under wood, Webber and Walmsley t oo,
These wer e t he t r ue associat es of bold J ack Donahoe.
Now Donahoe was t aken, all f or a not or ious cr ime,
And sent enced t o be hanged upon t he gallows-t r ee so high.
But when t hey came t o Sydney gaol he lef t t hem in a st ew,
And when t hey came t o call t he r oll t hey missed bold Donahoe.
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As Donahoe made his escape, t o t he bush he went st r aight way.
The people t hey wer e all af r aid t o t r avel night and day—
For ever y week in t he newspaper s t her e was published somet hing new
Concer ning, t his daunt less her o, t he bold J ack Donahoe!
20
As Donahoe was cr uising, one summer s af t er noon,
Lit t le was his not ion his deat h was near so soon,
When a ser geant of t he hor se police dischar ged his car -a-bine,
And called aloud on Donahoe t o f ight or t o r esign.
‘Resign t o you - you cowar dly dogs! a t hing I ne’er will do,
For I ’ll f ight t his night wit h all my might ,’ cr ied bold J ack Donahoe.
‘I ’d r at her r oam t hese hills and dales, like wolf or kangar oo
Than wor k one hour f or Gover nment !’ cr ied hold J ack Donahoe.
25
He f ought six r ounds wit h t he hor se police unt il t he lat al ball,
Which pier ced his hear t wit h cr uel smar t , caused Donahoe t o f all.
And as he closed his mour nf ul eyes, he bade t his wor ld Adieu
Saying, ‘Convict s all, pr ay f or t he soul of Bold J ack Donahoe!’
30
J im J ones at Bot any Bay
(Anonymous)
O, list en f or a moment lads, and hear me t ell my t ale
How, o’er t he sea f r om England’s shor e I was compelled t o sail.
The j ur y says ‘he’s guilt y, sir ,’ and says t he j udge, says he
For lif e, J im J ones, I ’m sending you acr oss t he st or my sea;
And t ake my t ip, bef or e you ship t o j oin t he I r on-gang,
Don’t be t oo gay at Bot any Bay, or else you’ll sur ely hang –
05
Or else you’ll sur ely hang,’ says he - ‘and af t er t hat , J im J ones,
High up upon t h’ gallow-t r ee t he cr ows will pick your bones.
You’ll have no chance f or mischief t hen; r emember what I say,
They’ll f log t h’ poachin’ Out of you, out t her e at Bot any Bay!
10
The winds blew high upon t h’ sea, and t h’ pir at es came along,
But t he soldier s on our convict ship wer e f ull live hundr ed st r ong.
They opened f ir e and somehow dr ove t hat pir at e ship away.
I ’d have r at her j oined t hat pir at e ship t han have come t o Bot any Bay:
For night and day t he ir ons clang, and like poor galley slaves
We t oil, and t oil, and when we die must f ill dishonour ed gr aves.
15
But bye-and-bye I ’ll br eak my chains: int o t he hush I ’ll go.
And j oin t he br ave bushr anger s - J ack Donohoe and Co.;
20
And some dar k night when ever yt hing is silent in t he t own
I ’ll kill t he t yr ant s, one and all; and shoot t h’ f logger s down:
20
I ’ll give t h’ law a lit t le shock: r emember what I say,
They’ll yet r egr et t hey sent J im J ones in chains t o Bot any Bay!
William Charles Wentworth (13? August 1790 – 20 March
1872) was an Australian poet, explorer, journalist and politician, and
one of the leading figures of early colonial New South Wales. He
was the first native-born Australian to achieve a reputation
overseas, and a leading advocate for self-government for the
Australian colonies.
born en route from Sydney to Norfolk Island on 26th October, 1790
while studying law in 1817—20 at Cambridge in 1823 wrote
“ Australasia” , placed second in the Chancellor’s Poetry Competition
and published in England.
In 1813 Wentworth, accompanied by Lawson and Blaxland,
made the first recorded crossing of that part of the Great Dividing
Range known as the Blue Mountains.
He was probably the original Republican, advocating selfgovernment for Australia. He drafted the constitution which gave
NSW self-government in 1855.
The Blue Mountains town of Wentworth Falls and the
western Sydney suburb of Wentworthville are named for him. He
died in England in 1872.
Aust r alasia
Celest ial poesy! whose genial sway
Ear t h' s f ur t hest habit able shor es obey;
Whose inspir at ions shed t heir sacr ed light ,
Far as t he r egions of t he Ar ct ic night ,
And t o t he Laplander his Bor eal gleam
Endear not less t han Phoebus' br ight er beam, -Descend t hou also on my nat ive land,
And on some mount ain-summit t ake t hy st and;
Thence issuing soon a pur er f ont be seen
Than char med Cast alia or f amed Hippocr ene;
And t her e a r icher , nobler f ane ar ise,
Than on Par nassus met t he ador ing eyes.
And t ho' , br ight goddess, on t he f ar blue hills,
That pour t heir t housand swif t pellucid r ills
Wher e War r agamba' s r age has r ent in t wain
Opposing mount ains, t hunder ing t o t he plain,
No child of song has yet invoked t hy aid
' Neat h t heir pr imeval solit ar y shade, -St ill, gr acious Pow' r , some kindling soul inspir e,
To wake t o lif e my count r y' s unknown lyr e,
That f r om cr eat ion' s dat e has slumber ing lain,
Or only br eat hed some savage uncout h st r ain;
And gr ant t hat yet an Aust r al Milt on' s song
Pact olus-like f low deep and r ich along, --
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An Aust r al Shakespear e r ise, whose living page
To nat ur e t r ue may char m in ev' r y age; -And t hat an Aust r al Pindar dar ing soar ,
Wher e not t he Theban eagle r each' d bef or e.
And, O Br it annia! shouldst t hou cease t o r ide
Despot ic Empr ess of old Ocean' s t ide; -Should t hy t amed Lion -- spent his f or mer might , -No longer r oar t he t er r or of t he f ight ; -Should e' er ar r ive t hat dar k disast r ous hour ,
When bow' d by luxur y, t hou yield' st t o pow' r ; -When t hou, no longer f r eest of t he f r ee,
To some pr oud vict or bend' st t he vanquish' d knee; -May all t hy glor ies in anot her spher e
Relume, and shine mor e br ight ly st ill t han her e;
May t his, t hy last -bor n inf ant , t hen ar ise,
To glad t hy hear t and gr eet t hy par ent eyes;
And Aust r alasia f loat , wit h f lag unf ur l' d,
A new Br it annia in anot her wor ld.
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Vocab:
celestial = (lit. use) very beautiful
poesy = (old use) poetry
genial = hospitable
sway = literary power to rule/ control people
shed = send out
Arctic = the large area of land surrounding the
North Pole
Lapland = region in northern Norway, Sweden,
Ireland, and the Soviet Union
Boreal = northern; pertaining to the north
Phoebus = the sun
Castalia = a spring on Mount Parnassus in Greece,
sacred to Apollo and the Muses and regarded as
a source of poetic inspiration
Hippocrene = a spring on Mount Helicon in Greece,
sacred to the Muses and regarded as a source of
poetic inspiration
Fane = (arch) temple
Pellucid = clear as water, almost transparent
Rill = a small brook
Warragamba = the name of a river (crossing Sydney)
Twain = (old use) two
Primeval = original; belonging to
A. American Experience
The English were not the first in America. It was the Spanish, after all, who, in 1492, had
commissioned the Genoa-born Christoforo Colombo (or known as Christopher Columbus in
English) to seek out a westerly route to the East Indies. His discovery of the New World was a
happy accident. The continent itself was named after the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.
Ironically, though, Columbus never knew what he had actually found. Until his death, he refused
to accept the truth that it was ‘A merica’. He was of an idea that all the new land he encountered
was merely the outer reaches of Asia. However, this discovery marks the colonization of America
by European countries.
When James I (or James VI of Scotland who had been chosen by Elizabeth to succeed her)
was King (1603-1625) the Puritans were often put in prison and sometimes even killed. The
conflict also assumed a political character: between parliament and King, between Liberty and
Autocracy. Some of the Puritans decided to leave England to find freedom in a new country.
They sailed from Plymouth in 1620 in a ship called the ‘ Mayflower’, and these ‘ Pilgrim Fathers’ —as
they were called—started a new life in America. The service which they held to thank God for
their arrival, became a traditional annual festival in America called ‘ Thanksgiving’.
England made its first successful colonization in the early 17th century, and the first
successful colony was established in Jamestown in 1607, and these colonies finally got their
independence from Britain after the war of independence between 1775—83.
The early literature in American colonial time was mainly made by immigrants from
England, and, therefore, the poems that were produced were much influenced by the English
writing tradition to address the subject matter confronted in a strange, new environment. As the
country developed, there were also poems which discussed different aspects of American life and
nature.
Anne Bradstreet (c. 1612 – September 16, 1672) was an EnglishAmerican writer, the first notable American poet, and the first woman to
be published in Colonial America. Her work was very influential to
Puritans in her time.
On July 10, 1666, her home burned down in a fire along with her
personal library of books. This event w hich left the family homeless and in
poverty inspired a poem entitled "Upon the Burning of Our House July
10th, 1666". She rejects the anger and grief that this worldly tragedy has
caused her and instead looks toward God and the assurance of heaven as
consolation.
Much of Bradstreet's poetry is based on observation of the world
around her, focusing heavily on domestic and religious themes. Despite the
traditional attitude toward women of the time, she clearly valued
knowledge and intellect; she was a free thinker and some consider her an
early feminist. (Adapted from Highlights of American Literature, p.6)
To my Dear and Loving Husband
I f ever t wo wer e one, t hen sur ely we1).
I f ever man wer e loved by wif e, t hen t hee;
I f ever wif e was happy in a man,
Compar e wit h me, ye women, if you can.
I pr ize t hy love mor e t han whole Mines of gold
Or all t he r iches t hat t he East 2) dot h hold.
My love is such t hat r iver s cannot quench,
05
1
Nor ought 3) but love f r om t hee, give r ecompense.
Thy love is such I can no way r epay,
The heavens r ewar d t hee manif old, I pr ay.
Then while we live, in love let ' s so per sever e4)
That when we live no mor e, we may live ever .
10
Vocabulary:
1) Anne's husband was Simon Bradstreet (1603-97). They were married in England in 1628.
2) East Indies.
3) an archaic word meaning “ anything whatever”
4) likely accented on the second syllable
Upon t he Bur ning of Our House,
J uly 18t h, 1666
I n silent night when r est I t ook,
For sor r ow near I did not look,
I waken' d was wit h t hundr ing nois
And Pit eous shr eiks of dr eadf ull voice.
That f ear f ull sound of “Fir e!” and “Fir e!”,
Let no man know is my Desir e.
I , st ar t ing up, t he light did spye,
And t o my God my hear t did cr y
To st r engt hen me in my Dist r esse
And not t o leave me succour lesse.
Then coming out beheld a space,
The f lame consume my dwelling place.
And, when I could no longer look,
I blest his Name t hat gave and t ook,
That layd my goods now in t he dust :
Yea so it was, and so ' t was j ust .
I t was his own: it was not mine;
Far be it t hat I should r epine.
He might of All j ust ly ber ef t ,
But yet suf f icient f or us lef t .
When by t he Ruines of t I past ,
My sor r owing eyes aside did cast ,
And her e and t her e t he places spye
Wher e of t I sat e, and long did lye.
Her e st ood t hat Tr unk, and t her e t hat chest ;
Ther e lay t hat st or e I count ed best :
My pleasant t hings in ashes lye,
And t hem behold no mor e shall I .
Under t hy r oof no guest shall sit t ,
Nor at t hy Table eat a bit t .
No pleasant t ale shall ' er e be t old,
Nor t hings r ecount ed done of old.
No Candle ' er e shall shine in Thee,
Nor br idegr oom' s voice er e hear d shall bee.
I n silence ever shalt t hou lye;
Adieu1), Adeiu; All' s vanit y.
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2
Then st r eight I gin my hear t t o chide,
And didst t hy wealt h on ear t h abide?
Didst f ix t hy hope on mouldr ing dust ,
The ar m of f lesh didst make t hy t r ust ?
Raise up t hy t hought s above t he skye
That dunghill mist s away may f lie.
Thou hast an house on high er ect
Fr am' d by t hat might y Ar chit ect ,
Wit h glor y r ichly f ur nished,
St ands per manent t ho' t his bee f led.
I t ' s pur chased, and paid f or t oo
By him who hat h enough t o doe.
A Pr ise so vast as is unknown,
Yet , by his Gif t , is made t hine own.
Ther ' s wealt h enough, I need no mor e;
Far ewell my Pelf 2), f ar ewell my St or e.
The wor ld no longer let me Love,
My hope and Tr easur e lyes Above.
Vocabulary:
1) French for “ goodbye”
Edward Taylor's tombstone, Westfield, M A .
2)
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50
A contemptuous term for wealth
Just like many other earlier colonial poets, Edward Taylor—
an immigrant who was born in 1642?-1729 in Leicestershire—was
influenced by his life-experiences in England. He landed in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony in America in 1668.
Although the writings of the American colonial poets were
much influenced by the English tradition, Taylor is believed to be
“ the only known American poet who wrote in the metaphysical
style” (Wikipedia, 2010:p.2). Furthermore, Wikipedia (2010:p.3)
explains that in his poem "Huswifery", he “ talks about God's
Word and holiness”. Here, the invented speaker “ wants to be like
a spinning wheel and equates godliness with the work of this
machine”. Taylor equates “ personal traits of holiness” with
“ wearing clothes”. In his second poem to be discussed here,
"Upon a Spider Catching a Fly", Taylor compares the spider to
“ the devil who traps the fly which is equated to man. Also says
the mercy of God saves” (Wikipedia, 2010:p.3).
Later until his death, Taylor spent most of his life serving in
“ the wilderness as minister, doctor, farmer, strategist to prevent
Indian attacks, and poet” (Edwardtaylor.poetry.php.htm,
2010:p.3)
Huswif er y 1)
Make me, O Lor d, t hy Spinning Wheel compleat e2).
Thy Holy Wor d my Dist af f make f or me.
Make mine3) Af f ect ions4) t hy Swif t Flyer s neat
And make my soul t hy holy Spool t o be.
My conver sat ion make t o be t hy Reel
And Reel t he yar n t her eon spun of t hy Wheel.
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Make me t hy Loom t hen, knit t her ein t his Twine:
And make t hy Holy Spir it , Lor d, winde quills5):
Then weave t he Web 6) t hyself . The yar n is f ine.
Thine Or dinances7) make my Fulling Mills8).
Then dye t he same in Heavenly Color s Choice.
All pinkt 9) wit h var nished10) Flower s of Par adise.
10
Then clot he t her ewit h mine Under st anding, Will,
Af f ect ions, J udgment , Conscience, Memor y,
My wor ds and Act ions, t hat t heir shine may f ill
My ways wit h glor y and t hee glor if y.
Then mine appar el shall display bef or e ye
That I am Clot hed in Holy r obes f or glor y.
Vocabulary:
1) housewifery; the work of a housewife. Also
thrift, making the most of something
2) fully equipped; without defect
3) my
4) emotions
5) fill spools with thread or yarn
15
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
cloth
sacraments
mills where cloth is beaten and cleaned
adorned, shining
bright, shinning
Upon A Spider Cat ching A Fly
Thou sor r ow, venom Elf e.
I s t his t hy play,
To spin a web out of t hyself e
To cat ch a Fly?
For Why
05
I saw a pet t ish 1) wasp
Fall f oule t her ein.
Whom yet t hy Whor le2) pins did not clasp
Lest he should f ling
His st ing.
10
But as af f r aid, r emot e
Didst st and her eat
And wit h t hy lit t le f inger s st r oke
And gent ly t ap
His back .
15
Thus gent ly him didst t r eat e
Lest he should pet 3),
And in a f r oppish4), waspish heat e
Should gr eat ly f r et 5)
Thy net .
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4
Wher eas t he silly Fly,
Caught by it s leg
Thou by t he t hr oat e t ookst hast ily
And ' hinde t he head
Bit e Dead.
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This goes t o pot 6), t hat not
Nat ur e clot h call.
St r ive not above what st r engt h hat h got
Lest in t he br awle
Thou f all.
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This Fr ey 7) seems t hus t o us.
Hells Spider get s
His int r ails spun t o whip Cor ds8) t hus
And wove t o net s
And set s.
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To t angle Adams r ace
I n' s st r at igems
To t heir Dest r uct ions, spoil' d, made base
By venom t hings
Damn' d Sins.
40
But might y, Gr acious Lor d
Communicat e
Thy Gr ace t o br eake t he Cor d, af f or d
Us Glor ys Gat e
And St at e.
45
We' l Night ingaile sing like
When pear cht on high
I n Glor ies Cage, t hy glor y, br ight ,
And t hankf ully,
For j oy.
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Vocabulary:
1) ill-humored
2) part of a spinning wheel
3) take offense, react negatively
4) fretful
5)
6)
7)
8)
destroy
put up, preserve
(fray), alarm, terror; assault
thin, tough hempen cord
Phillis Wheatley (1753 – December 5, 1784) was the first African
American poet and the first African-American woman whose writings were
published. Born in Gambia, Senegal, she was enslaved at age seven. She was
purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston, who taught her to read and
write, and helped encourage her poetry.
In 1775, she published a poem celebrating George Washington entitled,
“ To his Excellency General Washington.” In 1776, Washington invited
Wheatley to his home as thanks for the poem ,and Thomas Jefferson
republished the poem in the Pennsylvania Gazette as a result of Wheatley’s
audience with Washington.
5
Wheatley's poetry overwhelmingly revolves around Christian themes,
with many poems dedicated to famous personalities. Over one-third consist
of elegies, the remainder being on religious, classical, and abstract themes.[3]
She rarely mentions her own situation in her poems. One of the few which
refers to slavery is "On being brought from Africa to America":
She is known to use three different elements to create make her poetry
meaningful: Christianity, classicism, and hierophantic solar w orship. The use
of classicism and Christianity do not only combine to make the structure of
Wheatley’s work completely pagan or Christian due to a third element used
in her poetry, hierophantic solar worship (Shields 103). The hierophantic
solar worship is what she brought with her from Africa; this is the worship of
sun gods (depicting her African culure). This idea of the sun worship is
significant due to the fact that her parents were sun worshipers. This is also
why she refers to the different words for sun so many times. The word
“ Aurora appears eight times, Apollo seven, Phoebus twelve, and Sol twice”
(Shields 103). The word light is of high importance to her, because it marks
her history. Therefore the significance of her writing about it alludes to the
past which she has left behind. But creating these experiences for the reader
gives her work an emotional appeal that captures her readers.
But remembering that the word Sun can also be written as Son is
important, inflicting a pun on the son of Christ which alludes to her biblical
ideas of writing (Shields 103). Other biblical references include the references
to muses.
Adapted from Wikipadea/ Phillis_Wheatley.htm
To His Excellency Gener al Washingt on
Celest ial choir ! ent hr on' d in r ealms of light ,
Columbia’s1) scenes of glor ious t oils2) I wr it e.
While f r eedom’s cause her anxious br east alar ms,
She f lashes dr eadf ul in r ef ulgent 3) ar ms.
See mot her ear t h her of f spr ing’s f at e bemoan,
And nat ions gaze at scenes bef or e unknown!
See t he br ight beams of heaven’s r evolving light
I nvolved in sor r ows and t he veil of night !
The goddess comes, she moves divinely f air ,
Olive and laur el 4) binds her golden hair :
Wher ever shines t his nat ive of t he skies,
Unnumber ’d char ms and r ecent gr aces r ise.
Muse5)! bow pr opit ious while my pen r elat es
How pour her ar mies t hr ough a t housand gat es,
As when Eolus6) heaven’s f air f ace def or ms,
Enwr app’d in t empest and a night of st or ms;
Ast onish’d ocean f eels t he wild upr oar ,
The r ef luent 7) sur ges beat t he sounding shor e;
Or t hick as leaves in Aut umn’s golden r eign,
Such, and so many, moves t he war r ior ’s t r ain.
I n br ight ar r ay t hey seek t he wor k of war ,
Wher e high unf ur l’d t he ensign8) waves in air .
Shall I t o Washingt on t heir pr aise r ecit e?
Enough t hou9) know’st t hem in t he f ields of f ight .
Thee, f ir st in peace and honour s,—we demand
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The gr ace and glor y of t hy mar t ial band.
Fam’d f or t hy valour , f or t hy vir t ues mor e,
Hear ever y t ongue t hy guar dian aid implor e!
One cent ur y space per f or m’d it s dest ined r ound,
When Gallic10)power s Columbia’s f ur y f ound:
And so may you, whoever dar es disgr ace
The land of f r eedom’s heaven-def ended r ace!
Fix’d ar e t he eyes of nat ions on t he scales11),
For in t heir hopes Columbia’s ar ms pr evails.
Anon Br it annia12) dr oops t he pensive head,
While r ound incr ease t he r ising hills of dead.
Ah! cr uel blindness t o Columbia’s st at e!
Lament t hy t hir st of boundless power t oo lat e.
Pr oceed gr eat chief , wit h vir t ue on t hy side,
Thy ev’r y act ion let t he goddess guide.
A cr own, a mansion. and a t hr one t hat shine,
Wit h gold unf ading, WASHI NGTON! be t hine.
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Vocabulary:
1) America (Columbia) is personified as a woman
2) efforts, refers to the war’s battles
3) rediant
4) (olive branch) symbolizes peace and laurel symbolizes achievement (ancient Olympic
winners received laurel wreaths)
5) one of the nine goddesses presiding over literature, the arts, and the sciences
6) in Greek mythology, the god of the winds
7) ebbing; flowing back
8) flag
9) you ( and thee as the object form of ‘thou’), refers to not only the British, but to any power or
force that might attempt to defy American Independence
10) French, the poet is referring to the victory of the colonists in the French and Indian War
11) The scales of justice (metaphor)
12) England
On Being Br ought Fr om Af r ica To Amer ica
‘Twas mer cy br ought me f r om my Pagan land,
Taught my benight ed soul t o under st and
That t her e’s a God, t hat t her e’s a Saviour t oo:
Once I r edempt ion neit her sought nor knew,
Some view our sable r ace wit h scor nf ul eye,
“Their colour is a diabolic dye.”
Remember , Chr ist ians, Negr oes1), black as Cain2),
May be r ef ined, and j oin t h’ angelic t r ain.
Vocabulary:
1) black
2) the slayer of Abel, see Genesis 4:1-15. The “ mark” set upon Cain by the
Lord was sometimes taken as the origin of the Negro.
7
Philip Morin Freneau (January 2, 1752 – December 18,
1832) was a notable American poet, nationalist, polemicist, sea
captain and newspaper editor sometimes called the "Poet of the
American Revolution".
Freneau was born in New York City, the oldest of the five
children of Huguenot wine merchant Pierre Fresneau and his
Scottish wife. Philip was raised in Monmouth County, New
Jersey where he studied under William Tennent, Jr. He entered
the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, as a
sophomore in 1768 to study for the ministry.
The non-political works of Freneau are a combination of
neoclassicism and romanticism. His poem "The House of
Night" makes its mark as one of the first romantic poems
written and published in America. The gothic elements and
dark imagery are later seen in poetry by Edgar A llan Poe, who
is well known for his gothic works of literature. Freneau's
nature poem, "The Wild Honey Suckle" (1786), is considered an
early seed to the later Transcendentalist movement taken up by William Cullen Bryant, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. Romantic primitivism is also anticipated by his poems "The Indian
Burying Ground," and "Noble Savage."
“ The Wild Honey Suckle” was virtually unread in the poet’s lifetime, yet it deserves a place among
major English and American works of poetry at that time. This nature lyric is the first to give lyrical
expression to American nature. The idea for “ The Indian Burying Ground” was suggested by that fact that
some Indian tribes buried their died in a sitting, instead of lying, position. This poem is marked by the use
of “ Reason” as an abstraction which is personified. (A dapted from Philip Freneau-Poem and Biography by
AmericanPoem.com, W ikipeadia & Highlights of American Literature, p.29)
The Wild Honey Suckle
Fair f lower , t hat does so comely gr ow,
Hid in t his silent , dull r et r eat ,
Unt ouched t hy honied blossoms blow,
Unseen t hy lit t le br anches gr eet ;
No r oving f oot shall cr ush t hee her e,
No busy hand pr ovoke a t ear .
By Nat ur e’s self in whit e ar r ayed,
She bade t hee shun t he vulgar eye,
And plant ed her e t he guar dian shade,
And sent sof t wat er s mur mur ing by;
Thus quiet ly t hy summer goes,
Thy days declining t o r epose.
Smit wit h t hose char ms, t hat must decay,
I gr ieve t o see your f ut ur e doom;
They died—nor wer e t hose f lower s mor e gay,
The f lower s t hat did in Eden1) bloom;
Unpit ying f r ost s, and Aut umns’ power
Shall leave no vest ige of t his f lower .
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Fr om mor ning suns and evening dews
At f ir st t hy lit t le being came:
I f not hing once, you not hing lose,
For when you die you ar e t he same;
The space bet ween, is but an hour ,
The f r ail dur at ion of a f lower .
20
Vocabulary:
1) Eden: garden that was the home of the first man and woman, Adam and Eva, as told in the
Book of Genesis of the English Bible.
The I ndian Bur ying Gr ound
Published in 1788, this poem is the earliest to
romanticize the I ndian as a child of nature.
I n spit e of all t he lear ned have said,
I st ill my old opinion keep;
The post ur e, t hat we give t he dead,
Point s out t he soul’s et er nal sleep.
Not so t he ancient s of t hese lands—
The I ndian, when f r om lif e r eleased,
Again is seat ed wit h his f r iends.
And shar es again t he j oyous f east 1).
His imaged bir ds, and paint ed bowl,
And venison, f or a 1j our ney dr essed,
Bespeak t he nat ur e of t he soul,
Act ivit y, t hat knows no r est .
His bow, f or act ion r ead bent ,
And ar r ows, wit h a head of st one,
Can only mean t hat lif e is spent ,
And not t he old ideas gone.
Thou, st r anger , t hat shalt come t his way,
No f r aud upon t he dead commit —
Obser ve t he swelling t ur f , and say
They do not lie, but her e t hey sit .
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Her e st ill a lof t y r ock r emains,
On which t he cur ious eye may t r ace
(Now wast ed, half , by wear ing r ains)
The f ancies of a r uder r ace.
Her e st ill an aged elm aspir es,
Beneat h whose f ar -pr oj ect ing shade
(And which t he shepher d st ill admir es)
The childr en of t he f or est played!
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Ther e of t a r est less I ndian queen
(Pale Shebah2), wit h her br aided hair )
And many a bar bar ous f or m is seen
To chide t he man t hat linger s t her e.
By midnight moons, o’er moist ening dews;
I n habit f or t he chase ar r ayed,
The hunt er st ill t he deer pur sues,
The hunt er and t he deer , a shade!
And long shall t imor ous f ancy see
The paint ed chief , and point ed spear ,
And Reason’s self shall bow t he knee
To shadows and delusions her e.
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Note:
1. feast—“ The north American Indians bury their dead in a sitting posture decorating the
corpse with wampum, the images of birds, quadrapeds, etc., and (if that of a warrior) with
bows, arrows, tomahawks, and other military weapons,” (Freneau’s note)
2. Shebah—queen of an ancient country in southern Arabia.
William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878)
was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor
of the New York Evening Post. He was born on November 3, 1794,
in a log cabin near Cummington, Massachusetts; the home of his
birth is today marked with a plaque. He was the second son of
Peter Bryant, a doctor and later a state legislator, and Sarah Snell.
His maternal ancestry traces back to passengers on the Mayflower;
his father's, to colonists who arrived about a dozen years later.
Bryant and his family moved to a new home when he was
two years old. The William Cullen Bryant Homestead, his
boyhood home, is now a museum. After just two years at
Williams College, he studied law in Worthington and
Bridgewater in Massachusetts, and he was admitted to the bar in
1815. He then began practicing law in nearby Plainfield, walking
the seven miles from Cummington every day. On one of these
walks, in December 1815, he noticed a single bird flying on the
horizon; the sight moved him enough to write "To a Waterfow l".
Here, he uses the bird to reflect his personal perspective.
Bryant developed an interest in poetry early in life. Under his father's tutelage, he emulated A lexander
Pope and other Neo-Classic British poets. The Embargo, a savage attack on President Thomas Jefferson
published in 1808, reflected Dr. Bryant's Federalist political views. The first edition quickly sold out—partly
because of the publicity earned by the poet's young age—and a second, expanded edition, which included
Bryant's translation of Classical verse, was printed. The youth wrote little poetry while preparing to enter
Williams College as a sophomore, but upon leaving Williams after a single year and then beginning to read
law, he regenerated his passion for poetry through encounter with the English pre-Romantics and,
particularly, William Wordsworth. (adapted from W ikipedia)
10
To A Wat er f owl
Whit her , midst f alling dew,
While glow t he heavens wit h t he last st eps of day.
Far , t hr ough t heir r osy dept hs, dost t hou pur sue
Thy solit ar y way?
Vainly t he f owler ’s1) eye
Might mar k t hy dist ant f light t o do t hr ee wr ong,
As dar kly seen against t he cr imson sky,
Thy f igur e f loat s along.
Seek’st t hou t he plashy2) br ink
Of weedy lake, or mar ge oi r iver wide,
Or wher e t he r ocking billows r ise and sink
On t he chaf ed ocean-side?
Ther e is a Power whose car e
Teaches t hy way along t hat pat hless coast —
The deser t and illimit able air —
Lone wander ing, but not lost .
All day t hy wings have f anned,
At t hat f ar height , t he cold, t hin at mospher e,
Yet st oop not , wear y, t o t he welcome land,
Though t he dar k night is near .
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And soon t hat t oil shall end;
Soon shalt t hou f ind a summer home, and r est ,
And scr eam among t hy f ellows; r eeds shall bend,
Soon, o’er t hy shelt er ed nest .
Thou’r t gone, t he abyss of heaven
Hat h swallowed up t hy f or m; yet , on my hear t
Deeply has sunk t he lesson t hou hast given,
And shall not soon depar t .
He who, f r om zone t o zone,
Guides t hr ough t he boundless sky t hy cer t ain f light .
I n t he long way t hat I must t r ead alone,
Will lead my st eps ar ight .
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Vocabulary:
1. hunter’ s
2. marshy, swampy
11
Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American
poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was a part of the transition
between Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his
works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon,
often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its
time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass (1855) with his own
money, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.
Born on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a
government clerk, and a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War in
addition to publishing his poetry. After a stroke towards the end of his life,
he moved to Camden, New Jersey where his health further declined. He died
at age 72 (1892) and his funeral became a public spectacle. Whitman was
concerned with politics throughout his life. He supported the Wilmot Proviso
and opposed the extension of slavery generally. His poetry presented an
egalitarian view of the races, and at one point he called for the abolition of
slavery, but later he saw the abolitionist movement as a threat to democracy. In “ For You O Democracy” ,
Whitman shows his patriotic feelings towards his country. (Adapated from Wikipedia, 2009:par.1—3)
For You O Democr acy
Come, I will make t he cont inent indissoluble,
I will make t he most splendid r ace t he sun ever shone upon,
I will make divine magnet ic lands,
Wit h t he love of comr ades,
Wit h t he lif e-long love of comr ades.
05
I will plant companionship t hick as t r ees along all t he r iver s of Amer ica, and
along t he shor es of t he gr eat lakes, and all over t he pr air ies
I will make insepar able cit ies wit h t heir ar ms about each ot her ’s necks,
By t he love of comr ades,
By t he manly love of comr ades.
10
For you t hese f r om me, O Democr acy, t o ser ve you ma f emme!
For you, f or you I am t r illing t hese songs.
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an
American poet born in San Fransisco, California and died in Boston. He is
highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of
American colloquial speech.[1] This makes him classified as a pastoral poet.
His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the
early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and
philosophical themes. A popular and often-quoted poet, Frost was honored
frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
Although his verse forms are traditional—he often said, in a dig at
archrival Carl Sandburg, that he would as soon play tennis without a net as
write free verse—he was a pioneer in the interplay of rhythm and meter His
poetry is thus both traditional and experimental, regional and universal. A
sense of national feelings can be felt in “ The Gift Outright” , and it was no
wonder then that he chose it for the inauguration of President John F.
Kennedy in January 1961. (Adapted from Wikipedia, 2009:par.1 & An American
Grab Bag, 1984:1)
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Gif t Out r ight
The land was our s bef or e we wer e t he land’s.
She was our land mor e t han a hundr ed year s
Bef or e we wer e her people. She was our s
I n Massachuset t s, in Vir ginia,
But we wer e England’s, st ill colonials,
Possessing what we st ill wer e unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no mor e possessed.
Somet hing we wer e wit hholding made us weak
Unt il we f ound out t hat it was our selves
We wer e wit hholding f r om our land of living,
And f or t hwit h f ound salvat ion in sur r ender .
Such as we wer e we gave our selves out r ight
(The deed of gif t was many deeds of war )
To t he land vaguely r ealizing west war d,
But st ill unst or ied, ar t less, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.
The first inaugural poet, Robert Frost, recited “ The Gift Outright” for John F. Kennedy in 1961.
B. Australian Experience
The Industrial Revolution in Europe was marked with the invention of the
steam engine by a Scottish engineer named James Watts (1736-1819). Rural
populations, despite their isolation from urban centers, found themselves
directly affected by the events of the Industrial Revolution. Factories brought
about a decline in cottage industry and a consequent loss of vital income,
especially during winter months. If previously the countryside continued to hold
the bulk of the population, cities grew in size and number once the steam engine
made it practical to bring together large concentration of men, women, and
children to work in factories. In cities, communication and transportation were
more accessible which made it easier for central bureaucracies to collect taxes
13
from the citizens. This overcrowded population was a menace to the city life,
which was, among other things, responsible for the emergence of many crimeridden areas. Meanwhile, laws were harsh and many people were imprisoned for
trivial offences. Prisons were overcrowded and sometimes the hulks of old ships
were used as gaols. The British government thought that New Holland, as
Australia was then called, might be a suitable place to establish a penal
settlement, and hoped that one day it might become a rich colony. In 1788, a
convict fleet was sent to Botany Bay under the command of Captain Arthur
Phillip.
Prior to Phillip’s arrival in Australia, in 1768 the British Government sent
a scientific party to the Pacific Ocean in HMS Endeavour, commanded by James
Cook. Cook’s instructions were to observe an eclipse of the sun by Venus then
explore the coastlines of the south lands. For two years Cook carefully charted
the islands of New Zealand. In 1770 he explored the east coast of Australia as far
north as Cape York, w here he claimed possession of the land for King George III.
He called it New South Wales. Australia was at last to be conquered and
‘civilized’
Early Verse: the 1780s--the 1800s
The following texts are `broadside ballads' - that is poems or songs that were printed on large
sheets of paper and sold very cheaply in the streets and other public places of Britain from the seventeenth
to the nineteenth centuries. Broadsides, or 'street-ballads' as they are sometimes termed, carried Out many
of the functions of the newspaper and, indeed, were
the direct predecessors of that media form. Composed
by usually anonymous literary `hacks' writing at speed
and for an audience apparently hungry for the lurid,
the broadsides carried usually sensational stories in
verse about murders, robberies, rapes, scandals,
politics and other topical concerns. Often the seller of
the broadsides would sing them to folk and popular
tunes and many broadsides passed into oral
circulation, still being collected from singers even in
recent years. Although this does not seem to have
happened to the following texts, they are good
examples of the popular attitudes prevalent at the time
that New South Wales was being developed as a penal settlement, from 1788.
Bot any Bay, A New Song
(Anonymous)
Let us dr ink a good healt h t o our schemer s above,
Who at lengt h have cont r ived f r om t his land t o r emove
Thieves, r obber s and villains, t hey’ll send ‘em away,
To become a new people at Bot any Bay.
Some men say t hey have t alent s and t r ades t o get br ead,
Yet t hey spunge on mankind t o be cloat hed and f ed,
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They’ll spend all t hey get , and t ur n night int o day,
Now I ’d have all such sot s t o Bot any Bay.
Ther e’s gay powder ’d coxcombs and pr oud dr essy f ops,
Who wit h ver y small f or t unes set up in gr eat shops,
They’ll r un int o debt wit h design ne’er t o pay,
They should all be t r anspor t ed t o Bot any Bay.
The t r adesmen who play at car ds, billiar ds and dice,
Must pay f or t heir goods an ext r avagant pr ice,
No f ait h I ’m mist aken such r ogues never pay,
Ther ef or e t hey should all go t o Bot any Bay.
Many men t hey ar e mar r ied t o good-nat ur ’d wives,
They’ll r un af t er wenches and lead debauch’d lives;
Our wise legislat ur e should send such away,
To suppor t t heir syst em in Bot any Bay.
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Ther e’s night -walking st r umpet s who swar ms in each st r eet
Pr oclaiming t heir calling t o each man t hey meet ;
They become such a pest t hat wit hout delay,
These cor r upt er s of yout h should be sent t o Bot any Bay.
Ther e’s monopoliser s who add t o t heir st or e,
By cr uel oppr ession and squeezing t he poor ,
Ther e’s but cher s and f ar mer s get r ich quick in t hat way,
But I ’d have all such r ogues sent t o Bot any Bay.
We’ve gr eat men above and gent r y below,
They’ll t alk much of honour , and make a gr eat show,
But yet never t hink t heir poor t r adesmen t o pay,
Such def ault er s I ’d have sent t o Bot any Bay.
You lecher ous whor emast er s who pr act ise vile ar t s
To r uin young vir gins and br eak par ent s hear t s,
Or f r om t he f ond husband t he wif e leads ast r ay,
Let such debauch’d st allions be sent t o Bot any Bay.
And t hat we may sweep our f oul nat ion quit e clean,
Send of f t he shop-t ax pr omot er s1) so mean,
And t hose who depr ive t he light of t he day,
Should wor k f or a br eakf ast at Bot any Bay.
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The hulks and t he j ails had some t housands in st or e,
But out of t he j ails ar e t en t housand t imes mor e,
Who live by f r aud, cheat ing, vile t r icks, and f oul play,
They should all be sent over t o Bot any Bay.
Now, should any t ake umbr age, at what I have wr it ,
Or her e f ind a bonnet or cap t hat will f it ,
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To such I have only t his one wor d t o say,
Ther e ar e all welcome t o wear it at Bot any Bay.
1) the shop-tax promoters - a reference to the tax on shops and windows
proposed by the government of William Pitt, the younger.
Bot any Bay
(Anonymous)
Away wit h t hese whimsical bubbles of air
Which only excit e a moment ar y st ar e;
At t ent ion t o plant s of ut ilit y pay,
Weigh anchor , and st eer f or Bot any Bay.
Let no-one t hink much of a t r if ling expense,
Who knows what may happen a hundr ed year s hence?
The loss of Amer ica what can r epay?
New colonies seek f or at Bot any Bay.
O’er Nept une’s domain, how ext ensive t he scope,
Of quickly r et ur ning, how def iant t he hope.
The Capes must be doubled, and t hen bear away
Thr ee t housand good leagues t o r each Bot any Bay.
Of t hose pr ecious souls who f or nobody car e,
I t seems a lar ge car go t he kingdom can spar e,
To ship of f a gr oss or t wo, make no delay,
They cannot t oo soon go t o Bot any Bay.
They go t o an island t o t ake per sonal char ge,
Much war mer t han Br it ain, and t en t imes as lar ge,
No cust om-house dut y, no f r eight age t o pay,
And t ax f r ee t hey live when at Bot any Bay.
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This gar den of Eden, t his new pr omised land,
The t ime t o set sail f or will soon be at hand;
Ye wor st of land of land-lubber s make r eady f or sea,
Ther e’s r oom f or you all about Bot any Bay.
For a gener al good make a gener al sweep,
The beaut y of lif e in good or der t o keep,
Wit h night -pr owling hat ef ul dist ur ber s away,
And send t he whole t r ibe unt o Bot any Bay.
Ye chief s who go out on t his naval exploit ,
The wor k t o accomplish, and set mat t er s r ight ,
To I r eland be kind, call at Cor k on your way,
And t ake some Whit e Boys1) unt o Bot any Bay.
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Commer cial ar r angement s give pr ospect s of j oy,
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Fair and f ir m may be kept ever y nat ional t ie,
And mut ual conf idence may t hose who bet r ay
Be sent t o t he bot t om of Bot any Bay.
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1) White Boys - Irish anti-English agitators
Convict Poetry and Song
The ballad "The Female Transport" takes the
theme of transportation to penal settlements in NSW and
Van Diemen's Land, as Tasmania was known at the time.
Many such ballads were produced and a number of them
are still collected from traditional singers in Australia,
Britain and elsewhere.
The Female Tr anspor t
(Anonymous)
Come all young gir ls, bot h f ar and near , and list en unt o me,
While unt o you I do unf old what pr oved my dest iny,
My mot her died when I was young, it caused me t o deplor e,
And I did get my way t oo soon upon my nat ive shor e.
Sar ah Collins is my name, most dr eadf ul is my f at e,
My f at her r ear ed me t ender ly, t he t r ut h I do r elat e,
Till ent iced by bad company along wit h many mor e,
I t led t o my discover y upon my nat ive shor e.
My t r ial it appr oached f ast , bef or e t he j udge I st ood,
And when t he j udge’s sent ence passed it f air ly chilled my blood,
Cr ying, ‘You must be t r anspor t ed f or f our t een year s or mor e,
And go f r om hence acr oss t he seas unt o Van Diemen’s shor e.’
I t hur t my hear t when on a coach I my nat ive t own passed by;
To see so many I did know, it made me heave a sigh;
Then t o a ship was sent wit h speed along wit h many mor e,
Whose aching hear t s did gr ieve t o go unt o Van Diemen’s shor e.
The sea was r ough, r an mount ains high, wit h us poor gir ls ‘t was har d,
No one hut God t o us came nigh, no one did us r egar d.
At lengt h, alas! we r eached t he land, it gr ieved us t en t imes mor e,
That wr et ched place Van Diemen’s Land, f ar f r om our nat ive shor e.
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They chained us t wo by t wo, and whipped and lashed along,
They cut of f our pr ovisions if we did t he least t hing wr ong;
They mar ch us in t he bur ning sun unt il our f eel ar e sor e,
So har d’s our lot now we ar e got t o Van Diemen’s shor e.
We labour har d f r om mor n t o night unt il our hones do ache,
Then ever y one t hey must obey, t heir mouldy beds must make;
We of t en wish when we lay down we ne’er may r ise no mor e
To meet our savage Gover nor upon Van Diemen’s shor e.
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Ever y night when I lay down I wet my st r aw wit h t ear s,
While wind upon t hat hor r id shor e did whist le in our ear s,
Those dr eadf ul beast s upon t hat land ar ound our cot s do r oar ,
Most dismal is our doom upon Van Diemen’s shor e.
Come all young men and maidens, do bad company f or sake,
I f t ongue can t ell our over t hr ow it will make your hear t t o ache;
Young gir ls I pr ay be r uled by me, your wicked ways give o’er ,
For f ear like us you spend your days upon Van Diemen’s shor e.
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‘ Frank The Poet’
This text is usually attributed to Francis McNamara (1811--?), (alias Goddard) transported in 1832 for
‘uttering’ or distributing forged bank notes. Known as ‘Frank the Poet’, McNamara’s works were wellknown amongst the convicts and ex-convicts of the 1820s and after. This ballad provide an interpretation of
early colonial life from the convicts’ point of view.
Labour ing wit h t he Hoe
I was convict ed by t he laws of England’s host ile cr own,
Conveyed acr oss t hose swelling seas in slaver y’s let t er s bound,
For ever banished f r om t hat shor e wher e love and f r iendship gr ow,
That loss of f r eedom t o deplor e and wor k t he labour ing hoe.
Despised, r ej ect ed and oppr essed in t at t er ed r ags I m clad.
What anguish f ills my aching br east and almost dr ives me mad,
When I hear t he set t ler ’s t hr eat ening voice say, ‘Ar ise! t o labour go,
Take scour ging, convict s, f or your choice or wor k t he labour ing hoe.’
Gr owing wear y f r om compulsive t oil beneat h t he noon-t ide sun,
While dr ops of sweat bedew t he soil my t ask r emains undone.
I ’m f logged f or wilf ul negligence, or t he t yr ant s call it so.
Ah what a dolef ul r ecompense f or labour ing wit h t he hoe.
Behold yon lof t y woodbine hills wher e t he r ose in t he mor ning shines,
Those cr yst al br ooks t hat do dist il and mingle t hr ough t hose vines,
Ther e seems t o be no pleasur es gained: t hey but augment my woe,
Whilst her e an out cast doomed t o live and wor k t he labour ing hoe.
You gener ous sons of Er in’s I sle, whose hear t f or glor y bur ns,
Pit y a wr et ched exile who his long-lost count r y mour ns.
Rest or e me heaven t o liber t y whilst I lie her e below,
Unt ie t hat clew of bondage and r elease me f r om t he hoe.
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Early Bushranging Ballad
The two ballads, "Bold Jack Donahoe" and "Jim
Jones at Botany Bay" concerning the activities and the fate
of Jack Donahoe, an early bushranging hero.
Jack Donahue (1804 — 1 September, 1830),
sometimes called John Donohue, was a famous Australian
bushranger. With the exception of Ned Kelly, there have
been more songs, poems and stories about him than any
other bushranger. He quickly became a folk hero. Governor
Ralph Darling told hotel owners they would have their
hotels closed if they allowed people to sing songs about
Donahue.
Jack Donahue was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1804.
He was in trouble with the police for his political activities
to gain independence for Ireland. In 1824, he was found guilty of “ intent to commit a felony” . This means he
was going to do something wrong, but he had not done it yet. He was sent to Sydney on the convict ship
Ann and Amelia, which arrived on 2 January, 1825. He was sent to work for a Mr. Pagan at Parramatta. He
was soon in trouble and put to work on a road gang. Major West, at Quaker’s Hill, employed Donahue to
look after his pigs.
With two other men, George Kilroy and Bill Smith, he held up some carts on the Richmond Road.
The police soon caught them and the court sentenced them to death. As he was being taken back to gaol
(jail) in Sydney he escaped. The government offered a reward of £20 for his capture.
"Jim Jones at Botany Bay" is a traditional Australian folk ballad written as early as 1907. The
narrator, Jim Jones, is found guilty of an unnamed crime and sentenced to transportation. En route, his ship
is attacked by pirates, but the crew holds them off. Just when the narrator remarks that he would rather
have joined the pirates or indeed drowned at sea than gone to Botany Bay, he is reminded by his captors
that any mischief with be met with the whip. The final verse sees the narrator describing the daily drudgery
and degradation of life in the penal colony, and dreaming of joining the bushrangers and taking revenge on
his floggers.
Bold J ack Donahue
(Anonymous)
I n Dublin t own I was br ought up, in t hat cit y of gr eat f ame
My decent f r iends and par ent s, t hey will t ell t o you t he same.
I t was f or t he sake of f ive hundr ed pounds I was sent acr oss t he main,
For seven long year s in New Sout h Wales t o wear t he convict ’s chain.
Chor us:
Then come, my hear t ies, we’ll r oam t he mount ains high!
Toget her we will plunder , t oget her we will die!
We’ll wander over t he mount ains and we’ll gallop over plains
For we scor n t o live in slaver y, bound down wit h ir on chains.
I ’d scar ce been t her e t welve mont hs or mor e upon t he Aust r alian shor e,
When I t ook t o t he highway, as I ’d of t -t imes done bef or e.
Ther e was me and J acky Under wood, Webber and Walmsley t oo,
These wer e t he t r ue associat es of bold J ack Donahoe.
Now Donahoe was t aken, all f or a not or ious cr ime,
And sent enced t o be hanged upon t he gallows-t r ee so high.
But when t hey came t o Sydney gaol he lef t t hem in a st ew,
And when t hey came t o call t he r oll t hey missed bold Donahoe.
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As Donahoe made his escape, t o t he bush he went st r aight way.
The people t hey wer e all af r aid t o t r avel night and day—
For ever y week in t he newspaper s t her e was published somet hing new
Concer ning, t his daunt less her o, t he bold J ack Donahoe!
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As Donahoe was cr uising, one summer s af t er noon,
Lit t le was his not ion his deat h was near so soon,
When a ser geant of t he hor se police dischar ged his car -a-bine,
And called aloud on Donahoe t o f ight or t o r esign.
‘Resign t o you - you cowar dly dogs! a t hing I ne’er will do,
For I ’ll f ight t his night wit h all my might ,’ cr ied bold J ack Donahoe.
‘I ’d r at her r oam t hese hills and dales, like wolf or kangar oo
Than wor k one hour f or Gover nment !’ cr ied hold J ack Donahoe.
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He f ought six r ounds wit h t he hor se police unt il t he lat al ball,
Which pier ced his hear t wit h cr uel smar t , caused Donahoe t o f all.
And as he closed his mour nf ul eyes, he bade t his wor ld Adieu
Saying, ‘Convict s all, pr ay f or t he soul of Bold J ack Donahoe!’
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J im J ones at Bot any Bay
(Anonymous)
O, list en f or a moment lads, and hear me t ell my t ale
How, o’er t he sea f r om England’s shor e I was compelled t o sail.
The j ur y says ‘he’s guilt y, sir ,’ and says t he j udge, says he
For lif e, J im J ones, I ’m sending you acr oss t he st or my sea;
And t ake my t ip, bef or e you ship t o j oin t he I r on-gang,
Don’t be t oo gay at Bot any Bay, or else you’ll sur ely hang –
05
Or else you’ll sur ely hang,’ says he - ‘and af t er t hat , J im J ones,
High up upon t h’ gallow-t r ee t he cr ows will pick your bones.
You’ll have no chance f or mischief t hen; r emember what I say,
They’ll f log t h’ poachin’ Out of you, out t her e at Bot any Bay!
10
The winds blew high upon t h’ sea, and t h’ pir at es came along,
But t he soldier s on our convict ship wer e f ull live hundr ed st r ong.
They opened f ir e and somehow dr ove t hat pir at e ship away.
I ’d have r at her j oined t hat pir at e ship t han have come t o Bot any Bay:
For night and day t he ir ons clang, and like poor galley slaves
We t oil, and t oil, and when we die must f ill dishonour ed gr aves.
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But bye-and-bye I ’ll br eak my chains: int o t he hush I ’ll go.
And j oin t he br ave bushr anger s - J ack Donohoe and Co.;
20
And some dar k night when ever yt hing is silent in t he t own
I ’ll kill t he t yr ant s, one and all; and shoot t h’ f logger s down:
20
I ’ll give t h’ law a lit t le shock: r emember what I say,
They’ll yet r egr et t hey sent J im J ones in chains t o Bot any Bay!
William Charles Wentworth (13? August 1790 – 20 March
1872) was an Australian poet, explorer, journalist and politician, and
one of the leading figures of early colonial New South Wales. He
was the first native-born Australian to achieve a reputation
overseas, and a leading advocate for self-government for the
Australian colonies.
born en route from Sydney to Norfolk Island on 26th October, 1790
while studying law in 1817—20 at Cambridge in 1823 wrote
“ Australasia” , placed second in the Chancellor’s Poetry Competition
and published in England.
In 1813 Wentworth, accompanied by Lawson and Blaxland,
made the first recorded crossing of that part of the Great Dividing
Range known as the Blue Mountains.
He was probably the original Republican, advocating selfgovernment for Australia. He drafted the constitution which gave
NSW self-government in 1855.
The Blue Mountains town of Wentworth Falls and the
western Sydney suburb of Wentworthville are named for him. He
died in England in 1872.
Aust r alasia
Celest ial poesy! whose genial sway
Ear t h' s f ur t hest habit able shor es obey;
Whose inspir at ions shed t heir sacr ed light ,
Far as t he r egions of t he Ar ct ic night ,
And t o t he Laplander his Bor eal gleam
Endear not less t han Phoebus' br ight er beam, -Descend t hou also on my nat ive land,
And on some mount ain-summit t ake t hy st and;
Thence issuing soon a pur er f ont be seen
Than char med Cast alia or f amed Hippocr ene;
And t her e a r icher , nobler f ane ar ise,
Than on Par nassus met t he ador ing eyes.
And t ho' , br ight goddess, on t he f ar blue hills,
That pour t heir t housand swif t pellucid r ills
Wher e War r agamba' s r age has r ent in t wain
Opposing mount ains, t hunder ing t o t he plain,
No child of song has yet invoked t hy aid
' Neat h t heir pr imeval solit ar y shade, -St ill, gr acious Pow' r , some kindling soul inspir e,
To wake t o lif e my count r y' s unknown lyr e,
That f r om cr eat ion' s dat e has slumber ing lain,
Or only br eat hed some savage uncout h st r ain;
And gr ant t hat yet an Aust r al Milt on' s song
Pact olus-like f low deep and r ich along, --
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An Aust r al Shakespear e r ise, whose living page
To nat ur e t r ue may char m in ev' r y age; -And t hat an Aust r al Pindar dar ing soar ,
Wher e not t he Theban eagle r each' d bef or e.
And, O Br it annia! shouldst t hou cease t o r ide
Despot ic Empr ess of old Ocean' s t ide; -Should t hy t amed Lion -- spent his f or mer might , -No longer r oar t he t er r or of t he f ight ; -Should e' er ar r ive t hat dar k disast r ous hour ,
When bow' d by luxur y, t hou yield' st t o pow' r ; -When t hou, no longer f r eest of t he f r ee,
To some pr oud vict or bend' st t he vanquish' d knee; -May all t hy glor ies in anot her spher e
Relume, and shine mor e br ight ly st ill t han her e;
May t his, t hy last -bor n inf ant , t hen ar ise,
To glad t hy hear t and gr eet t hy par ent eyes;
And Aust r alasia f loat , wit h f lag unf ur l' d,
A new Br it annia in anot her wor ld.
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Vocab:
celestial = (lit. use) very beautiful
poesy = (old use) poetry
genial = hospitable
sway = literary power to rule/ control people
shed = send out
Arctic = the large area of land surrounding the
North Pole
Lapland = region in northern Norway, Sweden,
Ireland, and the Soviet Union
Boreal = northern; pertaining to the north
Phoebus = the sun
Castalia = a spring on Mount Parnassus in Greece,
sacred to Apollo and the Muses and regarded as
a source of poetic inspiration
Hippocrene = a spring on Mount Helicon in Greece,
sacred to the Muses and regarded as a source of
poetic inspiration
Fane = (arch) temple
Pellucid = clear as water, almost transparent
Rill = a small brook
Warragamba = the name of a river (crossing Sydney)
Twain = (old use) two
Primeval = original; belonging to