An Anthology of Australian Verse/Australasia

For works with similar titles, see Australasia.

​William
Charles
Wentworth

AUSTRALASIA

Celestial poesy! whose genial swayEarth’s furthest habitable shores obey;Whose inspirations shed their sacred light,Far as the regions of the Arctic night,And to the Laplander his Boreal gleamEndear not less than Phœbus’ brighter beam,—Descend thou also on my native land,And on some mountain-summit take thy stand;Thence issuing soon a purer font be scenThan charmed Casialia or famed Hippocrene;And there a richer, nobler fane arise,Than on Parnassus met the adoring eyes.And tho’, bright goddess, on the far blue hills,That pour their thousand swift pellucid rillsWhere Warragamba’s rage has rent in twainOpposing mountains, thundering to the plain,No child af song has yet invoked thy aid’Neath their primeval solitary shade,—Still, gracious Pow’r, some kindling soul inspire,To wake to life my country’s unknown lyre,That from creation’s date has slumbering lain,Or only breathed same savage uncouth strain; ​And grant that yet an Austral Milton’s songPactolus-like flow deep and rich along,—An Austral Shakespeare rise, whose living pageTo nature true may charm in ev’ry age;—And that an Austral Pindar daring soar,Where not the Theban eagle reach’d before.
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