Bush poet
Encyclopedia
Bush poets were Australian poets who wrote about Australian rural life during colonial times and about the Australian bush
. Many colonial bush poets were illiterate and performed their poems from memory instead of writing them. Bush poetry evolved from the jokes and stories shared by early settlers. To help with memorising these, rhyme and verse were introduced.
Bush poetry reflects communal attitudes and traditional Australian culture. Its language is characteristically colloquial and colourful, and its underlying thematic concern is the emergence and development of the Australian identity.
It may be argued by some that bush poetry did not originate so recently, but rather is an adaption of ancient music and ceremonies performed by the Aboriginal natives of the land. Stories of the Dreamtime can be considered to be the beginnings of the bush poetry as an entity.
(1867–1922), Banjo Paterson
(1864–1941) and Dorothea Mackellar
(1885–1968).
Some of their popular poems include:
Banjo Paterson is currently featured on the Australian ten dollar bank note amongst scenes of the Australian outback.
Banjo Patterson's Waltzing Matilda is even considered Australia's unofficial National Anthem.
Composed of writers, performers and those interested in either traditional or modern bush poetry, the association aims to encourage the development, interest and growth of Bush Poetry in Australia.
The Association publishes a bi-monthly magazine of news, events, and contemporary bush poetry, and maintains a calendar of bush poetry events. Bush Poets' Breakfasts are a popular part of many festivals today and each year at Tamworth many bush poetry events are held including The Australian Bush Laureate Awards.
The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Award is the oldest and largest poetry competition for school aged children in Australia. These awards are named in honour of the famous Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar.
The Bush
"The bush" is a term used for rural, undeveloped land or country areas in certain countries.-Australia:The term is iconic in Australia. In reference to the landscape, "bush" describes a wooded area, intermediate between a shrubland and a forest, generally of dry and nitrogen-poor soil, mostly...
. Many colonial bush poets were illiterate and performed their poems from memory instead of writing them. Bush poetry evolved from the jokes and stories shared by early settlers. To help with memorising these, rhyme and verse were introduced.
Bush poetry reflects communal attitudes and traditional Australian culture. Its language is characteristically colloquial and colourful, and its underlying thematic concern is the emergence and development of the Australian identity.
It may be argued by some that bush poetry did not originate so recently, but rather is an adaption of ancient music and ceremonies performed by the Aboriginal natives of the land. Stories of the Dreamtime can be considered to be the beginnings of the bush poetry as an entity.
Notable poets
Examples of the language used within bush poetry can be found in many poems by famous bush poets including Henry LawsonHenry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
(1867–1922), Banjo Paterson
Banjo Paterson
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, OBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...
(1864–1941) and Dorothea Mackellar
Dorothea Mackellar
Isobel Marion Dorothea Mackellar, OBE was an Australian poet and fiction writer.The only daughter of noted physician and parliamentarian Sir Charles Mackellar, she was born in Sydney in 1885...
(1885–1968).
Some of their popular poems include:
- Henry Lawson – "Freedom on the WallabyFreedom on the Wallaby"Freedom on the Wallaby", Henry Lawson's well known poem, was written as a comment on the 1891 Australian shearers' strike and published by William Lane in the Worker in Brisbane, 16 May 1891....
", "The City Bushman", and "Up the CountryUp The CountryUp The Country is a popular poem by iconic Australian writer and poet Henry Lawson. It was first published in The Bulletin magazine on 9 July 1892, under the title Borderland, and started the Bulletin Debate, a series of poems by both Lawson and Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson about the true nature...
";
- Banjo Paterson – "The Man From Snowy RiverThe Man From Snowy River"The Man from Snowy River" is a poem by Australian bush poet Banjo Paterson. It was first published in The Bulletin, an Australian news magazine, on 26th April 1890....
", "Waltzing MatildaWaltzing Matilda"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
" and "Clancy of the OverflowClancy of the Overflow"Clancy of The Overflow" is a poem by Banjo Paterson, first published in The Bulletin, an Australian news magazine, on 21 December 1889. The poem is typical of Paterson, offering a romantic view of rural life, and is one of his best-known works.-History:...
";
- Dorothea Mackellar – "My CountryMy Country"My Country" is an iconic patriotic poem about Australia, written by Dorothea Mackellar at the age of 19 while homesick in England. After travelling through Europe extensively with her father during her teenage years she started writing the poem in London in 1904 and re-wrote it several times...
".
Banjo Paterson is currently featured on the Australian ten dollar bank note amongst scenes of the Australian outback.
Banjo Patterson's Waltzing Matilda is even considered Australia's unofficial National Anthem.
The Australian Bush Poet's Association
In 1994 an association was formed in Tamworth named the Australian Bush Poets Association. The association defines Bush Poetry as follows:Australian Bush Poetry is metered and rhymed poetry about Australia, Australians and/or the Australian way of life.
Composed of writers, performers and those interested in either traditional or modern bush poetry, the association aims to encourage the development, interest and growth of Bush Poetry in Australia.
The Association publishes a bi-monthly magazine of news, events, and contemporary bush poetry, and maintains a calendar of bush poetry events. Bush Poets' Breakfasts are a popular part of many festivals today and each year at Tamworth many bush poetry events are held including The Australian Bush Laureate Awards.
The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Award is the oldest and largest poetry competition for school aged children in Australia. These awards are named in honour of the famous Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar.
External links
- Lead organisation for Australian bush poetry Australian Bush Poets Association
- Bush Poetry Ballads and Yarns Aussie Bush Poetry
- Australian Bush Poetry Verse & Music Site Bush Verse
- Australian website for students of poetry Poetry Resource
- Biography of Henry Lawson Australian Dictionary of Biography
- Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards homepage http://www.dorothea.com.au/
- http://www.bushverse.com/