This poem was first published by the Launceston Examiner on Saturday, 23 November 1844. The author is unknown.
‘Address to Tasmania’
Why slumber, Tasmania, when dangers surround thee?
Wilt thou wait till from ruin no effort can save?
Has the chill of despair with cold apathy bound thee?
Are thy hopes of the future all laid in the grave?
All I hope should be never, Oh! never forsaken;
Tho’ ruin’s grim visage now stares in thy face,
Yet thy energies rouse, let such measures be taken
As may leave of thy present distresses no trace.
Wait not for thy rulers – to them what’s thy sorrow!
Dream not for a moment they share in thy woe:
By affluence surrounded, hope smiles on their morrow,
While fortune at present to thee seems a foe.
Remember as winter by spring is succeeded,
So bright will futurity dawn upon you,
Altho’ your advancement awhile be impeded
By rulers who coldly thy sorrows can view.
Yes, the ‘Downing-street’ blockheads, slumber at distance,
And dream of new systems on convicts to try
Thus the pet child ‘Probation’ sprung into existence,
And vice, in a deluge, now flows to destroy.
But Tasmania arise! let thy sons in petition
Lay all their distresses at foot of the throne;
Let the Queen be aware of your present condition,
And doubtless some justice at length will be shown.
Address to Tasmania. Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 – 1899), Sat 23 Nov 1844, page 6. Retrieved 22 June 2020, from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36238507.
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Poet’s Corner is a quaint and quirky section of The Tasmanian Times. It has been designed to offer a haven to those who relish and immerse themselves in the sheer joy and pleasure emanating from English verse. Our idea is to share poems published in Tasmania during the early years of British arrival.
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