Australian Poems

B. Dawe -Enter without so much as knocking

A.D. Hope - Australia

Enter without so much as knocking by B.Dawe and Australia by A.D. Hope can be considered as very similar poems – they both tell about people’s nature, spiritual emptiness and lack of true values in the modern world of consumerism. The first poem refers to the whole population, criticizes the attitude, morality and lifestyle of the common person whereas in the poem of A.D. Hope the descriptions of empty land, which lacks the cultural identity, refer mostly to Australia. Both poems focus on problems connected with culture, decay of morality, uniqueness and identity. In my opinion both authors have this precious ability to keep a distance and perceive the world objectively. Their poems are the result of careful observation of society; they managed to penetrate deep into people’s souls and discovered the immense emptiness, which should be described and criticized.

The poem Australia, written by A.D. Hope, is a description of poet’s fatherland – Australia. Hope spent many years in Europe so it was not a difficult task for him to remain objective and free from emotions which often distort the perception of reality. Having compared Europe to Australia he is able to criticize. Although his poem is strictly about Australia, one can find the other, deeper meaning which is available to people from the whole world. The person talking in the poem calls Australia “the nation of trees, drab green and desolate grey” – the colors of the land express the nature of nation which lacks vitality and energy. The images and scenery of the country reflex the spiritual poverty and vague identity. In the second stanza the age of Australia is highlighted – people tend to call her “a young country” but the truth is that this land is the oldest one. One can assume that the oldest country should have the richest tradition, culture and history. But Australia is “the emptiest”, lacks the values which constitute the identity and uniqueness of the nation. Very realistic and even naturalistic metaphors are used to illustrate typical features of land. In the poem Australia is “a woman beyond her change of life” – she is a women who went through menopause and is not able to bear children. “A breast still tender but within the tomb is dry” - this statement indicates that the land can maintain life but cannot create or change. The country is completely unproductive.

In the next stanza the person speaking in the poem enumerates the values which Australia does not possess. She lacks the most important blessings of civilization such as “songs, architecture, history”. The only bases are “emotions and superstitions” – there is no intellectual tradition which makes the country strong and stable. Even emotions and superstitions are borrowed from younger lands. The rivers of the country are the rivers of “immense stupidity”. The judgments are extremely blunt and strong. Lack of tradition, history and intellectual heritage makes people stupid and vain. Life on such an empty land is an existence without concrete purpose – just to survive. Australia is called the “dying earth”, there is no future for the nation which does not have the past.

In the fifth stanza the person mentions five Australian cities and compares them to “teeming sores”. People who live in those cities are “second-hand Europeans” – they are only a weak copy of Europeans, they do not have they own identity. Australia is an empty and barren place, the vast spaces remain deserted. People create their refuges at the edge of shores (witch are called “alien shores”), they gather in big cities to feel safe and avoid loneliness. Australians are still timid, they do not have self – confidence and thus cannot create valuable world, they only pollute the places they live in. Although Australia is the country of spiritual poverty there are people who are aware of that and still feel emotionally connected and “turn gladly home”. I believe that the author of the poems speaks about himself. After years spent in Europe he returns and perceives his country from a perspective of educated person who got familiar with highly developed culture of Europeans. He is aware of significant differences; one can assume that Australia and Europe are two extreme sites. Europe is a “lush jungle of modern thought” and, by contrast, Australia is compared to “Arabian desert of the human mind”. There is still a hope, the country still has a chance to develop, to create her own identity. I believe that the poet feels strong bounds; he has sentiments to the land where he was born and grew up. Anticipating “the prophets”, he