by James Lister Cuthbertson (1851 - 1910)
The bush
Language: English
Give us from dawn to dark Blue of Australian skies, Let there be none to mark Whither our pathway lies. Give us when noontide comes Rest in the woodland free— Fragrant breath of the gums, Cold, sweet scent of the sea. Give us the wattle's gold And the dew-laden air, And the loveliness bold Loneliest landscapes wear. These are the haunts we love, Glad with enchanted hours, Bright as the heavens above, Fresh as the wild bush flowers.
Confirmed with Walter Murdoch, ed., The Oxford Book of Australasian Verse, London: Oxford University Press, 1918, Page 71.
Text Authorship:
- by James Lister Cuthbertson (1851 - 1910), "The Bush" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Phyllis Campbell (1891 - 1974), "The bush", copyright © 2018 [ voice and piano ], from Two Australian songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Research team for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-08-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 78