Sydney and the Bush by Les. A Murray

The poem ‘Sydney and the Bush’ by Les A. Murray, addresses the impacts of colonisation on the Australian landscape.  It compares the relationship between the industrialised Australia and the bushland and also the Europeans with the Aboriginal people.

The inhabitants can hold power and influence over the land allowing them to destroy and dominate over the landscape. This is clearly evident in the poem ‘Sydney and the Bush’ by Les.  A Murray as evident in the use of anaphora of the phrase ‘When Sydney and the Bush first met’.  This phrase can be seen as a metaphor for the time when the Europeans and the Aboriginals met when Australia was first colonised. It also emphasises the power of inhabitants over the landscape as they were able to control the native inhabitants and also were able to destroy the landscape and industrialise Australia. The use of the phrase throughout the poem shows how the relationship between the two landscapes alters dramatically over time. This is furthered by the juxtaposition of ‘fire and earth’ and ‘white men and black’. The word ‘fire’ has negative connotations of hell and destruction emphasising the negative impact the Europeans have had on the natural landscape. This directly contrasts with the ‘earth’ which presents the native inhabitants of the landscape and the natural landscape. This emphasises the power of the ‘fire’ to further dominate over the ‘earth’ in a negative way.

The colonisation of Australia can be seen to have a significant impact upon the traditional landscape. The colonisation of Australia is perceived by Murray to have had a significant impact upon the landscape and its inhabitants as portrayed through the use of repetition of the ‘warders’. The ‘warders’ are prison guards which can be seen as a metaphor for the industrialised Australia which imprisons the bush. The bush is constantly being further damaged and becoming infertile as portrayed in the use of repetition in stanza two, ‘The Bush went back and back’. This highlights the negative impacts of colonisation on the traditional landscape as the bush is being forced further into the distance and is no longer recognisable.

The native landscape can be seen to have great importance. This is portrayed in stanza six, ‘When Sydney rules without the bush she is a warders shop ‘.  The ‘warders’ shop’ can be seen as a metaphor for the Australian Landscape, that becomes unorganised and chaotic when it is altered. This emphasises the importance of the native landscape in allowing the effective functioning of Australia. It also highlights how the Europeans had little consideration for the landscape and did not consider how their actions would impact upon it.  The persona can be seen to criticise the inhabitants of the landscape as their destructive actions continue as they do not recognise the impacts of their actions as portrayed through the use of imagery of, ‘With heavy dancing overhead the music will not stop’.

The poem ‘Sydney and the Bush’ by Les. A Murray can be compared to the poem ‘Australia’ by A D Hope as both poems address the impacts of colonisation on the Australian landscape. Both Murray and Hope criticise the faults of the inhabitants and the industrialised landscape due to the fact inhabitants alter the landscape and yet have little recognition for the impacts of their actions. Both poems also compare how the relationship between the traditional and colonised landscape and inhabitants has changed over time. However these poems are also different as ‘Sydney and the Bush’ can be said to present a more objective view of the relationship between the Europeans and the native Australians – the Aboriginals, whereas ‘Australia’ clearly portrays the persona’s strong connection with the landscape.

The poem ‘Sydney and the Bush’ can also be compared to the poem ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’ by Robert Gray. Both poems highlight the power of inhabitants over the landscape and also how they have the ability to dominate over the landscape. It emphasises the consequences of change upon the landscape and how this can alter the relationship between the landscape and the inhabitants.