The Australian Sunrise

By James Lister Cuthbertson

Sonnet
    The morning star paled slowly, the Cross1 hung low to the sea,     And down the shadowy reaches the tide came swirling free,     The lustrous purple blackness of the soft Australian night     Waned in the grey awakening that heralded the light;     Still in the dying darkness, still in the forest dim     The pearly dew of the dawning clung to each giant limb,     Till the sun came up from ocean, red with the cold sea mist,     And smote on the limestone ridges, and the shining tree-tops kissed;     Then the fiery Scorpion2 vanished, the magpie’s note was heard,     And the wind in the sheoak wavered and the honeysuckles stirred;     The airy golden vapour rose from the river breast,     The kingfisher came darting out of his crannied nest,     And the bulrushes and reed-beds put off their sallow grey     And burnt with cloudy crimson at the dawning of the day.

Share & Analyze This Poem

Spread the beauty of poetry or dive deeper into analysis

Analyze This Poem

Discover the literary devices, structure, and deeper meaning

Create Image

Transform this poem into a beautiful shareable image

Copy to Clipboard

Save this poem for personal use or sharing offline

Share the Love of Poetry
More Poems
More Sonnets
Daily Poem

Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
This poem is a masterful evocation of the dawn's arrival in a serene Australian landscape, where the speaker's voice is characterized by a gentle, observant tone. The poem's structure, with its consistent four-line stanzas and a loose iambic tetrameter meter, contributes to its soothing atmosphere. The use of enjambment and caesura effectively conveys the speaker's flowing, observational style. The imagery is rich and detailed, from the shadowy reaches of the tide to the pearly dew clinging to the forest's giant limbs, while the sound of the poem is enhanced by the repetition of soft consonants and the musical quality of words like swirling, lustrous, and shining. The poem's tonal shift occurs with the introduction of the fiery Scorpion and the magpie's note, which marks the transition from the quiet, nocturnal world to the vibrant, diurnal realm. This turning point is reinforced by the use of more dynamic verbs, such as vanished, heard, and darting, which create a sense of movement and energy. The final image of the bulrushes and reed-beds burnt with cloudy crimson is a striking example of the poem's ability to balance subtlety and vividness. The kingfisher's emergence from its nest is a particularly effective moment, capturing the sudden, exhilarating arrival of the sun.

Understanding the Sonnet

The sonnet is one of the most enduring and celebrated forms of poetry, known for its strict structure and profound themes. With a history spanning centuries, sonnets have been used to explore love, beauty, politics, and mortality, all within the confines of just 14 lines.

Sonnets are characterized by their precise form and rhyme scheme, which vary depending on the type of sonnet. Here’s a closer look:

  • Shakespearean (English) Sonnet: Composed of three quatrains followed by a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. This form often builds a complex argument or narrative, culminating in a powerful closing statement.
  • Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet: Divided into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines), with a typical rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA for the octave, followed by various patterns in the sestet such as CDECDE or CDCDCD. The octave usually presents a problem, with the sestet providing a resolution.
  • Meter: Sonnets are traditionally written in iambic pentameter, which gives the poem a rhythmic and melodic quality that enhances its emotional impact.

The sonnet’s enduring appeal lies in its ability to condense complex emotions and ideas into a small but potent package, making it a favorite form for poets seeking to explore profound themes with precision and elegance.