Adam Lindsay Gordon
Adam Lindsay Gordon ( * October 19, 1833 in the Azores, † June 24, 1870 ) was an Australian poet and is regarded as Australia's national poet.
Life
Adam Lindsay Gordon was the son of an old Scottish family. His father was a former captain in the Army. Even in his childhood, the family moved first to Madeira, then in 1840 into english Cheltenham. At the local college Gordons father was professor of Oriental languages. Gordon attended the school himself in 1841, but was later dismissed because of misconduct.
In 1852 he was sent for training at the Royal Grammar School in Worcester. The then director of Canon Temple noted that Gordon possessed a "very extraordinary genius" ("a most extraordinary genius" ). But four months after his arrival he fell already in trouble. His great interest in horses almost led to his arrest, when he stole a horse, to participate in an obstacle course can.
During his time in Worcester Gordon had his first love affair. He fell in love with Jane Brydges, but showed no interest in Gordon. The latter wrote the following poem about his love:
Its director in Worcester is said to have strengthened his interest in the classics and inspired him to write.
Since he despaired at the whims of his son, Gordon's father sent him in 1853 to South Australia. There, Gordon was to be extremely suitable for the lifestyle and decided, decided to join the mounted police, rather than show off your packed letters of recommendation. Two years later he was as a traveling Einreiter and horse trainer on the road and hit the Catholic missionary and naturalist JE Tenison Woods, who encouraged him to write. 1862 Gordon married at the age of 29 years, the 17 -year-old Maggie Park, who had cared for him after the accident.
Gordon inherited after the 1864 death of his father £ 7,000. He bought some racehorses and was the best obstacle rider in Australia. He increased his reputation as a rider, he performed by a famous jump on a reef on the Blue Lake in Mount Gambier, since 1887, recalls an obelisk to the. In 1865, he also became a member of the Parliament of South Australia in Victoria, the mandate was but next year already back. In 1867 he moved to Mount Gambier to devote himself to writing and horse training. He fell into debt through gambling, alcoholism and funding of litigation to old plots his family in Scotland. In June 1870, he lost the case. One day after the pressure of his last book of poems he shot himself oppressed by money worries, on 24 June 1870.
Importance
He is now regarded as the national poet of Australia and " the winner of the horse ". He is honored as the only Australian poet with a monument in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. Another monument is located - next to his relative, General Charles George Gordon - at Gordon Square in Melbourne at Parliament House.
Two of his poems were immortalized by the composer Sir Edward Elgar, namely A Song to Autumn and The Swimmer from Sea Pictures.
Works (selection)
- The feud, 1864
- Sea spray and smoke drift, 1867
- Ashtaroth: a dramatic lyric, 1867
- Bush ballads and galloping rhymes, 1870
- Collected poems (edited by M. Clarke), 1880
- To my sister! - Written on August 4, 1853, three days before the departure to Australia, 1870