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Notes
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Dedication: For Ambi, Prabha, Amrit, Neela.
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Epigraph: 'A sudden mystery of secret Grace / Flowers goldening our earth of red desire'. Sri Aurobindo
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Verse sequences written during the author's stay in Australia from February to May 1979 and the months immediately following his return to India. '... Australia Helix is not a travel-record; it is merely a spasmodic effort at understanding a continent, a nation, half-unconsciously working out its destiny in a distracting and fast-changing world' (from author's Preface). Some of the poems have been previously published in journals and newspapers.
Contents
* Contents derived from the
Chennai,
c
India,c
South Asia,
South and East Asia,
Asia,:Affiliated East-West Press
, 1983 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.- Invocationi"Darkness recedes, and the flaming banners", single work poetry (p. 2)
- Mystic Firei"What's this awesome grandeur of Space and Time,", single work poetry (p. 4)
- Traveller's Visai"I was happy to get a central seat,", single work poetry (p. 5)
- Forecomersi"Sleuthing after the just forgotten past", single work poetry (p. 7)
- Forecomers and Latecomersi"It has been called the unknown continent;", single work poetry (p. 8)
- Double Twilighti"Was it really a stasis, a desert", single work poetry (p. 9)
- 'God's Miserablest Country'i"When the earliest visitors arrived,", single work poetry (p. 10)
- Not for Sale!i"This piece of earth is mine, that's your preserve;", single work poetry (p. 11)
- Abo's Lamenti"I am one of the disinherited,", single work poetry (p. 12)
- Heart of the Mysteryi"Who can take the measure of a mountain,", single work poetry (p. 13)
- Unfinished Continenti"Do I dare fling my gaze on this vastness", single work poetry (p. 14)
- A New Homei"Birds, breezes, beasts carry and scatter seeds", single work poetry (p. 16)
- 'Old Sydney Town'i"It's an adventure in recollection,", single work poetry (p. 17)
- The Rocksi"O'er the debris of the real old city", single work poetry (p. 18)
- Spill-Overi"With all these echoing names, it might be", single work poetry (p. 19)
- Town and Countryi"God made the country, and Man made the town;", single work poetry (p. 20)
- Royal Easter Showi"Time passed, and the gales of ignorance blew", single work poetry (p. 21)
- Slicing the History Cakei"What though human history be a web", single work poetry (p. 22)
- Narcissusi"Would you penetrate the crust of seeming", single work poetry (p. 23)
- Dig, Dig!i"Let us, then, dig for roots", single work poetry (p. 24)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Reconfiguring 'Asian Australian' Writing : Australia, India and Inez Baranay
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 70 no. 3 2010; (p. 11-29) Mapping South Asian Diasporas 2018; (p. 250-267)
-
Reconfiguring 'Asian Australian' Writing : Australia, India and Inez Baranay
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 70 no. 3 2010; (p. 11-29) Mapping South Asian Diasporas 2018; (p. 250-267)
Last amended 8 Jan 2010 08:22:38
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