"The Creek of the Four Graves" is a poem by Australian writer Charles Harpur that was first published in three parts in The Weekly Register of Politics, Facts and General Literature on 9 August, 16 August and 23 August 1845.
Contents
The author then published an erratum in the same paper on 30 August 1845 which corrects what appears to be a misprinting.
It was later included in the author's poetry collection The Bushrangers, a Play in Five Acts, and Other Poems (1853), and was subsequently reprinted in various newspapers, magazines and poetry anthologies (see below).
Harpur continued to revise the poem throughout his life. His widow, Mary Harpur, authorised a version for inclusion in the poet's collection Poems (1883).
Reception
In a review of The Bushrangers, a Play; and Other Poems by Charles Harpur, a writer in The Maitland Mercury, and Hunter River General Advertiser, 14 May 1853 stated: " "The Creek of the Four Graves" is a very fine piece of narrative and descriptive poetry combined, and would alone entitle the author to be held a true poet."
In a review of an 1899 edition of Poems by Charles Harpur in Freeman's Journal, the writer opined: " 'The Creek of the Four Graves' is a noteworthy performance not only in Australian verse, but also in modern English literature. An affected fad of the local bardling is local colour, but to use it properly he should study the way Harpur has used it in the poem mentioned."
The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature states: "Its story of a group of settlers murdered by natives is presented with individuality and force. Set in the Hawkesbury district and the Blue Mountains, the poem combines a realistic narrative with effective description of the local Australian scene."