Ashtaroth: A Dramatic Lyric

by Adam Lindsay Gordon

A Dramatic Lyric is a poetic work written by Adam Lindsay Gordon, an Australian poet and jockey. The book is a dramatic retelling of the biblical story of Ashtaroth, a pagan goddess worshipped by the Israelites. In the poem, Ashtaroth is depicted as a seductive and powerful deity who lures men to their doom. The story follows the character of Saul, who becomes entranced by Ashtaroth's beauty and is ultimately destroyed by her. The poem is written in a lyrical style, with vivid descriptions and powerful imagery. It explores themes of temptation, desire, and the destructive power of obsession. A Dramatic Lyric is a haunting and evocative work that showcases Gordon's talent as a poet and storyteller.He Who His Appetite Stints And Curbs, Shut Up In The Northern Wing, With His Rye-bread Flavoured With Bitter Herbs, And His Draught From The Tasteless Spring, Good Sooth, He Is But A Sorry Clown. There Are Some Good Things Upon Earth -- Pleasure And Power And Fair Renown, And Wisdom Of Worldly Worth!This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Poetry

108 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 1867

About the author

Adam Lindsay Gordon was an Australian poet, jockey and politician, born in the Azores. The son of an English army captain, Gordon went to school in Cheltenham, before leaving for Australia shortly before his 20th birthday. A dreamy athlete, Gordon preferred horse riding and quoting lengthy reams of Greek and Latin poetry to any kind of hard work.

In Australia, Gordon spent some time in the South Australian police force and then as a member of parliament, but wasn't well suited to either task. He made his fame as a horse rider, winning countless derbies and becoming known for his carefree, risky approach to riding. Always poetically inclined, Gordon had published several pieces in popular South Australian magazines, and finally had his first book publication - "Ashtaroth: A Dramatic Lyric" - in 1867. This was quickly followed by "Sea Spray and Smoke Drift" (1867). Neither of the works sold very well, from initial print runs of 500 each.

That year, Gordon moved with his wife and infant daughter to Ballarat, Victoria. When their daughter died aged 11 months, Gordon began to sink into a depression from which he would never fully recover. Moving to Melbourne, where he lived near Brighton Beach, Gordon became involved with the Yorick Club, a group of bohemian young writers which included future celebrities Marcus Clarke and Henry Kendall. However, faced with money troubles, the young poet found himself deeper and deeper in debt, prone to mood swings, and hanging all of his hopes on a potential large inheritance he was expecting from his ancestral Scotland.

In June 1870, Gordon received the news that he would not inherit the Scottish estate, due to some problems in the line of inheritance. On the 23rd of that month, he published his final volume, "Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes". In mounting debt and suffering depression, Gordon walked home that night aware that this volume would probably also not sell very well, and it certainly wouldn't make him famous, or solve his money troubles.

The following morning, he kissed his wife goodbye, and walked down to Sandringham Beach, where he shot himself in the head. Gordon was memorialised in verse, and a statue was erected near Melbourne's Parliament House in his honour. He is the only Australian poet to be commemorated with a bust in Westminster Abbey. (Both of these memorials were installed many years later, on the centenary of his birth, as part of a public campaign.)

Reviews

[Sammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ashtaroth is justly forgotten. I adore Adam Lindsay Gordon, even though he was notoriously uneven in his poetry (often writing as the mood took him, using his saddle as a desk sitting under a gum tree). But his other two works of poetry have more highs than lows. This confusing melange of Faust and Childe Harold doesn't cut it. It didn't sell well in 1867, it hasn't sold well since.