HARPUR, CHARLES

born Jan 23, 1813, Windsor, N.S.W., Australia died June 10, 1868, Windsor early Australian poet whose verse, though often lacking intensity and originality, reflects a gentle and sincere personality. Harpur went to Sydney to work as a postal clerk. In 1842 he went to live with his brother on a farm and published his first volume of verse, Thoughts; A Series of Sonnets (1845). By 1850 he was a schoolteacher, and in 1853, his second book, The Bush-rangers: A Play in Five Acts, and Other Poems, appeared. Though the play is considered a failure, the poems are ranked among his best. In 1858 he was appointed gold commissioner at Araluen, a post he held for seven years. A collection of his work, Poems by Charles Harpur, was published by his widow in 1883.