Poem, Quarantine Station Sydney

Sydney’s North Head Quarantine Station operated from the 1830s until 1984. During this period, passengers and crew from ships suspected of carrying contagious diseases were required to spend days, weeks, and sometimes months in isolation there. Many of these passengers and crew were Chinese and, like others confined at the station, often passed the time by carving their thoughts and feelings into the sandstone. The result is a rare collection of poems and inscriptions that offers a special instance of Chinese voices within Chinese Australian history.

Poem, Quarantine Station Sydney

Image Courtesy of: Storties from the Sandstone

As soon as thinking of my younger brother without help.

I set off for gold mountain right away.

Occasionally a man died of smallpox.

He is a sailor on the ship.

Setting off and sailing to in the last month of the year.

By tenth of January next year, arrived at Sydney Harbour.

It is hard to say how much misfortune I have suffered.

I have been trapped and suffered from smallpox all these days.

Your advisable words are proved precious to me.

Nobody knows what trouble I am in.

I must not complain •••

Talking about it, I am surprised what I have done all these years.

I sincerely advise everyone should have his own decision.

The news that ten thousands Liang of gold buried in Australia spreads to China.