 | The Poems of Robert Fergusson |  |
O'er Scotia's parched land the Naiads flew,
From towering hills explor'd her shelter'd vales,
Caus'd Forth in wild meanders please the view,
And lift her waters to the zephyrs gales.
Where the glad swain surveys his fertile fields,
And reaps the plenty which his harvest yields.
Here did those lovely nymphs unseen,
Oft wander by the river's side,
And oft unbind their tresses green,
To bathe them in the fluid tide.
Then to the shady grottos would retire,
And sweetly echo to the warbling choir;
Or to the rushing waters tune their shells
To call up echo from the woods,
Or from the rocks, or chrystal floods,
Or from surrounding banks, or hills, or dales.
From towering hills explor'd her shelter'd vales,
Caus'd Forth in wild meanders please the view,
And lift her waters to the zephyrs gales.
Where the glad swain surveys his fertile fields,
And reaps the plenty which his harvest yields.
Here did those lovely nymphs unseen,
Oft wander by the river's side,
And oft unbind their tresses green,
To bathe them in the fluid tide.
Then to the shady grottos would retire,
And sweetly echo to the warbling choir;
Or to the rushing waters tune their shells
To call up echo from the woods,
Or from the rocks, or chrystal floods,
Or from surrounding banks, or hills, or dales.
CHORUS.
Or to the rushing waters tune their shells
To call up echo from the woods,
Or from the rocks or crystal floods,
Or from surrounding banks, or hills, or dales.
To call up echo from the woods,
Or from the rocks or crystal floods,
Or from surrounding banks, or hills, or dales.
41
When the cool fountains first their springs forsook,
Murmuring smoothly to the azure main,
Exulting Neptune then his trident shook,
And wav'd his waters gently to the plain.
Murmuring smoothly to the azure main,
Exulting Neptune then his trident shook,
And wav'd his waters gently to the plain.
The friendly Tritons on his chariot born,
With cheeks dilated blew the hollow-sounding horn.
With cheeks dilated blew the hollow-sounding horn.
Now Lothian and Fifan shores,
Resounding to the mermaids song,
Gladly emit their limpid stores,
And bid them smoothly sail along
Resounding to the mermaids song,
Gladly emit their limpid stores,
And bid them smoothly sail along
To Neptune's empire, and with him to roll
Round the revolving sphere from pole to pole;
Round the revolving sphere from pole to pole;
To guard Britannia from envious foes,
To view her angry vengeance hurl'd
In awful thunder round the world,
And trembling nations bending to her blows.
To view her angry vengeance hurl'd
In awful thunder round the world,
And trembling nations bending to her blows.
CHORUS.
To guard Britannia from envious foes,
To view her angry vengeance hurl'd
In awful thunder round the world,
And trembling nations bending to her blows.
To view her angry vengeance hurl'd
In awful thunder round the world,
And trembling nations bending to her blows.
High towering on the zephyrs breezy wing,
Swift fly the Naiades from Fortha's shores,
And to the southern airy mountains bring
Their sweet enchantment, and their magic powers.
Swift fly the Naiades from Fortha's shores,
And to the southern airy mountains bring
Their sweet enchantment, and their magic powers.
Each nymph her favourite willow takes,
The earth with fev'rous tremor shakes,
The stagnant lakes obey their call,
Streams o'er the grassy pastures fall.
The earth with fev'rous tremor shakes,
The stagnant lakes obey their call,
Streams o'er the grassy pastures fall.
42
Tweed spreads her waters to the lucid ray,
Upon the dimpled surf the sun-beams play:
Upon the dimpled surf the sun-beams play:
On her green banks the tuneful shepherd lies,
Charm'd with the music of his reed,
Amidst the wavings of the Tweed:
From sky-reflecting streams the river nymphs arise.
Charm'd with the music of his reed,
Amidst the wavings of the Tweed:
From sky-reflecting streams the river nymphs arise.
CHORUS.
On her green banks the tuneful shepherd lies,
Charm'd with the music of his reed,
Amidst the wavings of the Tweed,
From sky-reflecting streams the river nymphs arise.
Charm'd with the music of his reed,
Amidst the wavings of the Tweed,
From sky-reflecting streams the river nymphs arise.
The list'ning muses heard the shepherd play,
Fame with her brazen trump proclaim'd his name,
And to attend the easy graceful lay,
Pan from Arcadia to Tweda came.
Fame with her brazen trump proclaim'd his name,
And to attend the easy graceful lay,
Pan from Arcadia to Tweda came.
Fond of the change, along the banks he stray'd,
And sung unmindful of th'Arcadian shade.
And sung unmindful of th'Arcadian shade.
| The Poems of Robert Fergusson | |