The Works of The Ettrick Shepherd Centenary Edition. With a Memoir of the Author, by the Rev. Thomas Thomson ... Poems and Life. With Many Illustrative Engravings [by James Hogg] |
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| SACRED MELODIES. |
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 | The Works of The Ettrick Shepherd |  |
400
SACRED MELODIES.
Jewish Captives Parting.
Must I leave thee broken-hearted,
All our hopes for ever thwarted;
Early met, and early parted,
Yet while love was new?—
Just when the bud had fondly spread
Its breast to heaven, with blushes red,
The fruit, within its bosom hid,
Shrunk from its fostering dew?
All our hopes for ever thwarted;
Early met, and early parted,
Yet while love was new?—
Just when the bud had fondly spread
Its breast to heaven, with blushes red,
The fruit, within its bosom hid,
Shrunk from its fostering dew?
There's a pang (I may not name it!
Heart of alien cannot frame it,
Tongue of angel cannot blame it)
Wrings this bosom still:—
Oh! thou art all with softness blent,
Mild as the lamb, and innocent;
But thou art in the stranger's tent,
And subject to his will.
Heart of alien cannot frame it,
Tongue of angel cannot blame it)
Wrings this bosom still:—
Oh! thou art all with softness blent,
Mild as the lamb, and innocent;
But thou art in the stranger's tent,
And subject to his will.
Bitterer term was never spoken!
Take this last, this farewell token,
All my hopes with it are broken,
Save in one sole deed:
On that pure breast and form so fair,
Should eye or hand of violence dare—
I say no more; but to thy care
I trust this sure remede.
Take this last, this farewell token,
All my hopes with it are broken,
Save in one sole deed:
On that pure breast and form so fair,
Should eye or hand of violence dare—
I say no more; but to thy care
I trust this sure remede.
How is the gold become so dim!
How hushed the virgin's choral hymn!
Our cup of misery wets the brim,
'Tis slavery or the grave.
Was ever sorrow like to mine?
The daughters young of Judah's line
Are led in bonds and shame to pine,
And none to help or save!
How hushed the virgin's choral hymn!
Our cup of misery wets the brim,
'Tis slavery or the grave.
Was ever sorrow like to mine?
The daughters young of Judah's line
Are led in bonds and shame to pine,
And none to help or save!
The Captive's Song.
Rise, rise, dawn of the morn!
In glory awake, for thy hour is nigh!
Comest thou afar, by cherubim borne,
O'er lands of the East, o'er seas and sky?
Or sleep'st thou on yon mountain gray?—
Awake, thou sun! and come away.
Yes, thou wilt wake; but, woe is me,
For the shame and guilt thine eye must see!—
The stranger's incense burning still
On the heights of Zion's holy hill;
And the rude Sabine's altar-stone
In the green groves of Lebanon!
In glory awake, for thy hour is nigh!
Comest thou afar, by cherubim borne,
O'er lands of the East, o'er seas and sky?
Or sleep'st thou on yon mountain gray?—
Awake, thou sun! and come away.
Yes, thou wilt wake; but, woe is me,
For the shame and guilt thine eye must see!—
The stranger's incense burning still
On the heights of Zion's holy hill;
And the rude Sabine's altar-stone
In the green groves of Lebanon!
Awake, O sun! that I may view
Thy splendour shed (nor grieve the less)
O'er vales of Kedar bathed in dew,
And Chebar's balmy wilderness!
Soon thou wilt smile in beauty bland
Above the Chaldean's sinful land;
But, oh! when shall dawn the day
Of retribution and of grace?
When shall the shadows pass away
That brood o'er Israel's fallen race?
Thou holy One! has Salem's day
By thee forgotten been for aye?
Thy splendour shed (nor grieve the less)
O'er vales of Kedar bathed in dew,
And Chebar's balmy wilderness!
Soon thou wilt smile in beauty bland
Above the Chaldean's sinful land;
But, oh! when shall dawn the day
Of retribution and of grace?
When shall the shadows pass away
That brood o'er Israel's fallen race?
Thou holy One! has Salem's day
By thee forgotten been for aye?
Sing! sing!—How shall I sing
A song of Zion or of thee?
Or hymn the name of Israel's King
In darkness and captivity?
My tabor has no strain nor string
The songs of Zion's land to sing.
But thee—Jerusalem! when my heart
Ceases to yearn and bleed for thee,
May skill from my right hand depart,
And my reward let bondage be!
There lies engraved thy temple fair,
And Name that once we worshipped there!
A song of Zion or of thee?
Or hymn the name of Israel's King
In darkness and captivity?
My tabor has no strain nor string
The songs of Zion's land to sing.
But thee—Jerusalem! when my heart
Ceases to yearn and bleed for thee,
May skill from my right hand depart,
And my reward let bondage be!
There lies engraved thy temple fair,
And Name that once we worshipped there!
Jehovah, in thy strength awake;
Be vengeance on the heathen driven;
Before thee let the mountains quake,
Thy chariot be the winds of heaven!
Come on the clouds, and who shall stand
Against the sway of thy right hand?
Think not of us, so far removed,
And as a garment cast away—
Think on our fathers once beloved;
Must David's house like grass decay?
Return, and set thy people free,
And captives yet shall sing to thee!
Be vengeance on the heathen driven;
Before thee let the mountains quake,
Thy chariot be the winds of heaven!
Come on the clouds, and who shall stand
Against the sway of thy right hand?
Think not of us, so far removed,
And as a garment cast away—
Think on our fathers once beloved;
Must David's house like grass decay?
Return, and set thy people free,
And captives yet shall sing to thee!
Jacob and Laban.
“Depart ye—depart ye—
For shame, ere the morrow!
Alone let me weep,
In anguish and sorrow,
For her whom so long
I've loved with fond duty;
For all I have lost
Of sweetness and beauty.
For shame, ere the morrow!
Alone let me weep,
In anguish and sorrow,
401
I've loved with fond duty;
For all I have lost
Of sweetness and beauty.
“These seven long years
I've served hardly for her;
Yet they seemed but a day,
For the love that I bore her.
The chill hour of midnight
Oft watching has found me,
While the wolf and the lion
Were prowling around me.
Shame on the gift! shame on the giver!
Woe, woe, now and for ever!”
I've served hardly for her;
Yet they seemed but a day,
For the love that I bore her.
The chill hour of midnight
Oft watching has found me,
While the wolf and the lion
Were prowling around me.
Shame on the gift! shame on the giver!
Woe, woe, now and for ever!”
“Cheer thee, boy!—cheer thee, boy!
Blame not her willingness;
Bound to obey,
And swayed by her lovingness.
Striplings may woo,
But age must beware of them;
Laws must be framed,
And strangers must care for them.
Blame not her willingness;
Bound to obey,
And swayed by her lovingness.
Striplings may woo,
But age must beware of them;
Laws must be framed,
And strangers must care for them.
“Love's like the young rose;
Pulled, it will fade and die
Love's like the diamond;
Hardly won, valued high:
For seven years more,
She will kinder and dearer grow;
Thine shall thy love be,
When thou hast won her so.”
“Blest be the boon! blest be the giver!
Joy, joy, now and for ever!”
Pulled, it will fade and die
Love's like the diamond;
Hardly won, valued high:
For seven years more,
She will kinder and dearer grow;
Thine shall thy love be,
When thou hast won her so.”
“Blest be the boon! blest be the giver!
Joy, joy, now and for ever!”
The Rose of Sharon.
Oh! saw ye the Rose of the East
In the valley of Sharon that grows?
Ye daughters of Judah, how blest
To breathe in the sweets of my Rose!
Come, tell me if yet she's at rest
In her couch, with the lilies inwove?
Or if wantons the breeze with her breast?
For my heart it is sick for my love.
In the valley of Sharon that grows?
Ye daughters of Judah, how blest
To breathe in the sweets of my Rose!
Come, tell me if yet she's at rest
In her couch, with the lilies inwove?
Or if wantons the breeze with her breast?
For my heart it is sick for my love.
I charge you, ye virgins unveiled,
That stray 'mong the pomegranate trees,
By the roes and the hinds of the field,
That ye wake not my love till she please!
“The garden with flowers is in blow,
And roses unnumbered are there;
Then tell how thy love we shall know,
For the daughters of Zion are fair.”
That stray 'mong the pomegranate trees,
By the roes and the hinds of the field,
That ye wake not my love till she please!
“The garden with flowers is in blow,
And roses unnumbered are there;
Then tell how thy love we shall know,
For the daughters of Zion are fair.”
A bed of frankincense her cheek,
And wreath of sweet myrrh is her hand;
Her eye the bright gem that they seek
By the rivers and streams of the land:
Her smile from the morning she wins;
Her teeth are the lambs on the hill;
Her breasts two young roes that are twins,
And feed in the valleys at will.
And wreath of sweet myrrh is her hand;
Her eye the bright gem that they seek
By the rivers and streams of the land:
Her smile from the morning she wins;
Her teeth are the lambs on the hill;
Her breasts two young roes that are twins,
And feed in the valleys at will.
As the cedar that smiles o'er the wood;
As the lily 'mid shrubs of the heath;
As the tower of Damascus that stood
Overlooking the hamlets beneath:
As the moon that in glory you see
'Mid the stars and the planets above;
Even so among women is she,
And my bosom is ravished with love!
As the lily 'mid shrubs of the heath;
As the tower of Damascus that stood
Overlooking the hamlets beneath:
As the moon that in glory you see
'Mid the stars and the planets above;
Even so among women is she,
And my bosom is ravished with love!
Return with the evening star,
And our couch on Amana shall be;
From Shinar and Hermon afar
Thou the mountains of leopards shalt see.
O Shulamite! turn to thy rest,
Where the olive o'ershadows the land;
As the roe of the desert make haste,
For the singing of birds is at hand!
And our couch on Amana shall be;
From Shinar and Hermon afar
Thou the mountains of leopards shalt see.
O Shulamite! turn to thy rest,
Where the olive o'ershadows the land;
As the roe of the desert make haste,
For the singing of birds is at hand!
Maiden of Jeshimon.
DUET.
1st voice.Oh, lives one love-spark in your breast,
Maiden of Jeshimon, pray you tell?
2d voice.
Go ask at her whom you now love best,
Ask her the way you know full well.
1st voice.
Women are fickle, and all untrue!
2d voice.
Men are ungrateful—so are you!
1st voice.
Vanity!
2d voice.
Lenity!
Both voices.
Wormwood and gall!
2d voice.
Suavity!
1st voice.
Levity!
Both voices.
Worst of all!
Once full happy and blithe were we,
Blithe as bird on the greenwood tree!
1st voice.
Long I loved, and loved you dear,
2d voice.
Many a day and many a year:
Both voices.
Then all nature seemed completer—
Smiling sweeter.
Ah, how dear!
1st voice.
But 'tis gone!
2d voice.
Let it go!
1st voice.
Can'st thou say so, true love?
2d voice.
Time, that wears all away,
Will lay me low!
Both voices.
Again we'll sport, as we have done,
Round the tree, over the lea;
Nature then shall smile again,
And who so blithe and blest as we?
Sweet the bird shall sing on the tree,
And sweet the sun rise over the sea!
402
Dweller in Heaven.
Dweller in heaven high, ruler below,
Fain would I know thee, yet tremble to know!
How can a mortal deem, how may it be,
That being can ne'er be but present with thee?
Is it true that thou sawest me ere I saw the morn?
Is it true that thou knewest me before I was born?
That nature must live in the light of thine eye?
This knowledge for me is too great and too high!
Fain would I know thee, yet tremble to know!
How can a mortal deem, how may it be,
That being can ne'er be but present with thee?
Is it true that thou sawest me ere I saw the morn?
Is it true that thou knewest me before I was born?
That nature must live in the light of thine eye?
This knowledge for me is too great and too high!
That, fly I to noon-day, or fly I to night,
To shroud me in darkness, or bathe me in light,
The light and the darkness to thee are the same,
And still in thy presence of wonder I am?
Should I with the dove to the desert repair,
Or dwell with the eagle in clough of the air:
In the desert afar—on the mountain's wild brink—
From the eye of Omnipotence still must I shrink!
To shroud me in darkness, or bathe me in light,
The light and the darkness to thee are the same,
And still in thy presence of wonder I am?
Should I with the dove to the desert repair,
Or dwell with the eagle in clough of the air:
In the desert afar—on the mountain's wild brink—
From the eye of Omnipotence still must I shrink!
Or mount I, on wings of the morning, away
To caves of the ocean, unseen by the day,
And hide in these uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there to be living and moving in thee:
Nay, scale I the cloud, in the heavens to dwell,
Or make I my bed in the shadows of hell,
Can science expound, or humanity frame,
That still thou art present, and all are the same?
To caves of the ocean, unseen by the day,
And hide in these uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there to be living and moving in thee:
Nay, scale I the cloud, in the heavens to dwell,
Or make I my bed in the shadows of hell,
Can science expound, or humanity frame,
That still thou art present, and all are the same?
Yes, present for ever! Almighty! Alone!
Great Spirit of nature, unbounded, unknown.
What mind can embody thy presence divine!
I know not my own being, how can I thine?
Then humbly and low in the dust let me bend,
And adore what on earth I can ne'er comprehend:
The mountains may melt, and the elements flee,
Yet an universe still be rejoicing in thee!
Great Spirit of nature, unbounded, unknown.
What mind can embody thy presence divine!
I know not my own being, how can I thine?
Then humbly and low in the dust let me bend,
And adore what on earth I can ne'er comprehend:
The mountains may melt, and the elements flee,
Yet an universe still be rejoicing in thee!
This hymn was introduced into the tale of “The Brownie of Bodsbeck,” and is to be found there, in the first edition.
On Carmel's Brow.
On Carmel's brow the wreathy vine
Had all it honours shed;
And, o'er the vales of Palestine,
A sickly paleness spread;
When the old seer, by vision led
And energy sublime,
Into that shadowy region sped,
To muse on distant time.
Had all it honours shed;
And, o'er the vales of Palestine,
A sickly paleness spread;
When the old seer, by vision led
And energy sublime,
Into that shadowy region sped,
To muse on distant time.
He saw the valleys far and wide,
But sight of joy was none;
He looked o'er many a mountain's side,
But silence reigned alone;
Save that a boding voice sung on
By wave and waterfall,
As still, in harsh and heavy tone,
Deep unto deep did call.
But sight of joy was none;
He looked o'er many a mountain's side,
But silence reigned alone;
Save that a boding voice sung on
By wave and waterfall,
As still, in harsh and heavy tone,
Deep unto deep did call.
On Kison's strand, and Ephratah,
The hamlets thick did lie;
No wayfarer between he saw,
No Asherite passed by:
No maiden at her task did ply,
Nor sportive child was seen;
The lonely dog barked wearily
Where dwellers once had been.
The hamlets thick did lie;
No wayfarer between he saw,
No Asherite passed by:
No maiden at her task did ply,
Nor sportive child was seen;
The lonely dog barked wearily
Where dwellers once had been.
Oh! beauteous were the palaces
On Jordan wont to be;
And still they glimmered to the breeze,
Like stars beneath the sea—
But vultures held their jubilee
Where harp and cymbal rung;
And there, as if in mockery,
The baleful satyr sung.
On Jordan wont to be;
And still they glimmered to the breeze,
Like stars beneath the sea—
But vultures held their jubilee
Where harp and cymbal rung;
And there, as if in mockery,
The baleful satyr sung.
But, oh! that prophet's visioned eye,
On Carmel that reclined,
It looked not on the times gone by,
But those that were behind;
His gray hair streamed upon the wind—
His hands were raised on high—
As, mirrored on his mystic mind,
Arose futurity.
On Carmel that reclined,
It looked not on the times gone by,
But those that were behind;
His gray hair streamed upon the wind—
His hands were raised on high—
As, mirrored on his mystic mind,
Arose futurity.
He saw the feast in Bozrah spread,
Prepared in ancient day;
Eastward, away the eagle sped,
And all the birds of prey.
“Who's this,” he cried, “comes by the way
Of Edom, all divine,
Travelling in splendour, whose array
Is red, but not with wine?
Prepared in ancient day;
Eastward, away the eagle sped,
And all the birds of prey.
“Who's this,” he cried, “comes by the way
Of Edom, all divine,
Travelling in splendour, whose array
Is red, but not with wine?
“Blest be the herald of our King,
That comes to set us free!
The dwellers of the rock shall sing,
And utter praise to thee!
Tabor and Hermon yet shall see
Their glories glow again,
And blossoms spring on field and tree,
That ever shall remain.
That comes to set us free!
The dwellers of the rock shall sing,
And utter praise to thee!
Tabor and Hermon yet shall see
Their glories glow again,
And blossoms spring on field and tree,
That ever shall remain.
“The happy child, in dragon's way,
Shall frolic with delight;
The lamb shall round the leopard play,
And all in love unite.
The dove on Zion's hill shall light,
That all the world must see;
Hail to the Journeyer in his might,
That comes to set us free!”
Shall frolic with delight;
The lamb shall round the leopard play,
And all in love unite.
The dove on Zion's hill shall light,
That all the world must see;
Hail to the Journeyer in his might,
That comes to set us free!”
The Guardian Angels.
DUET.
Whither journeyest thou?Where dost thou dwell?
Dwell'st thou in the rainbow,
Or hills of Israel?
403
Tarry here with me;
Or guide me through the twilight,
Far, far, with thee!
The young and fair
We'll guard with care,
From every snare
And treachery.
Two Voices.
Over tower and palace,
River broad, and fountain—
Over den and desert,
Vale and lofty mountain—
Infant's bed—virgin's head—
Age and misery!
1st voice.
River broad, and fountain—
Over den and desert,
Vale and lofty mountain—
Infant's bed—virgin's head—
Age and misery!
Dost thou dread it?
2d voice.
Thou shalt see.
1st voice.
Dost thou shun it?
2d voice.
Oft I've done it.
Both voices.
Kind the heart that needs no suing!
Sweet the toil when good we're doing!
Sweet the toil, &c., &c.
1st voice.
Wert thou a watcher here?
2d voice.
Many a thousand year.
Both voices.
Then, for aye, our task pursuing,
Never done, yet always doing,
Till our time of bliss draws near.
1st voice.
Shall it never?
2d voice.
Yes, for ever.
Both voices.
Then our joys be ever new,
As our love and duty true!
Our task is love, and 'tis from above,
For love is heaven, and heaven is love.
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