The Isles of Loch Awe and Other Poems of my Youth With Sixteen Illustrations. By Philip Gilbert Hamerton |
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 | The Isles of Loch Awe and Other Poems of my Youth |  |
3
I passed Loch Awe as tourists do,
Catching glimpses here and there
Of the scenes we posted through,
Catching glimpses here and there
Of the scenes we posted through,
With companions full of care
About the comforts of the inns,
And about to-morrow's fare.
About the comforts of the inns,
And about to-morrow's fare.
Thus the soul, to try it, wins
Glimpses of its Paradise.
'Twas a judgment for my sins,
Glimpses of its Paradise.
'Twas a judgment for my sins,
Yet a judgment making wise,
For I went another year
To work alone, and settled there.
For I went another year
To work alone, and settled there.
I visited Loch Awe in 1852, making four sketches and a poem on Inishail, of which a few lines are preserved in the present volume. Afterwards, in 1854, I revisited the lake, setting out with the intention of writing 2000 lines about it, and painting a few illustrations of the scenery. The poem as it now stands consists of rather more than 2000 lines, and some of the sketches accompany it as vignettes. A good deal of it was written in my boat or on the islands. I mention these facts to substantiate the accuracy of the descriptions.
| The Isles of Loch Awe and Other Poems of my Youth | |