 | The Battle of Largs |  |
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THE BATTLE OF LARGS:
A GOTHIC POEM.
CANTO FIRST.
‘Alarum'd by the thunder drum,
‘At war and woe to work we come.’
The weird Sisters meeting, said,
And Nature shook like one afraid;
While wrapt in Night's black cloke, the sky
Frown'd down on every praying eye,
Mocking the holly supplication
With the rude tempest's declamation.
‘At war and woe to work we come.’
The weird Sisters meeting, said,
And Nature shook like one afraid;
While wrapt in Night's black cloke, the sky
Frown'd down on every praying eye,
Mocking the holly supplication
With the rude tempest's declamation.
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Loud from an umber'd abbey tower
The dark, unclaimed, mysterious hour,
Time's solemn sentinel had hail'd,
And deeper shades of gloom prevail'd.
The dark, unclaimed, mysterious hour,
Time's solemn sentinel had hail'd,
And deeper shades of gloom prevail'd.
‘Hark, a wretch his vengeance gorges,
‘That's the signal for our orgies.
‘Haste while perturbed murder wrestles
‘With his victim, 'range the vessels,
‘And swift the potent secrets mix
‘Which the grim fire's tongue quickly licks.’
‘That's the signal for our orgies.
‘Haste while perturbed murder wrestles
‘With his victim, 'range the vessels,
‘And swift the potent secrets mix
‘Which the grim fire's tongue quickly licks.’
With shrieks that shook the midnight air,
Tossing their fell fangs, lean and bare,
The Three Eternal Sisters spoke;
And fiercely through the witched smoke,
Their drugged caldron muttering glar'd,
And with its red lugubrious light
Enhanced the horror of the night,
While populous grew the gloom, and length'ning groans were heard.
When the foul perfume of the spell,
Had pierced the stench opake of hell,
And Lok's enormous nostrils pleased,—
This stern request the Sisters raised.
Tossing their fell fangs, lean and bare,
The Three Eternal Sisters spoke;
And fiercely through the witched smoke,
Their drugged caldron muttering glar'd,
And with its red lugubrious light
Enhanced the horror of the night,
While populous grew the gloom, and length'ning groans were heard.
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Had pierced the stench opake of hell,
And Lok's enormous nostrils pleased,—
This stern request the Sisters raised.
‘Oh, sire of woes, thy dreadful will
‘Alert and daily we fulfil—
‘Around hoarse Mailstrom's roaring tide
‘The white-main'd billows oft we ride,
‘And shrieking shrill, for thee incite
‘Nature's fierce fitful bedlamite,
‘The howling wind, to chase and hurry
‘Rich-laden barks to the sea fury;
‘While to their doom the seamen sail,
‘Nor hope, nor fear, with them prevail;
‘But swilling, swear, o'er plunder'd drink,
‘And flouting death remorseless sink.
‘The hideous storm that dozing lay
‘Thick blanketted in clouds all day,
‘Behind sulphureous Hecla, we
‘Rous'd to this wrecking wrath for thee,
‘And sent him raging round the world
‘High in a thund'ring chariot hurl'd;
‘Whose steeds, exulting with their load,
‘As the grim fiend they drag abroad,
‘Whisk with their tails the turrets down
‘Of many a temple, tow'r, and town;
‘And watchful of thy mirthful mood,
‘Babes born unseen we swathe in blood:
‘Or a lewd bastard-biggent wench,
‘With her own garter stretch and wrench
‘Her neck, till forth her ken-orbs burst,
‘And drag her hellward self-accurst.
‘Alert and daily we fulfil—
‘Around hoarse Mailstrom's roaring tide
‘The white-main'd billows oft we ride,
‘And shrieking shrill, for thee incite
‘Nature's fierce fitful bedlamite,
‘The howling wind, to chase and hurry
‘Rich-laden barks to the sea fury;
‘While to their doom the seamen sail,
‘Nor hope, nor fear, with them prevail;
‘But swilling, swear, o'er plunder'd drink,
‘And flouting death remorseless sink.
‘The hideous storm that dozing lay
‘Thick blanketted in clouds all day,
‘Behind sulphureous Hecla, we
‘Rous'd to this wrecking wrath for thee,
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‘High in a thund'ring chariot hurl'd;
‘Whose steeds, exulting with their load,
‘As the grim fiend they drag abroad,
‘Whisk with their tails the turrets down
‘Of many a temple, tow'r, and town;
‘And watchful of thy mirthful mood,
‘Babes born unseen we swathe in blood:
‘Or a lewd bastard-biggent wench,
‘With her own garter stretch and wrench
‘Her neck, till forth her ken-orbs burst,
‘And drag her hellward self-accurst.
‘Though we nor boon, nor fee desire,
‘Nor in the weird traffic tire,
‘Thou oft hast to our hands resign'd
‘The engines of the human mind;
‘And we in changing good to bad;
‘Have ample compensation had.
‘Thyself alone enjoyed the spoils
‘Of all our crime-engend'ring wiles.
‘Nor in the weird traffic tire,
‘Thou oft hast to our hands resign'd
‘The engines of the human mind;
‘And we in changing good to bad;
‘Have ample compensation had.
‘Thyself alone enjoyed the spoils
‘Of all our crime-engend'ring wiles.
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‘Again, O mighty Lok bestow
‘Thine aid, to what we purpose now.
‘Norweyan Hako, young and bold,
‘Sublim'd with tales of chiefs of old,
‘Feeds on the future gifts of fame,
‘And lives but for a deathless name;
‘Help us to subjugate his heart,
‘And rude and ruthless thoughts impart;
‘For he who weds ambition must
‘Be cold as iron, harsh as rust.
‘Then shall we lure him on to guilt,
‘By arts resistless and occult,
‘Till deeds of fraud, and acts of force,
‘Deform his soul with foul remorse,
‘And terminate his glorious dreams,
‘Like the alchymist's golden schemes,
‘That burst away in dire explosion,
‘Tumultuous ruin and confusion.’
‘Thine aid, to what we purpose now.
‘Norweyan Hako, young and bold,
‘Sublim'd with tales of chiefs of old,
‘Feeds on the future gifts of fame,
‘And lives but for a deathless name;
‘Help us to subjugate his heart,
‘And rude and ruthless thoughts impart;
‘For he who weds ambition must
‘Be cold as iron, harsh as rust.
‘Then shall we lure him on to guilt,
‘By arts resistless and occult,
‘Till deeds of fraud, and acts of force,
‘Deform his soul with foul remorse,
‘And terminate his glorious dreams,
‘Like the alchymist's golden schemes,
‘That burst away in dire explosion,
‘Tumultuous ruin and confusion.’
Lok, wrapt in secresy and gloom,
Bent his vast eye through Hell's dense fume,
To where the Sisters, hand in hand,
The universe surrounding stand:
Their caldron, Chaos rages high;
Th' infernal fires the heat supply;
Th' infernal fires, that crackling dart
Comets the steller spheres athwart,
Perplexing all the orbs of light,
And shedding horror and affright
On nations, while thaw'd atheist's pray,
And muse of Nature's final day.
He saw, and stretch'd his truncheon forth,
Whose length extends from south to north,
And as he waves it east or west,
The turns are by the winds exprest;
As his wide scarf evolves and folds,
Or day or night the world beholds,
The plumes that crest his dreadful helm
The wintry welkin oft o'erwhelm,
Diffusing snow at every nod,
Or scattering hurtling hail abroad.
The hills that strength to kingdoms yield,
Are but the bosses of his shield;
And when the deadly light'nings glare,
'Tis but his polish'd falchion bare.
While time endures by signs alone,
His will and purposes are known;
For ev'n his gentlest oral call
Would rend the vault, and burst the ball.
Hence, now to bring the mischiefs nigh,
He waves the awful truncheon high;
And, like the tempests in the woods,
Rustling, the evils flock in crowds
Around his throne, from all the deep,
Such gory grizly shapes as sleep
Leads nightly to the ruffian's couch,
To force his tiger-mind to crouch.
And what of virtue, tear and rive
That may in his lost soul survive;
Amidst this wild and wither'd crew,
Stern Erie to the tyrant flew,
And her with murky spells he fraught,
To stain and darken Hako's thought;—
Stern Erie! whose tremendous power
Display'd at midnight's silent hour,
Makes flitting wraiths and airy screams,
Death-hailing dogs, and chiefly dreams,
The sad effects of ill create,
And blab th' intended woes of Fate.
Bent his vast eye through Hell's dense fume,
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The universe surrounding stand:
Their caldron, Chaos rages high;
Th' infernal fires the heat supply;
Th' infernal fires, that crackling dart
Comets the steller spheres athwart,
Perplexing all the orbs of light,
And shedding horror and affright
On nations, while thaw'd atheist's pray,
And muse of Nature's final day.
He saw, and stretch'd his truncheon forth,
Whose length extends from south to north,
And as he waves it east or west,
The turns are by the winds exprest;
As his wide scarf evolves and folds,
Or day or night the world beholds,
The plumes that crest his dreadful helm
The wintry welkin oft o'erwhelm,
Diffusing snow at every nod,
Or scattering hurtling hail abroad.
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Are but the bosses of his shield;
And when the deadly light'nings glare,
'Tis but his polish'd falchion bare.
While time endures by signs alone,
His will and purposes are known;
For ev'n his gentlest oral call
Would rend the vault, and burst the ball.
Hence, now to bring the mischiefs nigh,
He waves the awful truncheon high;
And, like the tempests in the woods,
Rustling, the evils flock in crowds
Around his throne, from all the deep,
Such gory grizly shapes as sleep
Leads nightly to the ruffian's couch,
To force his tiger-mind to crouch.
And what of virtue, tear and rive
That may in his lost soul survive;
Amidst this wild and wither'd crew,
Stern Erie to the tyrant flew,
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To stain and darken Hako's thought;—
Stern Erie! whose tremendous power
Display'd at midnight's silent hour,
Makes flitting wraiths and airy screams,
Death-hailing dogs, and chiefly dreams,
The sad effects of ill create,
And blab th' intended woes of Fate.
She to the haggard Sisters hied,
Who soon her dark approach descried;
And pleas'd to see success attend
Their cruel prayer, the sullen fiend
With strange prostrations they embrace;
A mystic circle then they trace,
Whence whirl'd centrifugal away,
Stern Erie lights where Hako lay.
Who soon her dark approach descried;
And pleas'd to see success attend
Their cruel prayer, the sullen fiend
With strange prostrations they embrace;
A mystic circle then they trace,
Whence whirl'd centrifugal away,
Stern Erie lights where Hako lay.
To tell how deep, how dark, how dire,
The witchrie wax'd would crimes inspire,
And sock and soil the list'ner's soul
With thoughts and themes profane and foul.
For even the names of horror rust
The very shudderings of disgust
That flush the face of innocence
Are pythian throbs that warn her hence.
The witchrie wax'd would crimes inspire,
And sock and soil the list'ner's soul
With thoughts and themes profane and foul.
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The very shudderings of disgust
That flush the face of innocence
Are pythian throbs that warn her hence.
Now glad I wind the streaming song,
The bright domains of day among,—
Sweet whispering Spring, with fragrant breath,
From Winter had regain'd the heath,
Though oft at morn and evening chill,
He frowning stalk'd from hill to hill;
And oft with scornful pride dispers'd
The flaunting flowers untimely burst.
The Baltic, vext by prows and oars,
Murmur'd from all her sounds and shores.
Her shores with glittering armour bright,
Flash'd o'er the sea portentous light;
Such as along the polar sky,
The sad seer-swains of Scotland eye,
With pallid hearts, and thence forewarn
What shall make many a matron mourn;
And spangled kings infest with pain,
The hurling human hurricane.
Thus, while amidst the neighbouring lands,
With active tongue and idle hands
Lounged the pamper'd gossip Peace,
King Hako's martial powers increase.
Untired and ardent, still he toils
To fit his banner'd strength for broils;
Impatient of their aimless task
The Earls his motives muttering ask.
Frequent at evening's shadowy close,
Their murmurs startle coy Repose;
And here and there with threat'ning mein,
A fierce declaiming chief is seen.
At length their bristling ire to smooth,
With lowly steps and speeches sooth,
The hoary herald scalds prepare
The chiefs their monarch's mind to share.
The bright domains of day among,—
Sweet whispering Spring, with fragrant breath,
From Winter had regain'd the heath,
Though oft at morn and evening chill,
He frowning stalk'd from hill to hill;
And oft with scornful pride dispers'd
The flaunting flowers untimely burst.
The Baltic, vext by prows and oars,
Murmur'd from all her sounds and shores.
Her shores with glittering armour bright,
Flash'd o'er the sea portentous light;
Such as along the polar sky,
The sad seer-swains of Scotland eye,
With pallid hearts, and thence forewarn
What shall make many a matron mourn;
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The hurling human hurricane.
Thus, while amidst the neighbouring lands,
With active tongue and idle hands
Lounged the pamper'd gossip Peace,
King Hako's martial powers increase.
Untired and ardent, still he toils
To fit his banner'd strength for broils;
Impatient of their aimless task
The Earls his motives muttering ask.
Frequent at evening's shadowy close,
Their murmurs startle coy Repose;
And here and there with threat'ning mein,
A fierce declaiming chief is seen.
At length their bristling ire to smooth,
With lowly steps and speeches sooth,
The hoary herald scalds prepare
The chiefs their monarch's mind to share.
‘O strength of Norway, mighty lords!
‘Whose fame transcends the force of swords,
‘Whose faith is Hako's sceptre-power,
‘Await to-morrow's noontide hour;
‘Then will the King, as ye request,
‘Unfold the secrets of his breast,
‘And hopes of high heroic fame
‘To all th' assembl'd chiefs proclaim.’
They ceas'd, and from a solemn pause,
A blairing cataract of applause
Burst out around from all the host,
And shook the inland hills, and roar'd along the coast.
‘Whose fame transcends the force of swords,
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‘Await to-morrow's noontide hour;
‘Then will the King, as ye request,
‘Unfold the secrets of his breast,
‘And hopes of high heroic fame
‘To all th' assembl'd chiefs proclaim.’
They ceas'd, and from a solemn pause,
A blairing cataract of applause
Burst out around from all the host,
And shook the inland hills, and roar'd along the coast.
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CANTO SECOND.
What time the flame-mained steeds of morn,
The eastern mountain-tops adorn;
And golden hoof'd ascending run,
Rein'd by the cheerful visag'd sun,
King Hako, wak'd like one releas'd,
For Erie had his fancy seized;
And with a hideous pantomime
A lurid while perplexed him.
He thus with gasping haste addrest
His consort, rudely shook from rest:
The eastern mountain-tops adorn;
And golden hoof'd ascending run,
Rein'd by the cheerful visag'd sun,
King Hako, wak'd like one releas'd,
For Erie had his fancy seized;
And with a hideous pantomime
A lurid while perplexed him.
He thus with gasping haste addrest
His consort, rudely shook from rest:
‘Oh, I have had a dream so wild—
‘Guilt on no villain ere recoil'd
‘In such a haggard guise, as my
‘Unmarshal'd thoughts last night did try
‘To hurl my reason down. Methought
‘A silent-footed phantom sought
‘My couch. Her locks sulphureous glow,
‘Her furnace eyes, that burn'd below
‘A dismal forehead, glaring wide
‘(Like caves by night in Hecla's side);
‘And what her fangs for staff did grasp,—
‘'Twas fired ir'n. Hell's hatchway's hasp!
‘Reveal'd the horrors of her bosom,
‘Whose mummy udders, lank and loathsome,
‘Were such—abhorrence clamms my speech,
‘And words are weak their shape to teach.
‘Guilt on no villain ere recoil'd
‘In such a haggard guise, as my
‘Unmarshal'd thoughts last night did try
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‘A silent-footed phantom sought
‘My couch. Her locks sulphureous glow,
‘Her furnace eyes, that burn'd below
‘A dismal forehead, glaring wide
‘(Like caves by night in Hecla's side);
‘And what her fangs for staff did grasp,—
‘'Twas fired ir'n. Hell's hatchway's hasp!
‘Reveal'd the horrors of her bosom,
‘Whose mummy udders, lank and loathsome,
‘Were such—abhorrence clamms my speech,
‘And words are weak their shape to teach.
‘Fear, potent necromancer, charm'd
‘Me on, though breathless and alarm'd,
‘Falt'ring to follow, and attend
‘The sullen charnel-visag'd fiend;
‘By frowning cliffs and moaning caves,
‘That grudg'd and gloom'd the ocean waves,
‘She lured my steps; at length she stood,
‘And, scowling o'er the weltering flood,
‘That louder rag'd, she stretch'd her hand,
‘Clutching the red Tartarian brand
‘Aloft, and as the black clouds sunder'd,
‘Dar'd the high heavens till they thunder'd;
‘Then voices of portentous sound,
‘Above, below, and all around,
‘Like the mad clamouring of the damn'd,
‘Mine ears with threats and cautions cram'd,
‘Till Sleep, distracted, burst away,
‘And lent me back the sweets of day.’
‘Me on, though breathless and alarm'd,
‘Falt'ring to follow, and attend
‘The sullen charnel-visag'd fiend;
‘By frowning cliffs and moaning caves,
‘That grudg'd and gloom'd the ocean waves,
‘She lured my steps; at length she stood,
‘And, scowling o'er the weltering flood,
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‘Clutching the red Tartarian brand
‘Aloft, and as the black clouds sunder'd,
‘Dar'd the high heavens till they thunder'd;
‘Then voices of portentous sound,
‘Above, below, and all around,
‘Like the mad clamouring of the damn'd,
‘Mine ears with threats and cautions cram'd,
‘Till Sleep, distracted, burst away,
‘And lent me back the sweets of day.’
King Hako ceased; with ghastly gaze,
Eyes fixt and solder'd with amaze,
The queen a listening statue bent,
Nor mark'd the fatal vision spent,
Nor the wan aspect of her lord,
Till soften'd by his gentle word;
Her boding sorrows breath'd in sighs,
And drops of dread bedew'd her eyes;
While down on Hako's firmer mind,
Th' invisible pervaders bind
The auguries of coming woes;
All aspectable nature shows
A thousand tints of murky shade,
Which baleful Superstition aid.
But soon the Queen's elastic brain
Her fears repel'd, and bright again
With sparkling gleams of fancy shone,
Gladd'ning the minions of her throne.
And when to meet his boisterous chiefs
Her lord conceal'd his nameless griefs,
She bade the festal board be spread,
And maids of light enraptur'd tread,
And bards of soul-refining fire,
Evolve the dance, and wake the wire;
That when the war of Wisdom's o'er,
And Faction pleas'd affrights no more,
Around the air-enriching feast,
The court may social transports taste.
Eyes fixt and solder'd with amaze,
The queen a listening statue bent,
Nor mark'd the fatal vision spent,
Nor the wan aspect of her lord,
Till soften'd by his gentle word;
Her boding sorrows breath'd in sighs,
And drops of dread bedew'd her eyes;
While down on Hako's firmer mind,
Th' invisible pervaders bind
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All aspectable nature shows
A thousand tints of murky shade,
Which baleful Superstition aid.
But soon the Queen's elastic brain
Her fears repel'd, and bright again
With sparkling gleams of fancy shone,
Gladd'ning the minions of her throne.
And when to meet his boisterous chiefs
Her lord conceal'd his nameless griefs,
She bade the festal board be spread,
And maids of light enraptur'd tread,
And bards of soul-refining fire,
Evolve the dance, and wake the wire;
That when the war of Wisdom's o'er,
And Faction pleas'd affrights no more,
Around the air-enriching feast,
The court may social transports taste.
Meanwhile, in grave procession go
The herald scalds, sedate and slow;
And oft with solemn long-blown sounds,
Whose vast and wide expanding bounds
A thousand horns dilate, they call
The chiefs to council in the hall.
The herald scalds, sedate and slow;
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Whose vast and wide expanding bounds
A thousand horns dilate, they call
The chiefs to council in the hall.
His shining throne the King ascends,
Obeisant all th' assembly bends;—
Tho' cast in the least human mould,
His port was firm, alert, and bold;
A proud and lofty spirit beam'd
Through all his form, that nature seem'd
Reluctant with corporeal weight
To circumscribe, or mancipate.
When the rude clanging din had ceas'd,
Of warlike chiefs in armour cas'd,
The Parliament he thus addrest:
Obeisant all th' assembly bends;—
Tho' cast in the least human mould,
His port was firm, alert, and bold;
A proud and lofty spirit beam'd
Through all his form, that nature seem'd
Reluctant with corporeal weight
To circumscribe, or mancipate.
When the rude clanging din had ceas'd,
Of warlike chiefs in armour cas'd,
The Parliament he thus addrest:
‘If any think on battle harms,
‘Or dread the shock of jostling arms,
‘The ins'lent trumpet's rousing voice,
‘Or shrink from glorious enterprize;
‘Let such begone, lest loitering here
‘Their febrile brains be scorch'd with fear;
‘But ye who martial honours claim,
‘And longing woo star-crested fame,
‘From you no thought will I conceal,
‘But every wish and aim reveal.
‘Amidst the old oblivious days,
‘Beyond the reach of tales or lays,
‘The sires of Norway strove to gain
‘Britannia's ocean-moated reign,
‘Those vallies wid'ning to the south,
‘And spacious lawns and climate ruth,
‘Where our brave fathers found renown,
‘O think, the mighty sea god's throne,
‘By manly feats may be our own;
‘Then shall our ships securely sweep
‘To realms beyond the subject deep,
‘Till all within the circling sun
‘Is by our valour sway'd and won.’
‘Or dread the shock of jostling arms,
‘The ins'lent trumpet's rousing voice,
‘Or shrink from glorious enterprize;
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‘Their febrile brains be scorch'd with fear;
‘But ye who martial honours claim,
‘And longing woo star-crested fame,
‘From you no thought will I conceal,
‘But every wish and aim reveal.
‘Amidst the old oblivious days,
‘Beyond the reach of tales or lays,
‘The sires of Norway strove to gain
‘Britannia's ocean-moated reign,
‘Those vallies wid'ning to the south,
‘And spacious lawns and climate ruth,
‘Where our brave fathers found renown,
‘O think, the mighty sea god's throne,
‘By manly feats may be our own;
‘Then shall our ships securely sweep
‘To realms beyond the subject deep,
‘Till all within the circling sun
‘Is by our valour sway'd and won.’
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The monarch ceas'd, and silence spread,
Producing hope, and joy, and dread,
Till rev'rent Drakoff rising show'd
The wisdom well worn age bestow'd.
Like some old tower that decks the plains,
For which the garr'lous village swains,
While sitting on the sward at eve,
With many a pensive survey grieve,
And to th' enquiring pilgrims tell
What chiefs around its ramparts fell,
And how their fathers saw it stand,
The pride and refuge of the land—
Sage Drakoff seem'd, and thus exprest,
The rushing thought that vext his breast.
Producing hope, and joy, and dread,
Till rev'rent Drakoff rising show'd
The wisdom well worn age bestow'd.
Like some old tower that decks the plains,
For which the garr'lous village swains,
While sitting on the sward at eve,
With many a pensive survey grieve,
And to th' enquiring pilgrims tell
What chiefs around its ramparts fell,
And how their fathers saw it stand,
The pride and refuge of the land—
Sage Drakoff seem'd, and thus exprest,
The rushing thought that vext his breast.
‘Tho' bending with a load of years,
‘And conquer'd now by age appears
‘That strength with which I hop'd to raise
‘A monument to future days,
‘Whose trophied cone afar sublime,
‘To the remotest verge of time,
‘Should o'er the world its shadow throw,
‘And catch the final sunbeams glow;
‘But though compel'd from martial strife,
‘The Fates that eke my thread of life
‘Beyond the common mortal length,
‘Amidst the crumbling of my strength
‘Their precious mental spark retain
‘Still strong and brilliant in my brain,
‘Perhaps to fire the torch of Truth,
‘And show to bold careering youth
‘How meteor-schemes of conquest tend,
‘And quench'd in stormy darkness end.
‘The sires of Norway cross'd the deep;
‘Their wives as oft did widows weep.
‘What greater strength now nerves the Danes,
‘Than that which fill'd their fathers' veins?
‘What clearer prospects now unfold,
‘Than those which lur'd our sires of old?
‘Will Alexander's ardent pride
‘Than gentle Duncan's less deride?
‘Or will the Stewart on the heath
‘Be easier vanquish'd than Macbeth?
‘O royal Hako, ere too late,
‘Avoid, avert, thy hair-hung fate,
‘Nor fatten Scotland's meagre sod
‘With Norway's best, and bravest blood.’
‘And conquer'd now by age appears
‘That strength with which I hop'd to raise
‘A monument to future days,
‘Whose trophied cone afar sublime,
‘To the remotest verge of time,
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‘And catch the final sunbeams glow;
‘But though compel'd from martial strife,
‘The Fates that eke my thread of life
‘Beyond the common mortal length,
‘Amidst the crumbling of my strength
‘Their precious mental spark retain
‘Still strong and brilliant in my brain,
‘Perhaps to fire the torch of Truth,
‘And show to bold careering youth
‘How meteor-schemes of conquest tend,
‘And quench'd in stormy darkness end.
‘The sires of Norway cross'd the deep;
‘Their wives as oft did widows weep.
‘What greater strength now nerves the Danes,
‘Than that which fill'd their fathers' veins?
‘What clearer prospects now unfold,
‘Than those which lur'd our sires of old?
‘Will Alexander's ardent pride
‘Than gentle Duncan's less deride?
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‘Be easier vanquish'd than Macbeth?
‘O royal Hako, ere too late,
‘Avoid, avert, thy hair-hung fate,
‘Nor fatten Scotland's meagre sod
‘With Norway's best, and bravest blood.’
He ceas'd, the King scowl'd stern on him;
But the black omens of the dream
Soon chang'd the aspect of his frown,
And aw'd the rising anger down.
Then savage Sweno forward sprung;—
His thund'rous throat and hoarse harsh tongue
Discharge the tempest of his soul—
From chief to chief his eyeballs roll,
And oft as Drakoff they survey,
The lightning gleams of passion ray.
As in some shaggy alpin wild,
Amidst a hundred mountains pil'd,
His far-seen head of granite rears
Some huger hill, and grimly bears
The cloud-wrapt storm, while all his woods
And rock-precipitated floods,
In dreadful dissonance combin'd,
Astound the ear, and awe the mind,
Was Sweno, when his charter'd rage
Despis'd the wisdom of the sage.
But as a lofty galley rides
Amidst the confluence of tides,
And strives with varying prow to keep
Her seat serene upon the deep,
Seem'd Asketen, whose gorgeous phrase
The charms of luring hope displays.
But the black omens of the dream
Soon chang'd the aspect of his frown,
And aw'd the rising anger down.
Then savage Sweno forward sprung;—
His thund'rous throat and hoarse harsh tongue
Discharge the tempest of his soul—
From chief to chief his eyeballs roll,
And oft as Drakoff they survey,
The lightning gleams of passion ray.
As in some shaggy alpin wild,
Amidst a hundred mountains pil'd,
His far-seen head of granite rears
Some huger hill, and grimly bears
21
And rock-precipitated floods,
In dreadful dissonance combin'd,
Astound the ear, and awe the mind,
Was Sweno, when his charter'd rage
Despis'd the wisdom of the sage.
But as a lofty galley rides
Amidst the confluence of tides,
And strives with varying prow to keep
Her seat serene upon the deep,
Seem'd Asketen, whose gorgeous phrase
The charms of luring hope displays.
Thus many an hour in keen debate,
The chieftains pass'd, but fixt was Fate.
The rash, the young, the desp'rate join'd
The largest wish of Hako's mind,
And eager for th' immortal strife,
To him devote both sword and life.
The chieftains pass'd, but fixt was Fate.
The rash, the young, the desp'rate join'd
The largest wish of Hako's mind,
And eager for th' immortal strife,
To him devote both sword and life.
When Nature with the shades of eve
Night's sable veil began to weave,
Dim through the loaded trenchers steam
The torches glare, the warriors gleam,
And foaming ale in ample horns
The shining oaken board adorns.
The hearth with forest splinters rais'd,
In cheerful conflagration blaz'd,
And every face shone through the shade,
With mirth and saffron light array'd.
The Bards on lofty benches rear'd,
Amid the hoary Scalds appear'd,
And pouring forth the flowing verse,
In melody the court immerse.
Sweet Orzincrantz, a youthful bard,
Above the mingling choir is heard:
The royal pair his harpings own,
And bid him swell the lay alone.
Night's sable veil began to weave,
22
The torches glare, the warriors gleam,
And foaming ale in ample horns
The shining oaken board adorns.
The hearth with forest splinters rais'd,
In cheerful conflagration blaz'd,
And every face shone through the shade,
With mirth and saffron light array'd.
The Bards on lofty benches rear'd,
Amid the hoary Scalds appear'd,
And pouring forth the flowing verse,
In melody the court immerse.
Sweet Orzincrantz, a youthful bard,
Above the mingling choir is heard:
The royal pair his harpings own,
And bid him swell the lay alone.
His cluster'd curls of raven hue,
Luxuriant round his temples grew,
His eyes ethereal lustre ray,
As o'er the harp his fingers stray;
Now softly sweet, now wildly clear,
The strain enchants the thrilling ear;
Now deep, and slow, and dread, and strange,
The notes to awful measures change:
The scourge of Rage his fancy feels,—
Hark! the loud frantic hurried peals!
Lo with a furious hand he flings
His tingling soul o'er all the strings.
Luxuriant round his temples grew,
His eyes ethereal lustre ray,
As o'er the harp his fingers stray;
23
The strain enchants the thrilling ear;
Now deep, and slow, and dread, and strange,
The notes to awful measures change:
The scourge of Rage his fancy feels,—
Hark! the loud frantic hurried peals!
Lo with a furious hand he flings
His tingling soul o'er all the strings.
He sung of Odin's mystic birth,
And union with prolific Earth;
Their amorous indolence and love
In blest Valhalla's ashen grove.
Shaking the harp's resounding frame,
He thunders of his warlike fame,
Describes his 'scapes, his daring toil,
How, issuing from his native soil,
He leaves the sullen Scythian wastes,—
Through various Muscovy he hastes,
And leads his gallant hardy train,
Dauntless by fen, wood, river, plain,—
In regions trackless, nameless, grim,
The vales they pass, the hills they climb,
For Glory nerves the hero's breast,
Till Vict'ry trims the couch of rest.
And union with prolific Earth;
Their amorous indolence and love
In blest Valhalla's ashen grove.
Shaking the harp's resounding frame,
He thunders of his warlike fame,
Describes his 'scapes, his daring toil,
How, issuing from his native soil,
He leaves the sullen Scythian wastes,—
Through various Muscovy he hastes,
And leads his gallant hardy train,
Dauntless by fen, wood, river, plain,—
24
The vales they pass, the hills they climb,
For Glory nerves the hero's breast,
Till Vict'ry trims the couch of rest.
Thus music, mirth, and song prevail'd,
Till softly slipping Sleep assail'd
With gentle pressure every eye,
And beckoning all her visions nigh,
Bereft of will the lither mind,
And Memory's linked effigies to Fancy's sway resign'd.
Till softly slipping Sleep assail'd
With gentle pressure every eye,
And beckoning all her visions nigh,
Bereft of will the lither mind,
And Memory's linked effigies to Fancy's sway resign'd.
25
CANTO THIRD.
‘Seize the wild tempest by the wing,
‘Till squall and blast its strugglings fling,
‘For Hako's navy stems the waves,
‘And old imperial Ocean braves.’
To Urd th' inexorable cried
Wirandi, and to Sculdi hied,
Who silent seathing sorrows sat
Beside black Hecla's caldron squat,
Nor sun nor moon nor human torch
Ere gleam'd beyond the dismal porch
Of her tremendous antre vault,
Hewn vast in igneous sulphur salt.
Wirandi stoop'd her giant head,
Her eyes terrific radiance shed
Around, and on the Sister fell
Who, startling, hail'd her with a yell
That rous'd the gaunt and viewless power,
Who in deep caves delights to cower,
With hollow mockery to astound
Who ever treads their herbless ground.
‘Till squall and blast its strugglings fling,
‘For Hako's navy stems the waves,
‘And old imperial Ocean braves.’
To Urd th' inexorable cried
Wirandi, and to Sculdi hied,
Who silent seathing sorrows sat
Beside black Hecla's caldron squat,
Nor sun nor moon nor human torch
Ere gleam'd beyond the dismal porch
Of her tremendous antre vault,
Hewn vast in igneous sulphur salt.
Wirandi stoop'd her giant head,
Her eyes terrific radiance shed
26
Who, startling, hail'd her with a yell
That rous'd the gaunt and viewless power,
Who in deep caves delights to cower,
With hollow mockery to astound
Who ever treads their herbless ground.
‘Arouse thee, Sculdi, mount the air,
‘King Hako's keels the surges tear;
‘Urd on the lone pole holds the storm;
‘Away, away, thy part perform,
‘With hair dishevel'd wrap the blasts,
‘And flame in omens on the masts,
‘While from a cliff-like cloud's black verge
‘I heaven's loud engin'ry discharge.’
‘King Hako's keels the surges tear;
‘Urd on the lone pole holds the storm;
‘Away, away, thy part perform,
‘With hair dishevel'd wrap the blasts,
‘And flame in omens on the masts,
‘While from a cliff-like cloud's black verge
‘I heaven's loud engin'ry discharge.’
Wirandi ceas'd, the cavern rung,
The Sisters through the darkness sprung;
Horror rejoiced, the thunders beat,
And Terror rav'd o'er Hako's fleet.
The Sisters through the darkness sprung;
Horror rejoiced, the thunders beat,
And Terror rav'd o'er Hako's fleet.
But as the blushing morning warms,
Dissolve the Sisters' potent charms,
Brief are the Evils' dreadful sway;
Fear flies with night, hope springs with day
To cheer and heal the drooping mind
That Erie's hideous charms confin'd.
Dissolve the Sisters' potent charms,
27
Fear flies with night, hope springs with day
To cheer and heal the drooping mind
That Erie's hideous charms confin'd.
The silv'ry dawn, that during night
Fringed the polar skies with light,
A broader brighter radiance show'd,
Till all the East with morning glow'd.
The breeze on idling pinions stray'd,
And through the white-sail'd vessels play'd;
The seaman's call spread o'er the waste,
And Ocean smooth'd his ruffled breast.
Fringed the polar skies with light,
A broader brighter radiance show'd,
Till all the East with morning glow'd.
The breeze on idling pinions stray'd,
And through the white-sail'd vessels play'd;
The seaman's call spread o'er the waste,
And Ocean smooth'd his ruffled breast.
While o'er the prows the sailors hung,
Or some rude lay half musing sung,
King Hako turn'd his pensive eye
Where Norway's shores were wont to lie;
But distance and the curved deep
Conceal'd each cliff and bosky steep;
Around the skybound sea was drawn,
A vast unvaried hazy zone.
Or some rude lay half musing sung,
King Hako turn'd his pensive eye
Where Norway's shores were wont to lie;
But distance and the curved deep
Conceal'd each cliff and bosky steep;
Around the skybound sea was drawn,
A vast unvaried hazy zone.
28
The silenc'd winds had ceas'd to sigh
The sun stood lonely in the sky,
No bird the viewless air sustain'd,
But only sky and sea remain'd,
When slowly up the northern skies
A dusky spire began to rise,
Still high and higher still it grew,
Amazement through the navy flew;
Still high and higher still it rose,
And fill'd the fleet with fancied woes;
Still high, so high it now had reach'd,
That every eye, upturn'd and stretch'd,
Could gaze no more; it seem'd to bend,
And to the western verge descend;
Bridging the sea from north to west,
A living arch appear'd confest;
A rustling fluttering stirs the ear,
And wearied straggling birds appear,
While the slopt sun his radiance flings
On countless breasts and twinkling wings;
For, lo! the sign so dread and strange
Was fowls upon their annual range,
Flying from Lapland's lakes and fens
To Albion's marshy moors and glens.
Releas'd, rejoic'd, King Hako cried,
While still the fleet admiring eyed
The feather'd myriads pass above,
‘Behold, the heavens our course approve;
‘What bowers of bliss, and vales, and plains,
‘Fair Albion's temperate isle contains,
‘Since, lo! the birds of Norway these,
‘Leave home like us and dare the seas.’
The sun stood lonely in the sky,
No bird the viewless air sustain'd,
But only sky and sea remain'd,
When slowly up the northern skies
A dusky spire began to rise,
Still high and higher still it grew,
Amazement through the navy flew;
Still high and higher still it rose,
And fill'd the fleet with fancied woes;
Still high, so high it now had reach'd,
That every eye, upturn'd and stretch'd,
Could gaze no more; it seem'd to bend,
And to the western verge descend;
Bridging the sea from north to west,
A living arch appear'd confest;
A rustling fluttering stirs the ear,
And wearied straggling birds appear,
While the slopt sun his radiance flings
On countless breasts and twinkling wings;
29
Was fowls upon their annual range,
Flying from Lapland's lakes and fens
To Albion's marshy moors and glens.
Releas'd, rejoic'd, King Hako cried,
While still the fleet admiring eyed
The feather'd myriads pass above,
‘Behold, the heavens our course approve;
‘What bowers of bliss, and vales, and plains,
‘Fair Albion's temperate isle contains,
‘Since, lo! the birds of Norway these,
‘Leave home like us and dare the seas.’
The sun retir'd and twilight gone,
The amber moon serenely shone,
Silvering the raven-plumes of night,
And burnishing the ocean bright;
Calm wooing Silence won repose—
O'er head the glistering concave glows;
Below reflected in the main,
The glistering concave glows again,
And Hako's moveless ships appear
Suspended in a spangled sphere.
The watchmen as they whistling pace
The pitched decks, or pausing gaze
To snuff the fishy scented wind,
Or loitering o'er the rail reclin'd,
View with delight the glancing fry
In brisk and ceaseless revelry.
The amber moon serenely shone,
Silvering the raven-plumes of night,
And burnishing the ocean bright;
Calm wooing Silence won repose—
O'er head the glistering concave glows;
Below reflected in the main,
The glistering concave glows again,
30
Suspended in a spangled sphere.
The watchmen as they whistling pace
The pitched decks, or pausing gaze
To snuff the fishy scented wind,
Or loitering o'er the rail reclin'd,
View with delight the glancing fry
In brisk and ceaseless revelry.
What time the blithe and breezy Morn
Couch'd on the golden clouds, and borne
With varying tinted kirtle gay
On the bright shoulders of the day,
Freshen'd the sense with dewy hand,
The faint blue sketch of dawning land
Abridg'd th' horizon of the South,
And cheer'd the keen Norweyan youth.
But ere the sun to noon had soar'd,
The sick'ning welkin gloom'd and lower'd;
For to the fatal Sisters' prayer
The fickle fell perfidious Air
Sent howling from his hundred caves
Tumultuous tempest o'er the waves,
While from Spitzbergen's icy cliffs
To Greenland's houseless shores, its drifts,
(The withering earth was shook with dread)
On wings of murky vengeance spread,
Sad Iceland saw black Winter come,
Brushing the ocean into foam.
Couch'd on the golden clouds, and borne
With varying tinted kirtle gay
On the bright shoulders of the day,
Freshen'd the sense with dewy hand,
The faint blue sketch of dawning land
Abridg'd th' horizon of the South,
And cheer'd the keen Norweyan youth.
But ere the sun to noon had soar'd,
The sick'ning welkin gloom'd and lower'd;
For to the fatal Sisters' prayer
The fickle fell perfidious Air
31
Tumultuous tempest o'er the waves,
While from Spitzbergen's icy cliffs
To Greenland's houseless shores, its drifts,
(The withering earth was shook with dread)
On wings of murky vengeance spread,
Sad Iceland saw black Winter come,
Brushing the ocean into foam.
With shrill short shrieks the petterels past
Before the howling hurrying blast;
Bold birds, that o'er the desert deep
On vague adventures swiftly sweep;
When ridgy waves the clouds assail,
They skim along the dreadful vale,
And oft and ere the dangers gloom,
To warn a fated vessel's doom,
They flock her hanging stern beneath,
And churming chaunt the dirge of death.
The bernacle, that wary fly,
The marine sportsman's aiming eye,
(Of fabulous birth, a plumy brood,
Bred by the sea in porous wood,)
Whirl'd in the vollies of the storm,
Flew thick around, nor dreaded harm.
With circling flight the murmuring gulls
Of tusky rocks and shelving shoals
Appriz'd the pilots, while the shore,
With drizzly mist impervious hoar,
Alarms their breasts with throbbing fears
As on the rushing navy nears.
Before the howling hurrying blast;
Bold birds, that o'er the desert deep
On vague adventures swiftly sweep;
When ridgy waves the clouds assail,
They skim along the dreadful vale,
And oft and ere the dangers gloom,
To warn a fated vessel's doom,
They flock her hanging stern beneath,
And churming chaunt the dirge of death.
The bernacle, that wary fly,
The marine sportsman's aiming eye,
32
Bred by the sea in porous wood,)
Whirl'd in the vollies of the storm,
Flew thick around, nor dreaded harm.
With circling flight the murmuring gulls
Of tusky rocks and shelving shoals
Appriz'd the pilots, while the shore,
With drizzly mist impervious hoar,
Alarms their breasts with throbbing fears
As on the rushing navy nears.
The cordage creek'd, the masts inclin'd,
Still loud and louder sung the wind,
And forc'd the hoary mist away,
Unfolding Kirkwall's shelt'ring bay,
Where smoothly safe the vessels moor'd,
Their wrecks repair'd, their strength secur'd,
Till spritely Spring's appeasing smile
Drew warring Winter from his toil,
Who, fondly fain and gruffly shy,
Reviews and shuns her radiant eye,
While she, with soft and gay caresses,
His dreadful dazzling mail unbraces.
He yields, though half ashamed to yield,
His crystal adamantine shield:
The spear of deadly cold ungraspt,
The helm of sable storms unclaspt,
Forgot the Sisters dire behest,
He sighs, and sinks upon her breast.
Still loud and louder sung the wind,
And forc'd the hoary mist away,
Unfolding Kirkwall's shelt'ring bay,
Where smoothly safe the vessels moor'd,
Their wrecks repair'd, their strength secur'd,
Till spritely Spring's appeasing smile
Drew warring Winter from his toil,
Who, fondly fain and gruffly shy,
Reviews and shuns her radiant eye,
33
His dreadful dazzling mail unbraces.
He yields, though half ashamed to yield,
His crystal adamantine shield:
The spear of deadly cold ungraspt,
The helm of sable storms unclaspt,
Forgot the Sisters dire behest,
He sighs, and sinks upon her breast.
Now while the fleet serenely rode,
And heard the winter's-winds abroad,
The King and Chiefs with gifts incline
Before St. Magnus holly shrine.
When the shrill sacring bell was rung,
And the high mass devoutly sung,
The mitred monk with hands display'd
For recompensing vict'ry pray'd;
The choir a long-resounding strain
Chaunt as the warriors leave the fane.
Diffused around the accents flow;—
The soldiers in the ships below
With pious ears the notes inhale,
That vaguely tremble on the gale,
Till airy Silence slips to meet
The cadence closing low and sweet.
And heard the winter's-winds abroad,
The King and Chiefs with gifts incline
Before St. Magnus holly shrine.
When the shrill sacring bell was rung,
And the high mass devoutly sung,
The mitred monk with hands display'd
For recompensing vict'ry pray'd;
The choir a long-resounding strain
Chaunt as the warriors leave the fane.
Diffused around the accents flow;—
The soldiers in the ships below
34
That vaguely tremble on the gale,
Till airy Silence slips to meet
The cadence closing low and sweet.
At length the sun began to turn,
And wheeling from his southern bourn,
With brighter green the Orkneys drest,
And cheered King Hako's anxious breast,
For long in Kirkwall's bay confin'd,
He watch'd the rude obstreperous wind,
Till on the witched wasthill shone
The glorious rich mysterious stone,
Which far at sea the sailors spy,
Bright as the Syrius of the sky,
But when they climb, by Avarice led,
The haunted mountain's heathy head,
This precious gem contracts apace,
Till none can find its sacred place,
Save where it glow'd, their greed to mock,
A trickling streamlet streaks the rock.
Now on the larboard red and bare,
Cape Wraths rough ledges ruin dare;
And now the winding navy goes
Down the wide Minsh with rippling prows;
The fractur'd Hebudes emerge,
And thicker stud the ocean's verge;
A vista vast of misty isles
With various views the voyage beguiles.
By lofty Skye's cavernous shores,
And rugged Uist, sweep the oars;
The needle-vexing Cana left,
Their southward course to Rum they shift,
And thence (upon the starboard Coll)
They trace the winding coast of Mull.
A new delight the mind pervades
From Staffa's sculptured colonnades,
That like Palladian Venice shine
Sublimely o'er the ocean brine.
Majestic Staffa viewed, they veer,
And down to blest Iona steer,
Iona, where the antique lamp
Of knowledge, though by cloister-damp
Obscured, maintained a starry light
When all the world was wrapt in night,
While grey before in dread repose,
The cairny cones of Jura rose,
Hoarse on the left with deaf'ning cries
The tides of Brekan laved the skies.
The ports of regal Illa gain'd,
With Donald Hako long remain'd,
And to allure the island lord
To aid his cause with art and sword,
He to the neighbouring isles commands
A numerous fleet with skilful bands,
Proud towers and stubborn forts to build,
Till guile to guilt matur'd invokes them to the field.
And wheeling from his southern bourn,
With brighter green the Orkneys drest,
And cheered King Hako's anxious breast,
For long in Kirkwall's bay confin'd,
He watch'd the rude obstreperous wind,
Till on the witched wasthill shone
The glorious rich mysterious stone,
Which far at sea the sailors spy,
Bright as the Syrius of the sky,
But when they climb, by Avarice led,
The haunted mountain's heathy head,
This precious gem contracts apace,
Till none can find its sacred place,
Save where it glow'd, their greed to mock,
A trickling streamlet streaks the rock.
35
Cape Wraths rough ledges ruin dare;
And now the winding navy goes
Down the wide Minsh with rippling prows;
The fractur'd Hebudes emerge,
And thicker stud the ocean's verge;
A vista vast of misty isles
With various views the voyage beguiles.
By lofty Skye's cavernous shores,
And rugged Uist, sweep the oars;
The needle-vexing Cana left,
Their southward course to Rum they shift,
And thence (upon the starboard Coll)
They trace the winding coast of Mull.
A new delight the mind pervades
From Staffa's sculptured colonnades,
That like Palladian Venice shine
Sublimely o'er the ocean brine.
Majestic Staffa viewed, they veer,
And down to blest Iona steer,
36
Of knowledge, though by cloister-damp
Obscured, maintained a starry light
When all the world was wrapt in night,
While grey before in dread repose,
The cairny cones of Jura rose,
Hoarse on the left with deaf'ning cries
The tides of Brekan laved the skies.
The ports of regal Illa gain'd,
With Donald Hako long remain'd,
And to allure the island lord
To aid his cause with art and sword,
He to the neighbouring isles commands
A numerous fleet with skilful bands,
Proud towers and stubborn forts to build,
Till guile to guilt matur'd invokes them to the field.
37
CANTO FOURTH.
‘Lo, crowds on crowds increase around,
‘And battering hoofs disperse the ground,
‘A knight before impatient rides,
‘And madly spurs his courser's sides.’
On Falkland's regal towers at eve,
What time the watchmen charge receive,
The warder cried, afar below
The rushing crowd exclaim'd, ‘the foe!’
‘And battering hoofs disperse the ground,
‘A knight before impatient rides,
‘And madly spurs his courser's sides.’
On Falkland's regal towers at eve,
What time the watchmen charge receive,
The warder cried, afar below
The rushing crowd exclaim'd, ‘the foe!’
Unconscious of the pregnant hour,
And eased of pomp, the load of power,
The King at supper's social treat
Flavour'd with cheerful jibes the meat,
When loudly rose the gathering noise
Of trampling steeds, and shouts and cries.
Startled the monarch heard amaz'd,
The dames in silent horror gaz'd;
Their flashing swords the barons drew,
And round their youthful sov'reign flew.
The ghastly squires their charge resign,
And gorgeous goblets flowing wine
Unheeded drench the matted floor,
While every eye is on the door.
In breathless haste and pale appear'd,
With gory spurs and all besmear'd,
The knight impatient from the west,
And thus the wond'ring king addrest.
‘Lord of unconquer'd Scotland, arm,
‘The seas with hostile navies swarm
‘From savage Norway's wintry coast,
‘Freighted with crafty Hako's host:
‘With barks and brands the faithless isles
‘Enlarge his force and aid his wiles.
‘Wrapt in the drapery of the blast,
‘Kintyre's high fractured mull they pass'd;
‘Hoarse as the surge on Carrick's shore,
‘The prows increas'd the ocean's roar.’
‘Bring me old Lion William's sword,’
Cried Scotland's proud indignant lord,
‘And let the bugles vent afar
‘The signal sounds of instant war;
‘Call out the hardy northern thanes,
‘And rouse the warriors of the plains:
‘Firm as our hills the tempest brave,
‘Our breasts shall bear the battle's wave,
‘And Scotland's high emblazon'd fame
‘New trophies from our vengeance claim.’
And eased of pomp, the load of power,
The King at supper's social treat
Flavour'd with cheerful jibes the meat,
When loudly rose the gathering noise
Of trampling steeds, and shouts and cries.
38
The dames in silent horror gaz'd;
Their flashing swords the barons drew,
And round their youthful sov'reign flew.
The ghastly squires their charge resign,
And gorgeous goblets flowing wine
Unheeded drench the matted floor,
While every eye is on the door.
In breathless haste and pale appear'd,
With gory spurs and all besmear'd,
The knight impatient from the west,
And thus the wond'ring king addrest.
‘Lord of unconquer'd Scotland, arm,
‘The seas with hostile navies swarm
‘From savage Norway's wintry coast,
‘Freighted with crafty Hako's host:
‘With barks and brands the faithless isles
‘Enlarge his force and aid his wiles.
‘Wrapt in the drapery of the blast,
‘Kintyre's high fractured mull they pass'd;
39
‘The prows increas'd the ocean's roar.’
‘Bring me old Lion William's sword,’
Cried Scotland's proud indignant lord,
‘And let the bugles vent afar
‘The signal sounds of instant war;
‘Call out the hardy northern thanes,
‘And rouse the warriors of the plains:
‘Firm as our hills the tempest brave,
‘Our breasts shall bear the battle's wave,
‘And Scotland's high emblazon'd fame
‘New trophies from our vengeance claim.’
The bugles frightful clangor flung,
The mountain echoes wildly rung;
A banner wavering o'er the night,
Far blaz'd the beacon's lurid light;
Anon the distant hills on fire
Inflame the patriots' lofty ire;
With thund'ring hoofs and sparkling feet
The thronging warriors hurrying meet,
Fresh bands on bands successive pour,
And Tumult rules the midnight hour;
Around her hundred torches burn,
The kindling spears the gleams return,
The snorting steeds defiance neigh,
And soldiers ban the tardy day.
All night the eager host amain
Rush'd from the vallies to the plain,
As torrid streams impetuous run,
When the black welkin drowns the sun,
And from the frantic lightning's heel
Resounds the doubling thunder peal.
The mountain echoes wildly rung;
A banner wavering o'er the night,
Far blaz'd the beacon's lurid light;
Anon the distant hills on fire
Inflame the patriots' lofty ire;
With thund'ring hoofs and sparkling feet
The thronging warriors hurrying meet,
40
And Tumult rules the midnight hour;
Around her hundred torches burn,
The kindling spears the gleams return,
The snorting steeds defiance neigh,
And soldiers ban the tardy day.
All night the eager host amain
Rush'd from the vallies to the plain,
As torrid streams impetuous run,
When the black welkin drowns the sun,
And from the frantic lightning's heel
Resounds the doubling thunder peal.
At length the morn with cheerful light
Broke the monotony of night,
And through the grey and misty air
Saw the bold vassals thick repair,
With glowing hearts and aspects stern,
Across the moors and thistly fern:
High Hope before exulting flies,
And waves aloft the heroes' prize,
While ancient strains along the heath
Resolve the soul for fame or death.
When glittering down the mountain's side
A winding band is far descried,
The echoed shouts of those before
To strength their lagging limbs restore.
With warriors hast'ning from the hills,
The plain like a wide Caspian fills,
Replenish'd by an hundred streams,
And sparkling in the morning beams.
Broke the monotony of night,
And through the grey and misty air
Saw the bold vassals thick repair,
With glowing hearts and aspects stern,
Across the moors and thistly fern:
High Hope before exulting flies,
And waves aloft the heroes' prize,
41
Resolve the soul for fame or death.
When glittering down the mountain's side
A winding band is far descried,
The echoed shouts of those before
To strength their lagging limbs restore.
With warriors hast'ning from the hills,
The plain like a wide Caspian fills,
Replenish'd by an hundred streams,
And sparkling in the morning beams.
Still wid'ning like the pebble's blain
On the smooth surface of the main,
The warlike rumour spreads around,
And still indignant valour found,
The hardy village leaps to arms,
The gorgeous city mails her swarms,
The forge, the flail, the loom, the line,
The various sons of toil resign,
And panting for the standard-field,
Assume the spear, the bow, the shield.
On the smooth surface of the main,
The warlike rumour spreads around,
And still indignant valour found,
The hardy village leaps to arms,
The gorgeous city mails her swarms,
The forge, the flail, the loom, the line,
The various sons of toil resign,
And panting for the standard-field,
Assume the spear, the bow, the shield.
42
The King and Barons now prepare
To lead the squadrons to the war,
And as the chiefs evolve along,
Their names adorn the gothic song.
To lead the squadrons to the war,
And as the chiefs evolve along,
Their names adorn the gothic song.
The pious Stewart, grave, serene,
Advances first with princely mien;
His firm and solemn looks exprest
A vig'rous soul in virtuous rest.
From Banquo's fated lineage sprung,
A high renown he gain'd when young,
But cool'd by time, his counsel sage
Has oft allay'd Sedition's rage.
Comyn of Buchan marches next,
A tow'ring chief with eyes unfixt,
Whose proud audacious vassals show
How well their martial worth they know;
Taught by their factious lord, and held
In peace prepar'd for war, they fill'd
The air with noisy insolence,
And dar'd the frowning danger thence.
To these the Lord Dunbar succeeds,
Renown'd for truth and gallant deeds;
His port severe, his visage spare,
And deeply rutted o'er by care,
But warm of heart, of virtue high,
He flourish'd with integrity:
Some might sublimer talents own,
But none of purer worth were known.
Malise, Strathern's brave lib'ral lord,
Came next, his manners as his sword
Alike subdued; bold frank and gay,
His vassals gloried in his sway;
What others reach'd by studious thought,
He by the snatch of passion caught;
When others only earn'd esteem,
Devotion brightly burn'd for him,
And what the good by virtue gain'd,
He by his generous faults obtain'd.
William of Brechin next appear'd,
His helmet plumes less lofty rear'd,
And trimmer mail and plainer shield
A mind of humbler scope reveal'd.
Behind approach'd in order due
Gifford of Yester, vengeful Hugh,
Old Neil of Carrick, and Douglas rude,
Montgomerie of illustrious blood,
The courteous knight of Eglesham,
With Lord Kilmaur's of equal fame,
Gilbert of Errol, William of Marre,
And fierce Monteith renown'd in war,
With many a chief and baron bold,
In ringing mail and burnish'd gold.
Advances first with princely mien;
His firm and solemn looks exprest
A vig'rous soul in virtuous rest.
From Banquo's fated lineage sprung,
A high renown he gain'd when young,
But cool'd by time, his counsel sage
Has oft allay'd Sedition's rage.
Comyn of Buchan marches next,
A tow'ring chief with eyes unfixt,
Whose proud audacious vassals show
How well their martial worth they know;
Taught by their factious lord, and held
In peace prepar'd for war, they fill'd
The air with noisy insolence,
And dar'd the frowning danger thence.
43
Renown'd for truth and gallant deeds;
His port severe, his visage spare,
And deeply rutted o'er by care,
But warm of heart, of virtue high,
He flourish'd with integrity:
Some might sublimer talents own,
But none of purer worth were known.
Malise, Strathern's brave lib'ral lord,
Came next, his manners as his sword
Alike subdued; bold frank and gay,
His vassals gloried in his sway;
What others reach'd by studious thought,
He by the snatch of passion caught;
When others only earn'd esteem,
Devotion brightly burn'd for him,
And what the good by virtue gain'd,
He by his generous faults obtain'd.
William of Brechin next appear'd,
His helmet plumes less lofty rear'd,
44
A mind of humbler scope reveal'd.
Behind approach'd in order due
Gifford of Yester, vengeful Hugh,
Old Neil of Carrick, and Douglas rude,
Montgomerie of illustrious blood,
The courteous knight of Eglesham,
With Lord Kilmaur's of equal fame,
Gilbert of Errol, William of Marre,
And fierce Monteith renown'd in war,
With many a chief and baron bold,
In ringing mail and burnish'd gold.
When all the bright array had pass'd,
His limbs the King in armour cas'd;
Their vaulting steeds the knights bestride,
And to the coast the army guide.
To the loud pipes the vallies rung,
The cliffs were cluster'd by the young;
The old at every cottage door
The boon of Victory implore;
On every tower to cheer the brave
The high born dames their kerchiefs wave;
The cowled monks with lifted hands
Pray at their gates and bless the bands;
While hooded nuns the lattice throng,
To view the warriors wind along.
Sometimes as through the village way
Evolved the radiant long array,
The King with throbbing bosom felt
The kindness of his nature melt,
When some fond mother, scorning shame,
Her darling truant son would claim,
And strongly strive with strength and tears
To wrench him from his bold compeers;
Or if perchance an anxious wife,
Pale and disconsolate of life,
By vagrant glance thrown wildly round,
Her lov'd lamented husband found,
And gathering all her children stood
To lure him from the field of blood:
His limbs the King in armour cas'd;
Their vaulting steeds the knights bestride,
And to the coast the army guide.
To the loud pipes the vallies rung,
The cliffs were cluster'd by the young;
The old at every cottage door
The boon of Victory implore;
45
The high born dames their kerchiefs wave;
The cowled monks with lifted hands
Pray at their gates and bless the bands;
While hooded nuns the lattice throng,
To view the warriors wind along.
Sometimes as through the village way
Evolved the radiant long array,
The King with throbbing bosom felt
The kindness of his nature melt,
When some fond mother, scorning shame,
Her darling truant son would claim,
And strongly strive with strength and tears
To wrench him from his bold compeers;
Or if perchance an anxious wife,
Pale and disconsolate of life,
By vagrant glance thrown wildly round,
Her lov'd lamented husband found,
And gathering all her children stood
To lure him from the field of blood:
46
‘Honour,’ he breath'd, ‘may rule the high,
‘That lapt in splendid plenty lie,
‘But potent Nature's earnest voice
‘Will often drown the trumpet's noise,
‘And strenuous Poverty controul
‘The scope of many a noble soul.’
‘That lapt in splendid plenty lie,
‘But potent Nature's earnest voice
‘Will often drown the trumpet's noise,
‘And strenuous Poverty controul
‘The scope of many a noble soul.’
The Evening's mild dishevel'd light
On purple peak and airy height
Fell softly, and the glassy seas,
Still duplicate of towers and trees,
O'er yellowed with the golden glow,
Enrich'd and rim'd the firth below;
When for the night, fatigued and worn,
The army resting till the morn,
Reposed on Renfrew's fertile side,
Beyond the Cart, and close by Clyde,
Where old Dunbriton's fortress hoar
Frowns darkly from the northern shore,
To guard from rifling foes serene,
The virgin Leven's sylvan scene.
On purple peak and airy height
Fell softly, and the glassy seas,
Still duplicate of towers and trees,
O'er yellowed with the golden glow,
Enrich'd and rim'd the firth below;
When for the night, fatigued and worn,
The army resting till the morn,
Reposed on Renfrew's fertile side,
Beyond the Cart, and close by Clyde,
Where old Dunbriton's fortress hoar
Frowns darkly from the northern shore,
To guard from rifling foes serene,
The virgin Leven's sylvan scene.
47
The kindling day consum'd the gloom,
And from the dawn's refulgent loom
The clouds of many mingling dies
Festooned the azure eastern skies,
When gay with hope and strength renew'd,
The Scottish bands their course pursu'd:
Along the coast part glittering file,
And part o'er shuddering moorlands toil,
While far the keen precursors glanc'd,
On ridgy Corlick high advanc'd,
Whose heathy brow with dazzling spears
Like some dark northern cloud appears,
Where restless streamers, steely bright,
Patrol the live-long winter night.
And from the dawn's refulgent loom
The clouds of many mingling dies
Festooned the azure eastern skies,
When gay with hope and strength renew'd,
The Scottish bands their course pursu'd:
Along the coast part glittering file,
And part o'er shuddering moorlands toil,
While far the keen precursors glanc'd,
On ridgy Corlick high advanc'd,
Whose heathy brow with dazzling spears
Like some dark northern cloud appears,
Where restless streamers, steely bright,
Patrol the live-long winter night.
'Twas when the sun his westering course,
With rays of mitigated force,
O'er the blue hills of Aran held,
That Hako's fleet was first unveil'd
In many a tier with pendants gay
Anchor'd in Largo's breezy bay,
Near to the thickly-tented strand,
Where rank'd the bold invaders stand,
All shining in the evening beams,
As down the opening vale the Scottish army streams.
With rays of mitigated force,
O'er the blue hills of Aran held,
That Hako's fleet was first unveil'd
In many a tier with pendants gay
Anchor'd in Largo's breezy bay,
48
Where rank'd the bold invaders stand,
All shining in the evening beams,
As down the opening vale the Scottish army streams.
49
CANTO FIFTH.
‘Unfurl the standard, sound the horn!
‘High on the battlements of morn,
‘The warder of the day appears,
‘And, hark, the eager army cheers;
‘The foe already shines prepar'd,
‘And deems unconquer'd Scotland shared.’
‘High on the battlements of morn,
‘The warder of the day appears,
‘And, hark, the eager army cheers;
‘The foe already shines prepar'd,
‘And deems unconquer'd Scotland shared.’
Sublim'd by hope and dauntless pride,
The gallant King impatient cried,
While Hako still by Erie spell'd,
The Scottish force advance, beheld;
Nor bade his murmuring legions charge,
Though rough in rear the ocean's marge
Denied retreat, and gaining ground,
His front and flanks the Scots surround
As when from Hecla's smould'ring side
Red rolls the sulph'rous lava tide,
And mingles with the madding brine,
The Scots and Danes in battle join.
From either host thick hailing flew
The barbed vengeance of the yew;
Encount'ring targets crashing rung,
And spears repel'd vindictive sung;
The curses hoarse of grappling foes,
Groans, shouts and shrieks, and clangour rose,—
Blood satiates earth's greedy spunge,
And hoofs in brains and bowels plunge;
The dying soldier's casqueless head,
Is crush'd beneath his brother's tread;
The slaughter'd father's mangled breast
The son to fix his foot has prest;
And rais'd upon his darling's corse,
The sire, with renovated force,
Exulting as th' invaders fly,
Joins the huzza of Victory.
Confusion deepens, Horror drives,
His utmost hardy Valour strives,
And mad Despair's outrageous sway
Through Havoc hews a dreadful way.
The gallant King impatient cried,
While Hako still by Erie spell'd,
The Scottish force advance, beheld;
Nor bade his murmuring legions charge,
Though rough in rear the ocean's marge
Denied retreat, and gaining ground,
His front and flanks the Scots surround
50
Red rolls the sulph'rous lava tide,
And mingles with the madding brine,
The Scots and Danes in battle join.
From either host thick hailing flew
The barbed vengeance of the yew;
Encount'ring targets crashing rung,
And spears repel'd vindictive sung;
The curses hoarse of grappling foes,
Groans, shouts and shrieks, and clangour rose,—
Blood satiates earth's greedy spunge,
And hoofs in brains and bowels plunge;
The dying soldier's casqueless head,
Is crush'd beneath his brother's tread;
The slaughter'd father's mangled breast
The son to fix his foot has prest;
And rais'd upon his darling's corse,
The sire, with renovated force,
Exulting as th' invaders fly,
Joins the huzza of Victory.
51
His utmost hardy Valour strives,
And mad Despair's outrageous sway
Through Havoc hews a dreadful way.
Sublimely stern as all the waves
And winter storms dark Ailsa braves,
Norweyan Sweno, drench'd in blood,
Unmov'd amidst the conflict stood.
And winter storms dark Ailsa braves,
Norweyan Sweno, drench'd in blood,
Unmov'd amidst the conflict stood.
In every place, with giant might,
Fierce Buchan rages in the fight;
His furious vassals rank'd behind,
Still as he moves through carnage wind.
As when around the kindling skies,
In dire career a comet flies,
And trailing through the fading stars,
A fiery length of woes and wars,
Shakes from his lurid sparkling hair,
To ruffians hope, to kings despair.
Fierce Buchan rages in the fight;
His furious vassals rank'd behind,
Still as he moves through carnage wind.
As when around the kindling skies,
In dire career a comet flies,
And trailing through the fading stars,
A fiery length of woes and wars,
Shakes from his lurid sparkling hair,
To ruffians hope, to kings despair.
As o'er the main an isle of ice
Comes with its crystal precipice,
And silv'ry spires, and dazzling streams,
All orient in the summer beams;
Awhile the seaman pleas'd surveys
The glorious pageant's distant blaze;
But as it nears, the freezing air
Turns his delight to chill despair;
And oft he strives, and strives in vain,
The open rippling sea to gain,
Till shipwreckt on the coast he lies,
And more by fear than suffering dies;
So gay afar, so dreadful near,
Did bold Strathern in fight appear:
His milk white charger pranc'd along,
And champing, neigh'd the Danes among,
Where faint and languid Drakoff breath'd,
His visor up, his falchion sheath'd,—
Strathern his truncheon wav'd and pass'd—
But Buchan, ruthless as the blast,
That fiercely besoms all the plain,
And whelms the tree where many a swain
Beneath its calm embowery shade,
The vow of guileless passion made,
And children held their mirthful sport,
The charter'd redbreast's old resort,
Forward rush'd, high whirls his brand,
And Drakoff welters on the strand.
‘O shame,’ a hundred voices call,
‘Revenge, revenge our fathers fall.’
The Danes are rous'd, the battle burns,
The Scots recoil, and hope returns;
Enormous carnage swells beneath,
Gorg'd with the revelries of Death.
As when the clouds, by tempests driven
Confus'd along the fields of heaven,
Hurl darkly wild, on every side
Before the eddying battle's tide;
The Scots retire, for now the Danes
(As o'er the trim Batavian plains,
When rous'd by storms, the billows roar
Through the torn barriers of the shore,
And on the deluge, raving loose,
Rides Ruin multitudinous)
Roll'd bloody, and behind them spread
In heaps the dying and the dead.
Like lone Palmyra in the waste,
That travellers pass with anxious haste;
For there the rifling Arab lies,
When the rich caravan he spies,
Slow fretting with the sinking sun,
The distant desert horizon.
Comes with its crystal precipice,
52
All orient in the summer beams;
Awhile the seaman pleas'd surveys
The glorious pageant's distant blaze;
But as it nears, the freezing air
Turns his delight to chill despair;
And oft he strives, and strives in vain,
The open rippling sea to gain,
Till shipwreckt on the coast he lies,
And more by fear than suffering dies;
So gay afar, so dreadful near,
Did bold Strathern in fight appear:
His milk white charger pranc'd along,
And champing, neigh'd the Danes among,
Where faint and languid Drakoff breath'd,
His visor up, his falchion sheath'd,—
Strathern his truncheon wav'd and pass'd—
But Buchan, ruthless as the blast,
That fiercely besoms all the plain,
And whelms the tree where many a swain
53
The vow of guileless passion made,
And children held their mirthful sport,
The charter'd redbreast's old resort,
Forward rush'd, high whirls his brand,
And Drakoff welters on the strand.
‘O shame,’ a hundred voices call,
‘Revenge, revenge our fathers fall.’
The Danes are rous'd, the battle burns,
The Scots recoil, and hope returns;
Enormous carnage swells beneath,
Gorg'd with the revelries of Death.
As when the clouds, by tempests driven
Confus'd along the fields of heaven,
Hurl darkly wild, on every side
Before the eddying battle's tide;
The Scots retire, for now the Danes
(As o'er the trim Batavian plains,
When rous'd by storms, the billows roar
Through the torn barriers of the shore,
54
Rides Ruin multitudinous)
Roll'd bloody, and behind them spread
In heaps the dying and the dead.
Like lone Palmyra in the waste,
That travellers pass with anxious haste;
For there the rifling Arab lies,
When the rich caravan he spies,
Slow fretting with the sinking sun,
The distant desert horizon.
‘Who will not for their sovereign stand?’
Cried bold Dunbar, and wav'd his brand.
‘Oh shame, ye recreant warriors, shame,
‘Dead to your country's ancient fame!
‘And shall this foe triumphant gain
‘What mighty Rome assail'd in vain?
‘Turn, turn or yield your fathers' swords,
‘And drudge at once to foreign lords.’
Back at his cry with keener rage
The Scots again the battle wage,
Around their King devoted stood,
Smoking with toil and lav'd with blood,
A little troop. Before them rose
A rampart dire of slaughter'd foes,
While ever and anon they call,
‘This day old Scotland shall not fall.’
Cried bold Dunbar, and wav'd his brand.
‘Oh shame, ye recreant warriors, shame,
‘Dead to your country's ancient fame!
‘And shall this foe triumphant gain
‘What mighty Rome assail'd in vain?
‘Turn, turn or yield your fathers' swords,
‘And drudge at once to foreign lords.’
Back at his cry with keener rage
The Scots again the battle wage,
55
Smoking with toil and lav'd with blood,
A little troop. Before them rose
A rampart dire of slaughter'd foes,
While ever and anon they call,
‘This day old Scotland shall not fall.’
Thus while green Largo's breezy shore
Tumultuous strife deform'd with gore,
Deep in their dark eternal den
The Sisters spun the fates of men;
Urd turn'd the wheels whose griding jar
Roll'd horribly to suit the war;
The orbed spokes with furious sweep
Send deadly blasts across the deep,
Wirandi twines with backward tread,
And stretched arms, the destin'd thread,
Which Sculdi, wrapt in shades and fears,
Parts with her loud-resounding shears,
And as the mortal texture falls,
The victim's earthly name she calls.
Dim through the gloom, a various crew,
Th' invisible pervaders flew,
Who nurse the germs of human schemes,
And raise our night and noon-day dreams:
Sometimes upon the thread of Fate
A crowned imp, wild fluttering sat,
With talons dropping blood, and whiles
An angel form with beamy smiles.
Here in created forms are drest,
The passions of the human breast,
Still swaying as by fits they light
The transient weak terrestrial wight.
‘Twine quickly, weird Sisters, twine
‘Dread Destiny's mysterious line,’
Dark Sculdi sings. ‘The wolf of war,
‘Rude Buchan, dies with many a scar.
‘Grim Sweno, tower of Danish force,
‘Is stretch'd a ghastly gory corse;
‘See in the air high arching flies,
‘A rainbow through the stormy skies,
‘The glittering lance of bold Strathern,
‘And ends proud Birnioff the stern.
‘High let the solemn requiem swell,
‘By Askitin the Stewart fell.
‘Slain by the Knight of Eglesham,
‘Sir Askitin receives his fame.
‘Twine, weird Sister, twist and twine,
‘For thicker still the squadrons join.
‘The wind of Urd's harsh-labouring wheels
‘The battle's conflagration feels,
‘And fiercer burns, and quicker kills.
‘But mark aloft the scales of Fate,
‘Hanging on Jah's finger, vibrate,
‘Loaded with two human lots,
‘The left the Danes, the right the Scots;
‘King Hako's wanting lightly flies,
‘While firm at rest the Scottish lies.’
Tumultuous strife deform'd with gore,
Deep in their dark eternal den
The Sisters spun the fates of men;
Urd turn'd the wheels whose griding jar
Roll'd horribly to suit the war;
The orbed spokes with furious sweep
Send deadly blasts across the deep,
Wirandi twines with backward tread,
And stretched arms, the destin'd thread,
Which Sculdi, wrapt in shades and fears,
Parts with her loud-resounding shears,
And as the mortal texture falls,
The victim's earthly name she calls.
56
Th' invisible pervaders flew,
Who nurse the germs of human schemes,
And raise our night and noon-day dreams:
Sometimes upon the thread of Fate
A crowned imp, wild fluttering sat,
With talons dropping blood, and whiles
An angel form with beamy smiles.
Here in created forms are drest,
The passions of the human breast,
Still swaying as by fits they light
The transient weak terrestrial wight.
‘Twine quickly, weird Sisters, twine
‘Dread Destiny's mysterious line,’
Dark Sculdi sings. ‘The wolf of war,
‘Rude Buchan, dies with many a scar.
‘Grim Sweno, tower of Danish force,
‘Is stretch'd a ghastly gory corse;
‘See in the air high arching flies,
‘A rainbow through the stormy skies,
57
‘And ends proud Birnioff the stern.
‘High let the solemn requiem swell,
‘By Askitin the Stewart fell.
‘Slain by the Knight of Eglesham,
‘Sir Askitin receives his fame.
‘Twine, weird Sister, twist and twine,
‘For thicker still the squadrons join.
‘The wind of Urd's harsh-labouring wheels
‘The battle's conflagration feels,
‘And fiercer burns, and quicker kills.
‘But mark aloft the scales of Fate,
‘Hanging on Jah's finger, vibrate,
‘Loaded with two human lots,
‘The left the Danes, the right the Scots;
‘King Hako's wanting lightly flies,
‘While firm at rest the Scottish lies.’
Twas thus tremendous Sculdi sung,
In concord as the warfare rung,
Till spent by an excess of strife,
The wretched Danes, to shelter life,
Back to their boats by vengeance driven,
Like chaff before the storms of heaven
Tumultuous fled. But now the main,
Urg'd by the winds, retreat made vain;
The white waves, vext to anger, tore
The vessels from the slaughter-shore,
And in fantastic eddies whirl'd,
To wreck the floating refuge hurl'd.
Dashing the insolent surges by,
To reach the barks some boldly try,
And on their shoulders bear the King,
While others down their armour fling,
And mercy beg. Some with despair
The victor host outrageous dare,
And madly struggling unsubdued,
With vital crimson dye the flood.
Then pealing loud from Goatfield's brow,
Huge thunder shook the world below,
And carr'd upon the cloudy blast,
The weird Sisters hurrying past,
Round Ailsa hand in hand unite,
And thus exulting close their rite.
‘Rejoice! rejoice! our work is done,
‘And Hako's heart to Lok is won;
‘No more his dismal haggard cheek
‘Shall the blithe dawn of gladness streak,
‘But hate of life and fears of death,
‘His every night and day bequeath;
‘And crimes of guile and deeds of force
‘Shall tear his soul with sharp remorse;
‘For all his proud audacious schemes,
‘Like the alchymist's golden dreams,
‘Have burst away with dire explosion,
‘Tumultuous ruin and confusion.’
In concord as the warfare rung,
58
The wretched Danes, to shelter life,
Back to their boats by vengeance driven,
Like chaff before the storms of heaven
Tumultuous fled. But now the main,
Urg'd by the winds, retreat made vain;
The white waves, vext to anger, tore
The vessels from the slaughter-shore,
And in fantastic eddies whirl'd,
To wreck the floating refuge hurl'd.
Dashing the insolent surges by,
To reach the barks some boldly try,
And on their shoulders bear the King,
While others down their armour fling,
And mercy beg. Some with despair
The victor host outrageous dare,
And madly struggling unsubdued,
With vital crimson dye the flood.
Then pealing loud from Goatfield's brow,
Huge thunder shook the world below,
59
The weird Sisters hurrying past,
Round Ailsa hand in hand unite,
And thus exulting close their rite.
‘Rejoice! rejoice! our work is done,
‘And Hako's heart to Lok is won;
‘No more his dismal haggard cheek
‘Shall the blithe dawn of gladness streak,
‘But hate of life and fears of death,
‘His every night and day bequeath;
‘And crimes of guile and deeds of force
‘Shall tear his soul with sharp remorse;
‘For all his proud audacious schemes,
‘Like the alchymist's golden dreams,
‘Have burst away with dire explosion,
‘Tumultuous ruin and confusion.’
60
THE PRELUDE.
Unheard, in Secresy's low vaulted cell,
The lonely Muse attun'd the sounding shell.
No temple's Echo to her voice reply'd,
Where awful shades with Memory reside;
Yet through the clefted rocks romantic form,
Kindling the clouds that drifted on the storm,
The setting sun would glare a fiery light,
And milder moonshine tinge the gloom of night.
The lonely Muse attun'd the sounding shell.
No temple's Echo to her voice reply'd,
Where awful shades with Memory reside;
Yet through the clefted rocks romantic form,
Kindling the clouds that drifted on the storm,
The setting sun would glare a fiery light,
And milder moonshine tinge the gloom of night.
The solemn hymns by holy organs peal'd
From ancient abbeys half in trees conceal'd,
And bugle-blasts of chivalry and war,
From the high battlement resounding far,
Swell'd on her ear, and blending in her thought,
A mimic strain of minstrel rudeness taught.
From ancient abbeys half in trees conceal'd,
And bugle-blasts of chivalry and war,
From the high battlement resounding far,
Swell'd on her ear, and blending in her thought,
A mimic strain of minstrel rudeness taught.
61
CUPID'S PROPHECY.
Green-vestur'd Spring o'er wild and wood
Dispens'd her life-effusing power,
And stretch'd along in pensive mood,
While wand'ring wishes warm'd my blood,
I sigh'd within a sylvan bower.
Dispens'd her life-effusing power,
And stretch'd along in pensive mood,
While wand'ring wishes warm'd my blood,
I sigh'd within a sylvan bower.
Amidst the close-embracing boughs
That breath'd fresh odours o'er the seat,
The breeze caress'd the blushing rose,
With many a whisper soft and sweet.
That breath'd fresh odours o'er the seat,
The breeze caress'd the blushing rose,
With many a whisper soft and sweet.
When whistling from the woodland shade,
With sprightly steps a stripling came,
Whose hand a bow unstrung display'd,
Which whiplike smacking, smartly made
Loud Echo his approach proclaim.
With sprightly steps a stripling came,
Whose hand a bow unstrung display'd,
Which whiplike smacking, smartly made
Loud Echo his approach proclaim.
62
Quick (startled by the idle sound
That broke the stillness of the wild)
I gaz'd, and saw with fear profound,
The fair mysterious Cyprian child.
That broke the stillness of the wild)
I gaz'd, and saw with fear profound,
The fair mysterious Cyprian child.
‘What, ho!’ the blue-ey'd rover cried,
‘Do'st tread the vernal fields alone?
‘Art by some haughty nymph denied,
‘And seek'st thou in the groves to hide
‘A hopeless heart's desponding moan?’
‘Do'st tread the vernal fields alone?
‘Art by some haughty nymph denied,
‘And seek'st thou in the groves to hide
‘A hopeless heart's desponding moan?’
‘Away, perfidious imp, away,’
I boldly said with braggart tongue,
‘My soul repels thy slavish sway.’
He laugh'd, and ey'd the bow unstrung.
I boldly said with braggart tongue,
‘My soul repels thy slavish sway.’
He laugh'd, and ey'd the bow unstrung.
But ere my pulse repeated three,
The string tip'd archly bit my breast;
‘Redoubted Sir, remember me,
‘A day is fixt to humble thee,
‘And break thy drowsy dreamy rest.’
The string tip'd archly bit my breast;
‘Redoubted Sir, remember me,
‘A day is fixt to humble thee,
‘And break thy drowsy dreamy rest.’
63
The dimpled rogue, with finger rais'd
And look prophetic, said and flew,
Behind his radiant quiver blaz'd,
Whose shafts I soon shall sadly rue.
And look prophetic, said and flew,
Behind his radiant quiver blaz'd,
Whose shafts I soon shall sadly rue.
64
TO DELIA.
Deride me not, but softly tell
What is this dear delicious spell,
That makes my soul in absence see,
No form but thine, no thought but thee.
What is this dear delicious spell,
That makes my soul in absence see,
No form but thine, no thought but thee.
Thee I have met with fond surprise
In many a stranger's azure eyes;
In many a lovely stranger's mien,
All present! thee I oft have seen.
In many a stranger's azure eyes;
In many a lovely stranger's mien,
All present! thee I oft have seen.
When round the social board I sit,
Where Fancy sparkles into Wit,
Whate'er is polish'd, keen, or gay,
Reminds me of thy sprightly play.
Where Fancy sparkles into Wit,
Whate'er is polish'd, keen, or gay,
Reminds me of thy sprightly play.
65
And if sedater groupes I join,
Their wisdom dimly shadows thine;
And Lore the baldpate only seems
The dull reflector of thy beams.
Their wisdom dimly shadows thine;
And Lore the baldpate only seems
The dull reflector of thy beams.
Even in the solemn scenes of woe,
Where sympathetic sorrows flow,
My wand'ring thoughts unconscious trace
Of thee some tender pensive grace.
Where sympathetic sorrows flow,
My wand'ring thoughts unconscious trace
Of thee some tender pensive grace.
Deride me not, but softly tell
What is the dear delicious spell,
That makes my soul in absence see
No form but thine, no thought but thee.
What is the dear delicious spell,
That makes my soul in absence see
No form but thine, no thought but thee.
66
THE LOVER TO HIS HEART.
Lie still, lie still, fond flutt'ring heart,
Thine anguish d pulses throb in vain!
For she that barbs the mystic dart,
Knows not thy sad, thy secret pain.
Thine anguish d pulses throb in vain!
For she that barbs the mystic dart,
Knows not thy sad, thy secret pain.
Mine eyes with rude unconscious gaze
Pursue her form through all the dance;
But her's as oft with strange amaze
Rebuke my wild unwary glance.
Pursue her form through all the dance;
But her's as oft with strange amaze
Rebuke my wild unwary glance.
Whene'er the changeful measure brings
Her gentle hand to meet with mine,
From the soft touch electric springs
Delicious pangs, distress divine.
Her gentle hand to meet with mine,
From the soft touch electric springs
Delicious pangs, distress divine.
67
Lie still, lie still, fond flutt'ring heart,
Stern Fortune lets thee beat in vain;
And she that barbs Love's powerful dart
Shall never know thy secret pain.
Stern Fortune lets thee beat in vain;
And she that barbs Love's powerful dart
Shall never know thy secret pain.
68
A REVERIE.
Ah me! how brief is earthly bliss,
How close succeeding sorrows cling:
Joy flits away, when all would press—
The twinkle of a moment's wing.
How close succeeding sorrows cling:
Joy flits away, when all would press—
The twinkle of a moment's wing.
To sacred shrines as pilgrims haste,
With tales of grief, remorse, and care,
So, crowding to the human breast,
The hours distressful tidings bear.
With tales of grief, remorse, and care,
So, crowding to the human breast,
The hours distressful tidings bear.
The unfledg'd fluttering hopes of youth,
That idle Fancy fondly fed,
Scar'd by the steps of pensive Truth,
Have all on rapid pinions fled.
That idle Fancy fondly fed,
Scar'd by the steps of pensive Truth,
Have all on rapid pinions fled.
69
Where oft, with sprightly heart and eyes,
My guileless years were charm'd away,
Aghast I see, with sad surprise,
The babbling brood of strangers play.
My guileless years were charm'd away,
Aghast I see, with sad surprise,
The babbling brood of strangers play.
And round yon spire, whose hazy cone
The shadowy moonlight dimly shows,
Beneath the hallow'd mould'ring stone
My best and early friends repose.
The shadowy moonlight dimly shows,
Beneath the hallow'd mould'ring stone
My best and early friends repose.
Ah me! how brief is earthly bliss,
How close succeeding sorrows cling:
Joy flits away, while yet we press—
The twinkle of a moment's wing.
How close succeeding sorrows cling:
Joy flits away, while yet we press—
The twinkle of a moment's wing.
70
THE SCORN OF SCOTLAND.
A SONG.
And did he threat invasion?
Then let the tyrant come:
Has he forgot Old Egypt,
Nor heard of baffled Rome?
The Danes of yore invaded,
They scaled the sea-beat steep—
Their relics lie at Largo—
Their ships are in the deep.
Then let the tyrant come:
Has he forgot Old Egypt,
Nor heard of baffled Rome?
The Danes of yore invaded,
They scaled the sea-beat steep—
Their relics lie at Largo—
Their ships are in the deep.
The manly sons of England,
As brothers now we claim,
And Bannockburn and Flodden
Inspire a mutual flame.
Will those who fought at Minden,
And conquer'd at the Nile,
Be shook with coward-palsies,
In their dear native isle?
As brothers now we claim,
And Bannockburn and Flodden
Inspire a mutual flame.
Will those who fought at Minden,
And conquer'd at the Nile,
Be shook with coward-palsies,
In their dear native isle?
71
Defy the madding despot,
Defy his perjur'd slaves,
Let them elude our navies,
Let them escape the waves:
We dread not all his armies;
The trophies they have won
Are fuel for our glory,
And gems for our renown.
Defy his perjur'd slaves,
Let them elude our navies,
Let them escape the waves:
We dread not all his armies;
The trophies they have won
Are fuel for our glory,
And gems for our renown.
United Britain rises,
Her cliffs with armour burn—
Pale in their boats, and silent,
Ambition's victims turn.
‘Aye look behind. France lessens—
‘Advance ye haggard crew,
‘We are the haughty islanders,
‘Now plunder and subdue.’
Her cliffs with armour burn—
Pale in their boats, and silent,
Ambition's victims turn.
‘Aye look behind. France lessens—
‘Advance ye haggard crew,
‘We are the haughty islanders,
‘Now plunder and subdue.’
72
THE AYRSHIRE CALL.
On Eglinton's high honour'd towers,
The banner streams afar,
The beacons blazing on the hills,
Rouse every heart to war.
‘To arms, old Ayr, to arms again,
‘The drums of Vengeance hear,
‘And rank'd with Coil and Cuninghame,
‘Resume the Carrick spear.’
The banner streams afar,
The beacons blazing on the hills,
Rouse every heart to war.
‘To arms, old Ayr, to arms again,
‘The drums of Vengeance hear,
‘And rank'd with Coil and Cuninghame,
‘Resume the Carrick spear.’
In feudal days our southern foes
The bravest chiefs defy'd,
Till Wallace wav'd his battle-blade,
And scatter'd all their pride.
‘To arms, old Ayr, to arms again,
‘The drums of Vengeance hear,
‘And rank'd with Coil and Cuninghame,
‘Resume the Carrick spear.’
The bravest chiefs defy'd,
Till Wallace wav'd his battle-blade,
And scatter'd all their pride.
‘To arms, old Ayr, to arms again,
‘The drums of Vengeance hear,
‘And rank'd with Coil and Cuninghame,
‘Resume the Carrick spear.’
73
With wilder threats than Edward's boast,
The Gallic hordes advance—
Our fathers brav'd his chivalry,
But we have bloody France.
‘To arms, old Ayr, to arms again,
‘The drums of Vengeance hear,
‘And rank'd with Coil and Cuninghame,
‘Resume the Carrick spear.’
The Gallic hordes advance—
Our fathers brav'd his chivalry,
But we have bloody France.
‘To arms, old Ayr, to arms again,
‘The drums of Vengeance hear,
‘And rank'd with Coil and Cuninghame,
‘Resume the Carrick spear.’
A brighter meed, a broader fame,
Await our gallant toil;
We hold the hearts our fathers held,
And will preserve their soil.
‘To arms old Ayr returns again,
‘Her eager warriors cheer;
‘And Carrick, Coil, and Cuninghame,
‘Together charge the spear.’
Await our gallant toil;
We hold the hearts our fathers held,
And will preserve their soil.
‘To arms old Ayr returns again,
‘Her eager warriors cheer;
‘And Carrick, Coil, and Cuninghame,
‘Together charge the spear.’
74
AN IMITATION.
Intent his purpose to perform,The tyrant's cloud the rabble's storm,
The virtuous man defies,
And on great Nature's ending day
His smiling soul shall wing her way
Serenely to the skies.
75
FAREWELL.
O England! though fertile and fair be thy bosom,
And stately the tow'rs that proud London displays,
Isighfor the scenes where the blue heather blossom,
And gay golden broom scent the breeze as it strays,
The hills of my country—alas! have ye faded?
Ye turreted cliffs, are ye lost to my view?
Farewell ye green holms, and ye lown lying vallies,
Dear haunts of my childhood, a long sad adieu.
And stately the tow'rs that proud London displays,
Isighfor the scenes where the blue heather blossom,
And gay golden broom scent the breeze as it strays,
The hills of my country—alas! have ye faded?
Ye turreted cliffs, are ye lost to my view?
Farewell ye green holms, and ye lown lying vallies,
Dear haunts of my childhood, a long sad adieu.
For now far remov'd, and with strangers sojourning,
Where the dawn of sweet friendship is ling'ring and slow,
The gale that blows chilly and bleak from my country
Makes pale-eyed Remembrance with gladness to glow,
Still fresh to my fancy, still fond to my feelings,
The high hoary mountain and deep hazel glen
Shall ever remain, where a pilgrim to Nature
I wander'd delighted, unjostled by men.
Where the dawn of sweet friendship is ling'ring and slow,
The gale that blows chilly and bleak from my country
Makes pale-eyed Remembrance with gladness to glow,
76
The high hoary mountain and deep hazel glen
Shall ever remain, where a pilgrim to Nature
I wander'd delighted, unjostled by men.
Dear Scotland, though rugged and stern be thine aspect,
And wild the rude winds that howl o'er thy grey hills,
The joys of thy kindness, with faithful affection,
The warmest recess of my bosom still fills.
Still fills! yes, and ever, while Life's vital vigour
Revisits the fountain of Love in my breast;
And when all its throbbings are done, is my fondwish,
Beneath the green sward of dear Scotland to rest.
And wild the rude winds that howl o'er thy grey hills,
The joys of thy kindness, with faithful affection,
The warmest recess of my bosom still fills.
Still fills! yes, and ever, while Life's vital vigour
Revisits the fountain of Love in my breast;
And when all its throbbings are done, is my fondwish,
Beneath the green sward of dear Scotland to rest.
THE END.
| The Battle of Largs | |