THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 POEMS.
 
 POEMS. 
 
 INCLUDING SOME IN SCOTTISH AND 
 WESTMORLAND DIALECTS. 
 
 BY ROBERT DIXON HOPE, 
 
 Vicav of Old Hutton, Kendal. 
 
 1888. 
 
 PRINTHD BY T. WILSON, 
 KEXDAL.
 
 
 ?K. 
 
 
 '^^O'S 
 
 
 M39AIV 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 
 
 I'AGt;. 
 
 The Queen's Jubilee 
 
 I 
 
 The Snowdrop ... 
 
 2 
 
 The Skylark 
 
 ... 4 
 
 The Daffodil ... 
 
 ••• 5 
 
 Harvest 
 
 6 
 
 Burn's Birthday 
 
 8 
 
 The Poet's Vision 
 
 10 
 
 A Cumbrian's Reverie 
 
 II 
 
 An Emigrant's Farewell to Westmorland ... 12 
 
 The Spendthrift ... 
 
 .. 14 
 
 The Redbreast ... 
 
 ... 15 
 
 The Belo 
 
 ... 16 
 
 Mirage 
 
 ... 17 
 
 The Child is Father of the :Man ... 
 
 ... 19 
 
 Lune 
 
 ... 21 
 
 Childhood 
 
 ... 23 
 
 Little Sister 
 
 ... 24 
 
 The Chimes 
 
 ... 25 
 
 Kendal, ,. 
 
 ... 27 
 
 824208 

 
 VI 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 r^Ierrie Carlisle 
 An Idyl 
 Bulgaria 
 The Fatal Jest 
 Tile Swallow- 
 Forsaken 
 Cram . . . 
 An Appeal 
 A Cold Spring 
 Caractacus 
 Lily- Mere 
 Romans on Helme 
 Columbus 
 Youth ... 
 A Spectral Herd 
 To Enuna 
 The Spring 
 November 
 The Morning Star 
 Affection 
 
 Imitation of Anacreon 
 Quartette 
 Freedom 
 
 The Grasshopper 
 Acacia Rose
 
 IX DFX. 
 
 VU 
 
 Heaven 
 
 In Alenioriuni 
 
 In Menioriani 
 
 Divine Love 
 
 How quick]}- did tlie Apostles form 
 
 John tlie Baptist 
 
 Among ni}' people I do dwell 
 
 Reflections 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 69 
 
 7" 
 70 
 
 71 
 72 
 75 
 
 n 
 
 7«
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE Augustan period of Rome was famous for 
 men of genius; but few, if any names com- 
 manded more respect than that of Horace. The 
 brilliant genius of Virgil, indeed outshone all his 
 contemporaries, but wtih this exception, no poet 
 probably seemed to be more popular than Horace ; 
 and his worth is still acknowledged by all readers 
 of taste and judgment. 
 
 In his character ]as a poet, he seems to occup}' 
 the same place in ancient literature, in some 
 respects at least, that Robert Burns does in 
 modern. And if we examine their respective char- 
 acters as men of genius, we shall notice that a 
 greater parallel exists between them than at first 
 sight appears. 
 
 Horace was born of comparatively poor parents, 
 and had it not been for the studious care of his 
 father, Avould not have acquired those stores of 
 learning, which he afterwards turned to such good 
 account. 
 
 Robert Burns, though not favoured with the 
 same educational advantages as Horace, (advan- 
 tages, I mean, such as their respective times 
 afforded), availed himself of every means in his 
 power to add to his stores of knowledge. Few
 
 11 I'RKFACK. 
 
 greater bookworms ever existed; and his industry 
 in tliis respect, was encouraged by tlie example 
 and advice of his father. 
 
 The genius of Horace soon attracted the notice 
 and praise of the critics of Rome, and from the 
 obscurity of country hfe, he passed into the refined 
 literar}- circles of Rome. But amid the gaietj^ and 
 flatter}' of the mistress of the world he never lost 
 his relish for rustic sights anrl sounds ; and the 
 charms of his Sabine farm held a deeper place in 
 his aflfections tlian Rome with all its stately build- 
 ings supplied. Thus in a greater or less degree it 
 was with Robert Burns. For a time he received 
 the flattery and praise of the learned and wealthy 
 of the Scottish capital; but amidst it all, hi^ 
 thoughts reverted to rural charms and pleasures. 
 
 Never for one moment would Horace sacrifice 
 his honest independence, his freedom of thought 
 and act. Rather than risk such a sacrifice, he 
 would forswear the smiles of fortune and welcome 
 poverty, and this honest independence only in- 
 creased his influence. 
 
 The same love of liberty, in tlie noblest sense of 
 the word, was a striking mark of the character of 
 Burns. 
 
 Horace seemed to be endowed wuth an affection- 
 ate disposition, and his face shone with good will 
 to all ; and Burns showed the same amiable quali- 
 ties. Horace, amid the conflicting claims of rival 
 schools of philosophy, was content to see what
 
 I'KiiFACE. Ill 
 
 was specially good in any of thcni, and to enshrine 
 their best tenets in his poetry ; and Burns with 
 regard to the claims of a much higher belief, was 
 far removed from bigotry and fanaticism. Horace 
 was keenly alive to a sense of his own failings, and 
 Burns shewed the same sense of remorse. There 
 are passages in the poetry of Horace, which, for the 
 sake of his fame, might fairly liave been suppressed, 
 and there are some passages in the works of 
 Robert Burns, which might have been excluded 
 without doing damage to his reputation as a poet. 
 
 It was the fasliion in the time of Horace, for 
 Latin authors to ransack the treasures of the 
 earlier literature of Greece, to cull its flowers of 
 rhetoric and poetry to adorn their literary labour ; 
 and Horace had recourse to the same materials. 
 Only, with the consummate hand of a master, he 
 rendered the materials thus acquired, in the best 
 sense of the word, original. 
 
 Burns found his inspiration in the old songs of 
 Scotland, and in this peculiar held of poetry, has 
 perhaps secured his most enduring fame ; as the 
 fame of Horace rests upon his incomparable odes ; 
 though it is well to add that Burns as well as 
 Horace, in their efforts in other forms of poetr}-, 
 would have secured universal recognition. 
 
 We may add further, that Burns apparently 
 profited indirectly by the genius of Horace ; though 
 his ignorance of Latin prevented him from appre- 
 ciating the poetry of Horace in the original ; yet 
 his genius as a poet was greatly influenced by
 
 IV PREFACE. 
 
 Allan Ramsay, who candidly confessed that al- 
 ihough he understood Horace but faintly in the 
 original, yet he could feast upon his beautiful 
 thoughts dressed in British. 
 
 The Latin language having, in some respects, an 
 affinity with the Greek, though charged with a 
 certain amount of harshness, retains largely the 
 melody of this beautiful language, which is well 
 handled b}^ such poets as Virgil and Catullus, 
 while it receives ample justice, in this respect, from 
 Horace. Burns, too, possesses in the Scottish 
 dialect an excellent instrument for his poetic 
 genius. " It appears," as has been judiciously 
 observed, "to be little inferiortothat of the Italian. 
 It possesses a considerable portion of that rustic 
 simplicity so much admired in the Doric dialect of 
 the Greeks, and not a little of the smoothness of 
 the Ionic. Like the former, it drops final con- 
 sonants, substitutes one for another, and converts 
 many of the vowels and diphthongs of English 
 words into A and I ; and like the latter, it delights 
 to throw out the consonants, to produce a con- 
 course of vowels, to soften the sound, and promote 
 the flow of those harsher terms which less easily 
 combine in versification. It abounds in terms and 
 phrases connected with domestic and social life ; 
 with rural scenery, sentiments and occupations, 
 and hence is peculiarly fitted for pastoral poetry, 
 the lighter ode, and the description of external 
 nature, It surpasses in humourous representation,
 
 PREFACE. V 
 
 and is far from being unsuitable to the plaintive 
 and tender." 
 
 In the employment of such musical mediums of 
 thought, Horace and Burns never degenerate into 
 obscurit}-. They never, like some poets of our own 
 time, indulge in phrases so cloudy, that, in trying 
 to unravel them, half of the charm of poetry is lost ; 
 a fashion which seems to do violence to the genius 
 of the English language, (as far at least as one 
 great poet is concerned), and which shall probably 
 have as brief an existence as the school of poetry 
 represented by Dr. Donne. 
 
 Milton has with admirable beauty and accuracy 
 
 given us a rendering of the fifth ode of Horace, 
 
 book first ; and as this is clearly one of the best of 
 
 his odes, we shall here quote it. 
 
 "What slender youth, bedewed with liquid odours, 
 
 Courts thee on roses, in some pleasant cave, 
 
 Pvrrha ? For whom bindst thou in wreaths thy golden 
 
 hair. 
 Plain in thy neatness ? Oh, how oft shall he 
 On faith and changed gods complain, and seas 
 Rough with black winds and storms 
 Unwonted shall admire. 
 Who now enjoys thee credulous, all gold ; 
 Who always vacant, always amiable, 
 Hopes thee, of flattering gales 
 Unmindful ! Hapless they 
 
 To whom thou untried seemst fair. Me in my vowed 
 Picture, the sacred wall declares to have hung 
 My dank and droppmg weeds 
 To the stern God of Sea." 
 
 If we, in some respects, exclude in our minds the 
 Roman mode of verse, its peculiar stateliness,
 
 VI I'KLFACE. 
 
 which Mihon has so faithfully preserved in trans- 
 lation, wc notice how the sentiments of this ode 
 are, unconsciously, as it were, imitated in the fol- 
 lowing lines by Burns : — 
 
 " Had I a cave on some wild distant shore, 
 Where the winds howl to the waves dashing roar; 
 There would I weep my woes, 
 There seek my lost repose, 
 Till grief my eyes should close, 
 Ne'er to wake more ! 
 
 Falsest of womankind 1 canst thou declare 
 All thy fond-plighted vows, fleeting as air? 
 To thy new lover lire, 
 Laugh o'er thy perjury. 
 Then in thy bosom try 
 What peace is there ! 
 
 When, moreover, Horace assumes a philosophic 
 vein, how admirably are the saws of this ancient 
 poet echoed by the modern. Horace moralizes 
 thus in the graceful translation of Cowper : — 
 
 " The well-informed philosopher 
 Rejoices with a wholesome fear. 
 
 And hopes in spite of pain ; 
 If winter bellow from the north. 
 Soon the sweet Spring comes dancing forth, 
 
 And nature laughs again. 
 
 What if thy heaven be overcast, 
 The dark appearance will not last; 
 
 Expect a brighter sky, 
 The God that strings the silver bow, 
 Awakes sometimes the muses too, 
 
 And lays his arrows by." 
 
 In the more homely phrases of Burns, we notice 
 terseness and point.
 
 PREFACE. Vn 
 
 When on life we're tempest driven, 
 
 A conscience but a canker, 
 A correspondence fixed with Heav'n 
 
 Is sure a noble anchor. 
 Adieu, dear amiable youth ! 
 
 Your heart can ne'er be wanting. 
 May Prudence, Fortitude, and Truth 
 
 Erect your brow undaunting ! " 
 
 In the words both of the iincient and modern 
 poet the pulse of humanity seems to beat. They 
 arc in touch with the warmest feehngs of the 
 heart, and appeal to our reason and judgment ; 
 and if it was no vain boast of Horace that his 
 works should defy the wasting power of time, the 
 fame of Burns seems to rest on as firm a foundation. 
 Yes, as long as " the crimson tipped flower " con- 
 tinues to bloom on the fields of Scotia ; as long as 
 the curlew and plover arouse the echoes of its 
 heathery hills and mountains, and the lark utters 
 its song of praise, so long, apparently, shall some 
 of the nobler verses of Burns, at least, find a re- 
 sponsive chord in the human heart. It may be 
 said, in conclusion, that the volume of poetry, now 
 humbly submitted to subscribers, contains some 
 poems in the Scottish dialect, as well as some in 
 the Westmorland dialect. How far these may be 
 acceptable as poetr}^ is not for me to determine ; 
 but this must be left to the candour of my readers. 
 My admiration of the genius of Burns has induced 
 me to attempt some verses in the dialect which he 
 employed and adorned, while my residence amid 
 the beautiful scenery of Lakeland has led to other 
 efforts in staridard English,
 
 THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE. 
 
 See how those fleecy clouds do sail 
 
 O'er the luminous blue, 
 The cuckoo's voice sounds in the dale, 
 
 Flowers show summer hue. 
 
 Yon noble stream flows on its way 
 Thro' clover mead and lea ; 
 
 The sunbeams on the waters play. 
 Zephyrs breathe harmony. 
 
 In many a field the grass does wave. 
 The vales stand thick with grain — ■ 
 
 Rich emblems of the blessings suave 
 Of our belovd Queen's reign. 
 
 Reign of matchless light and progress, 
 
 Of pious hope and fear- 
 Fifty years full of blessedness, 
 
 Though wet with sorrow's tear ! 
 
 Thus friendship, love, and truth unite 
 
 To crown this happy day. 
 And social glee and honour bright 
 
 Salute us on our wav. 
 
 In merry peals the bells do ring. 
 
 Borne on the summer air ; 
 Full many a happy voice does sing 
 
 Within the temples fair. 
 
 In salvoes clear booms many a gun, 
 Streams many a banner gay ; 
 
 The prayers of nation rise as one, 
 " God bless our Queen for aye ! "
 
 THE SXOWDROI'. 
 
 And may all hearts her mild sway own 
 While life and thought are given, 
 
 And wlien she dofts her earthly crown 
 Crown may she wear in Heav'n. 
 
 Oh may the ftft}' years now past 
 
 Foretoken future good, 
 Be rich with boons which tune outlast, 
 
 On lo\'al hearts bestowed ! 
 
 THE SNOWDROP. 
 
 IIX SCOTTISH \ERSEI. 
 
 Thou winsome flow'r o" snawy bloom, 
 Amidst cauld storms, lo ! thou dost come, 
 Before the spring does yet assume 
 
 Its mantle green, 
 Or is heard the bee's busy hum. 
 
 Thy form is seen. 
 
 Thou crony o' the stormy blast, 
 Thy hue suggest a dreary past : 
 Yet the perfume thou dost forecast 
 
 O' garden gay. 
 When Plujebus frae " purpling east " 
 
 Sheds light o'day. 
 
 As the first streak o' rosy dawn 
 Glints saftl}' o'er the dewy lawn, 
 Sae now thy snawy grace is shown 
 
 r queenly wortli. 
 Without a ri\ al near thy throne 
 
 To tempt us forth.
 
 thp: sxownKOi'. 
 
 Sweet promise o' spring's season mild. 
 Thou shed'st thy beauty o'er the wild 
 Before our e'en are yet beguiled 
 
 By primrose ga}-, 
 Or daffodils, o'er the fields piled, 
 
 Salute the day. 
 
 Nae leaves do clothe the hawthorn fair, 
 Nae cushat croodles his saft notes rare, 
 Nae lav'rock fills the fields o' air 
 
 \Vi' music sweet ; 
 An' yet thv lovely form does dare 
 
 The blmding sleet. 
 
 Thus women guid, an angel band, 
 Dispense sweet duties o'er the land, 
 Nae fear or hate restrains their hand 
 
 r sorrow's need, 
 But wi' pure love their hearts expand 
 
 r holy deed. 
 
 Thus keen misfortune's snell}' blast 
 Th' honest man does in poortith cast, 
 An' sodgers brave, 'mid conflicts vast. 
 
 Deep sorrow share. 
 Till freed frae toil, they gain at last 
 
 Sweet rest frae care. 
 
 A stout heart, then, for a stey brae, 
 For oh ! what sad stops block the way, 
 Till lie wha strives does gain the da}- 
 
 Wi' smiling face. 
 While mony mae shrink frae the fray 
 
 Wi' sidelins pace 
 Yea ! launch the ship, unfurl the sail 
 r th' eye o' a favouring gale, 
 An' let nae man his task bewail 
 
 Or yield to care. 
 For he wha wad Parnassus scale 
 
 ^Nlust do and dare,
 
 THK SKYLARK. 
 
 THE SKYLARK. 
 
 Hail ! sweet messenger of the morn, 
 Lo ! thou on wing aspiring borne, 
 Dost fl\' aboon the waving corn. 
 
 To greet the day, 
 While now the spring does yet adorn 
 
 The garden gav. 
 
 As higher soaring thou dost sing, 
 Tliou seem' St to carry on thy wing 
 A' the dear joys o' blushing sprmg, 
 
 C3r blooming May, 
 While the welkin a" round does ring 
 
 \\'i" thy sweet lay. 
 
 An' shall a man a" true praise scorn, 
 As thou on airy wing upborne, 
 Dost seem to usher in the morn 
 
 W'i' gratefu" song ? 
 Ah. no ! wi' joy let his heart burn, 
 An' praise prolong ! 
 
 Sometimes indeed a stronger breeze, 
 Blawing over the verdant leas, 
 Becomes the warst of open faes. 
 
 To stay thy fight. 
 Until wi" calmer hour's release, 
 
 Thou woo'st the light. 
 
 Thus let a man his pow'rs emplo}-, 
 When a keen blast doth quell his joy, 
 Let him not use a false alloy. 
 
 Or quit the held ; 
 but let a true faith his heartbuoy, 
 
 The victor's shield ! 
 
 Then, like thee, sweet bird, he will sing 
 Glad amid the flowers o' spring, 
 Nae sad regrets shall his hopes ding, 
 
 Or care molest. 
 Until, in fine, his course shall wiuf^^ 
 Xo lieaven's rest !
 
 TH1-; DAI-luUlL. 
 
 THE DAFFODIL. 
 
 () daffodil, O daftbdil 
 
 Lo, thy beauty does o'er us steal, 
 
 An' still new charms thou dost reveal, 
 
 To our fond view, 
 Sweet fruit of the Creator's skill 
 
 r shape or hue ! 
 
 As the dewy pearls o' the morn, 
 Which shine fu" brightl}- on the thorn, 
 An' the fleecy clouds, ev'n new born, 
 
 Soon pass away, 
 Sae thy beauty does seem to warn 
 
 iT thy decay. 
 
 As slypes the soil atore the share, 
 As dries the rain i' simmer's glare. 
 As music sweet dissolves in air, 
 
 Sae fadest thou, 
 Yet the chills o' spring thou dost dare 
 
 Ere swallows do. 
 
 Sae, sometimes lovers do convene. 
 An' breath their flame at dewy e'en, 
 Where yon hawthorn i' simmer's sheen 
 
 Does sweetl}- blow. 
 Till a sad tiff does intervene 
 
 An' mischief sow. 
 
 See yonder maid whom graces vest, 
 Wi' a' true loveliness confest. 
 The pearl o' beauty seems to rest 
 
 On her full lip. 
 Yet how soon may th' unsighth- })fst 
 
 Her vitals nip ! 
 
 The mighty victor bent on war. 
 
 An" big wi' schemes, far as men daur.
 
 HARVEST. 
 
 While naething does his hope debar, 
 Wi' force does reign, 
 
 Till at last, like a falling star, 
 He sinks amain. 
 
 Far steers the ship in a fair wind, 
 W a crew active an' combined, 
 When, suddenl}.', wi' force unkind 
 
 There bursts a gale, 
 Tlie ship goes down, not one behind 
 
 To tell the tale ! 
 
 Wha will that friendless nation aid. 
 Will nae ane draw the gleaming blade, 
 Shall her best interest be betrayed 
 
 Thro' craven fear, 
 Ah yes, 'neath bondage hapless laid, 
 
 W^aes she maun bear. 
 
 But, O my frien's, there is a clime ! 
 Where flow'rs ne'er, wear the blight o' tune. 
 An' where nae rude shocks do combine 
 
 To dim the day. 
 But a" things flourish i' the prime, 
 
 Nor fear decay. 
 
 HARVEST. 
 
 Again the gowden hair'st is come, 
 An' plenty fills the land, 
 An' here and there i' fair array, 
 The weel-formed stocks do stand. 
 The scene recalls the days by-gane. 
 When first I seyed my skill, 
 An' wi' a sickle i' my hand. 
 Did strive my sheaf to fill.
 
 HARVEST. 
 
 A guidly band the reapers stand, 
 
 Each by the lass he loves, 
 
 While binding up the lusty sheaves, 
 
 Behind tlie master moves, 
 
 r momentary jest an' mirth 
 
 The tedious hours flee, 
 
 The grain afore their sickles fa'. 
 
 Till gloaming dims the lea. 
 
 As weel as yestreen I do mind, 
 
 The wound I careless gave 
 
 To my finger, when bending low, 
 
 My youthfu' task I'd brave, 
 
 An' wi' sad haste I hameward hied. 
 
 An' breathed my doolfu' maen 
 
 To mother dear wha dressed the sair, 
 
 Tho' th' arr does yet remain. 
 
 But tho" some wounds we thus received, 
 
 When shearing bearded grain, 
 
 Yet sound health an' strength soon removed 
 
 The anguish o' the pain ; 
 
 An' when wi' glowing simmer's heat. 
 
 Our lusty spirits fail, 
 
 We sickened our thirst, an' strength renewed 
 
 Wi' honest hame-brewed ale. 
 
 O welcome dream o' former times, 
 
 What graccfu" lines adorn 
 
 The magic o" th\- distant maze 
 
 Amid the fields o' corn. 
 
 As sinks the sun i' the balmy west, 
 
 At close o' day i' June. 
 
 Sae glows th}' mem'ry i'" my heart, 
 
 A' later joys aboon. 
 
 The fields wi' joy I still behold, 
 There's dearness i' the scene, 
 But th' artless joys o' hair'st I miss 
 Wi' ris]) o' tlie machine.
 
 8 HUKNS' lilRlHDAV. 
 
 Still soars the lark on dewy wing. 
 Aboon the waving grain, 
 The mavis trills its morning sang, 
 , When springtime comes again. 
 
 But harvest scarce seems harvest now, 
 
 Wi' bandster an' machine. 
 
 As i' the day when grain did fa' 
 
 Afore the sickle keen. 
 
 Then gie me back my guid auld days 
 
 When plain mode graced the scene. 
 
 And when i' the joy o' harvest hame, 
 
 We trooping did convene. 
 
 BURNS' BIRTHDAY. 
 
 Now Januar' winds are howling. 
 An' shake the leafless trees. 
 An' cauld sleet}' drops are fa'ing 
 Upo' the verdant braes. 
 
 Not a star in a' the carry, 
 Not ev'n a streak o' light ; 
 On sic' a night as this, was born 
 Fair Scotia's sangster bright. 
 
 Syne, when mair loudly raised the win' 
 An' keener blew the l)Iast, 
 The mither sought a neebor's bield, 
 Her cot wa' down was cast. 
 
 An' here, while the wild wintry win' 
 Shook the humble dwelling. 
 She clasped her wean to her heart, 
 Heart wi' fond love swelling. 
 
 Thus early taught to thole the brunt 
 O' winter's cruel storm. 
 Burns had a heart which felt fur a' 
 That age and wac deform.
 
 BURNS l!lKriIl.'AV. 
 
 He saw liis father droop \vi' toil 
 An' sorrow to tlie grave, 
 An' his cahii words bespoke his loss 
 In accents sweet and brave. 
 
 Mary's untimely fate he mourned 
 r tones o' deepest wae, 
 r words that bathe thee e'en wi' tears, 
 Sae melting is the lay ; 
 
 He saw the wounded hare limp forth, 
 An' cursed the slayer's power, 
 An' i' strains fu' sweet he bewailed 
 The crimson-tipped flow'r. 
 
 r waesome words, too, he condoled 
 Wi' mousie's fruitless care, 
 An' his muse " bauld and slee "" declared 
 The plight o' Shanter's mare. 
 
 Sweet are Afton's woods an' waters. 
 And banks o' winding Ayr, 
 An' as weel-kend as Grecian streams, 
 For Burns has roosed them sair. 
 
 Whate'er his muse touched she adorned 
 Or moor, or rising fell ; 
 She spread a halo o'er the hames 
 Where humble worth does dwell. 
 
 Seen i' th" enchantment o' his rhymes, 
 I loe my native woods ; 
 A nameless grace wons i" the fields, 
 An i' the simmer buds. 
 
 Wild heather bells an' go wans gay, 
 That woo the Banks o' Ayr, 
 Do bloom as sweet in ither chmes. 
 Fruit o' his ingine rare.
 
 lO THE FOET S VISION. 
 
 He, too, wha" lov'd as few hae lov'd, 
 An' roosed man's freedom true, 
 Could^find nae place in a" his heart 
 To play the trickster's cue. 
 
 Pure religion he did admire, 
 But loathed its borrowed guise. 
 An honest man is God's true work. 
 Not sae " the rigid wise." 
 
 Sweet soul o" sang ! I loe thee still, 
 Coila's inspired ploughman, 
 Tho' thou didst sadly gang astray. 
 Erring steps are human. 
 
 An' as lang as the sunbeams bright 
 Play on crystal Devon, 
 Sae lang shall live thy sang o' love 
 To Mary in Heaven. 
 
 The lark may big its lowly nest 
 Upo' the meanest ground. 
 But when its hymn does rise to heav'n, 
 Fu' sweet is th' air wi' sound. 
 
 Sae Burns born in a clay-built cot, 
 Sways both fond an' wary. 
 When he does sing o' modest love, 
 Jean, or Highland Mar3\ 
 
 THE PC)ET\S VISION. 
 
 Sweet image of the poet's dream, 
 How sadly brief was thy career, 
 As fleet, as when a bright sunbeam 
 Behind a cloud may disappear !
 
 A Cumbrian's ki-:\ ekii:. ji 
 
 Jiut il sorrow cloud things human, 
 An' hope, once bright, refuse to cheer. 
 Yet Mary, auspicious woman, 
 Shall live i' the dew of IJurn's tear. 
 
 The hawthorn bush, which cast its shade, 
 O'er Mary and her fond lover, 
 Seem to hae flow'rs which never fade, 
 "But new beauties aye discover; 
 
 Still sweetly blooms the gay green birk 
 On the banks of Ayr's winding stream, 
 An' dear the sang o' mountain lark. 
 When he does hail the sunny beam. 
 
 But sweeter far than the lark's lay. 
 As high he soars by love upborne, 
 Is the sang that reca's the day 
 When Mary frae the bard was torn ! 
 
 Yea, classic Ayr may cease to flow. 
 An' gowans nae mair deck the lea, 
 An' Scotia ma}- renounce its snow. 
 An' hawthorn bloom ne'er crown its tree ! 
 
 But yet the rustic poet's lay 
 Shall still retain its mystic power, 
 Wreath t' adorn Mary's tomb for aye, 
 O" true love the fruit an' flow'r. 
 
 A CUMBRIAN'S REVERIE. 
 
 I see yence mair my fadder's hame, 
 
 Lown-liggin, near yon riverside, 
 
 I see the croft where I did lake 
 
 Wi' comrades dear, now scattered wide. 
 
 I see yence mair the auld schuil hoose 
 Wi' its time-worn desks, forms, an" chair;
 
 12 AN KMIGKANTS lAKEWELL TO WHSTMOKLAND. 
 
 1 hear the hum o" bairns" voices, 
 Plying their tasks wi' busy care. 
 
 An' now the schuil duir opens wide, 
 An' i' happy groups the bairns run, 
 But ow"r their harmless jollity 
 Flit wi the last blink o' the sun. 
 
 Thus, tu, the joys o' youth depart, 
 \Vi' frien's et yence we caw'd our awn, 
 Ev'n as the scent o' early flow'rs, 
 On which the blight o' time has la'n. 
 
 I offen think, as I do sit 
 
 r ni}' chair, by the ingle lowc, 
 
 O' the dear cronies o" my }Outh ; 
 
 But where are thur auld cronies now ? 
 
 Afar i' ither climes they roam, 
 Th' Indian hunter kens "em well; 
 Or i" the shade o' tropic woods 
 They hear the tiger's savage yell. 
 Where are titties an' brudders dear, 
 'At knelt beside ya" mudder's knee ? 
 They, tu, hae left the parent"s nest, 
 Fled frae the shade o' t" auld yak tree. 
 
 My heart aw bevers'at their neames, 
 '' God, be wud 'em,"" I fondly pray : 
 .\n" when tears faw doon aither cheek 
 I brush "em wi" my sleeve away. 
 
 AN EMIGRANT'S FAREWELL TO 
 WESTMORLAND. 
 
 () farewell, dear auld Westmorland, 
 
 My barque is on the sea ; 
 It leads me to anudder strand, 
 
 Afar frae hanic and thee.
 
 AN EMIGRAXT S I- A Rr.WF. I.I, TO WRSTMORI.AN D. I3 
 
 I'm leaving' noo thy beauteous dales, 
 
 Thy sweetly-rising fells, 
 To sniff the breath of other gales, 
 
 To gaze on other dells. 
 
 Vet visions o' thy bonny braes 
 
 Shall ne'er fade frae my breast, 
 While suns shall shed their livening rays, 
 
 An' I gae east or west. 
 
 The music o' thy cr3stal streams 
 
 Shall float ^on fancy's ear, 
 As the dear echo of young dreams, 
 
 Rehearsed mid Christmas cheer. 
 
 What tho' fields in anudder clime 
 
 May yield their go widen store, 
 An' hoary mountains rise sublime 
 
 On some far distant shore. 
 
 Tho" mine the wealth which gowlden lands 
 
 Shall on true hearts bestow ; 
 Yet aw the gowld 'at earth commands 
 
 Can't buy life's early glow. 
 
 Nor can the notes o" spangled birds 
 
 Compare wi' t' linnet's sang ; 
 An' thowts are deeper far ner words, 
 
 When for Kent's stream we lang. 
 
 Then after years of honest toil, 
 
 When I hev won some gear. 
 Oh, steer my barque to my aan isle, 
 
 The isle I du revere ! 
 
 There I shall muse on mony a scene 
 
 Familiar far away ; 
 An' view yance mair the contest keen, 
 
 "At on my pathwav lay.
 
 14 ■IHI- SlM'XnTIlKII'T. 
 
 There, tu, wi swelling heart reca' 
 The dreams of earl}' days ; 
 
 \\'hile softly on the eve shall faw, 
 \Vi' Hob'ns last smiling ravs. 
 
 THE SPENDTHRIFT. 
 
 All ! little did my madder think, 
 
 That day she fondled me, 
 That I shonld e'er a drnnkard prove, 
 
 An' pine in poverty. 
 Vovi see that bonnie farm that lies 
 
 Nestling near yon river ; 
 That farm was yance my fadder's pride : 
 
 Thankful to the Giver. 
 Hut noo a stranger owns the fields 
 
 I liad in former years ; 
 While, like an exile, I do roam, 
 
 Ijeset wi' grief an' fears. 
 Vet what's the loss of acres broad, 
 
 An' ev'n the loss o' gear, 
 Compared wi' t' loss of a good name. 
 
 Or of a conscience clear. 
 Then sliun the cup, the drunkard's cup, 
 
 The cup o' guile an' woe, 
 It poisons like the serpent's sting. 
 
 It ])ains like adder's maw. 
 It turns a happy hamc to hell, 
 
 Hard'ning aw' the feeling. 
 It causes the saut tear to start, 
 
 Th' hidden wound revealing. 
 It darkens the prisoner's cell, 
 
 The house where maniacs rave, 
 it fills the land wi' disease foul, 
 
 it hurries to the grave,
 
 TIIF. REDBREAST. I 
 
 It has darkened my prospects dear, 
 
 Has dimmed 1113' visions gay ; 
 While I'm the jest o' many a clown, 
 
 Who thus their scorn display. 
 
 Then give me back my pleasant fields, 
 
 My name without a flaw, 
 Let me the gilded cup forswear, 
 
 Its fancied bliss forego. 
 
 :> 
 
 THE REDBREAST. 
 Again, sweet bird, thy plaintive note 
 Proclaims the year's decline, 
 The Avood, the grove, and leafy bower, 
 No more are haunts of thine. 
 No more the wide field's rich produce. 
 Relieves thy humble care, 
 As the withering blasts of winter 
 Make fields and forests bare. 
 Unlike the wandering cuckoo. 
 There's winter in thy lay. 
 And cold and \Nant assail thee now, 
 Fruits of a stormy day. 
 Alas, sweet bird, thy mournful note 
 Too often brings to mind 
 The sadness, and the anguish too, 
 W'hich wait on human kind. 
 Yes ! there may be years of plenty. 
 And seasons bright and fair. 
 The sun may shed his genial beams 
 With blessings rich and rare. 
 
 Yet the season of sorrow comes. 
 The sky is overcast. 
 And the hopes of man are scattered 
 Like leaves in winter's blast,
 
 1 6 Till-". P.I-.LO. 
 
 Again, the season of joy comes 
 As thy sad note, sweet bird, 
 Is prehulc of a liappier time. 
 When the dove's voice is heard. 
 
 When the rain is over and gone, 
 And th' zephyrs gently play, 
 And the voice of music awakes 
 From ev'ry bush and spray. 
 
 Then the lark's early song is heard 
 
 Amid the waving corn, 
 
 And the thrush's voice woos his mate 
 
 Mid the dew-drops of morn. 
 
 .So, too, the hopes of man revive 
 
 After a winter's day, 
 
 And he shaketh off disquiet, 
 
 And with joy goes his way. 
 
 THE P.ELO. 
 
 Belo ! dear Belo, sweetly murmurs thy stream, 
 And brings to my fond mind life's early bright 
 
 dream. 
 When traversing thy banks in life's morning tide, 
 Nought lessen'd my jo3's, nor my fond hopes belied. 
 
 Though years uow have fled since I first knew thy 
 
 stream, 
 And friendships once form'd have dissolved like a 
 
 dream. 
 Though men j^roNc deceivers, and comrades are 
 
 gone. 
 Thy murmur, sweet river ! is gr;?//r in tone. 
 What fond thoughts arise as we muse on past years. 
 How sad and how pleasing what memory endears ! 
 Yet flowers bloom sweetly on thy banks, Belo fair ; 
 As in life's early morn they scented the air,
 
 MIKAGE. 17 
 
 Oh ! the time may come when I'h bid thee adieu. 
 Ami " a new-sprung race" thy ricli beauties may 
 
 \\"heli they wlu) now see thee may remo\-e from 
 
 thy side, 
 Yet free and unbroken thy full wave shall glide. 
 
 Thy bright, sparkling course thou'lt pursue to the 
 
 sea, 
 And scatter the blessings which in youth solac'd nie, 
 Thy wave reflecting the image of Heaven, 
 Shadowing true joys which to men are given. 
 
 T/icJL when young men and maidens breatlie the 
 
 fond tale 
 In evening's calm hour, ni the sweet-scented gale; 
 When old men sit talking in the shade of the trees, 
 And wearied labourers recline at their ease. 
 
 When unwearied children continue their pla}'. 
 Thy stream shall be bright with the sun's setting 
 
 ray ; 
 'J'liou shalt pour thy rich Hoo(i through valley and 
 
 glen, 
 And in strength ot youth mock the short lives of 
 
 men. 
 
 MIRAGE. 
 
 Aiar o'er the wide desert waste. 
 The Pilgrims pursue their way, 
 While fiercely on their throbbing brows 
 The sun shoots his scorching ray. 
 Vainly they seek a friendly shade, 
 A calm and secure retreat : 
 Not e'en a bush appears in view 
 To defend them from the heat.
 
 I 8 MIRAGE. 
 
 Still on ;uk1 on, with steps iorlorn, 
 Phcy do urge their fruitless toils : 
 The well, which once relieved their thirst 
 Away lay many a mile. 
 
 The oasis, with its wa^•ing palms, 
 Is remembered as a dream ; 
 While the cruse now no more supplies 
 its cooling and refreshing stream. 
 The patient camel sinks in death 
 Beneath their cruel power ; 
 But e"en the water thus obtained. 
 Scarce relieves their thirst an hour. 
 At length, of human hope bereft, 
 Their uncertain stej^s they stay, 
 When lo ! before their ardent ga^e 
 A bright wonder cheers the way. 
 
 An Eastern town bursts on their view, 
 W'ith domes and minarets tall ; 
 Palm-leaves are waving in the breeze, 
 And ricli, glowing fruit wathal ! 
 J'^ine rivers, lakes, and wells appear. 
 And appeal to aching eyes ; 
 But the nearer the pilgrims come. 
 More distant the prospect flies. 
 Tantalus like, they feast their eyes 
 On objects which mock the view ; 
 And only solve in mist of tears, 
 Th" illusion they did pursue. 
 
 Hard is their fate ! and their sorrow 
 Bi:t recalls the mournful tale, 
 Of many human hopes beguiled 
 By fortune's inconstant gale. 
 Too often smiling waters hide 
 Some dark frowning rocks below ; 
 The lovely shore is strewn with wrecks 
 Sad tokens of human woe !
 
 MlKAGli. ig 
 
 Oft may ros)- youth be deceived 
 Hy hopes too bounteous fare; 
 And plighted vows of love dissolve 
 Like fair bubbles \n the air. 
 So, too, the schemes ot sages fail 
 In spite of the crowd s applause ; 
 Human foresight ma}' miss its aim, 
 Although based on solid laws ; 
 Wise patriots may see their plans 
 Thwarted by factious quarrels ; 
 Heroes may perish on tlie field 
 Where they won richest laurels! 
 
 Though human worth and beauty fade, 
 And vanish like mountain snow, 
 Yet all pervading faith remains 
 To strengthen us all below. 
 Pointing to tliat fair home above 
 Where beauty fadeth never, 
 Where souls bloom in immortal youth, 
 In blessedness for ever ! 
 
 ' THE CHILD IS FATHER OF THE MAN." 
 
 Once on a time a bright-eyed boy 
 Did from his motlier stray ; 
 The hours stoic on in joyous mood, 
 Soon closed a winter's da}-. 
 
 With deep concern the parents ran 
 To seek their wayward child, 
 And many a weary foot they trod 
 By hope folorn beguiled. 
 
 Vain was their toil : to home the\- turned 
 To nurse their grief and fear, 
 When, ah at once, the child they sought, 
 Their mournful eyes did cheer.
 
 ju "■•nil-: ciiii.i) IS 1'A'ihi-:r oi- I'lii-, man. 
 
 Too yomii^' lo lord a swollen brook, 
 Hard 1)\' it he reclined ; 
 While his curls o'er his shoulders waved. 
 As free as his calm mind. 
 
 With s])eechless joy the motiier clasjjcd 
 Her dear one to her breast ; 
 The frown died from the father's lips, 
 He thought not of his quest. 
 
 " O dearest child, why left you us '" ? 
 Exclaimed the grandma dear, 
 *' Did you not fear to roam alone" ? 
 " O grannie, what is fear" ? 
 
 The years rolled on with air\- pace. 
 The boy was now a man ; 
 And chief among the British braves, 
 He always led the van. 
 
 Or in perils ot l^olar seas. 
 
 Or conflict on the Nile. 
 
 Alike, unmoved, his task he plied 
 
 Careless of frown or smile. 
 
 At last on Trafalgar's deep bay, 
 He formed the awful line 
 Of British ships, and then he traced 
 These words of worth divine, 
 
 " England this \er\- day expects 
 Man will do his duty ;" 
 And soon he proved that he, at least, 
 "Valued moral beaut}'. 
 
 The hurricane ol l^attle raged. 
 He shunned not dangers vast, 
 Tlie fatal ball came, and he said, 
 " They've done for me at last."
 
 I-rXR. 21 
 
 He fell, and Britain wept hor son, 
 So late her stay and pride ; 
 But deathless is the voice of fame, 
 Brave deeds, forsooth, abide. 
 
 As lonp^ as Britain's shore is washed 
 By " silver streak of sea,"" 
 So lonf,^ shall Nelson's words remain. 
 " Half battles for tlie free."" 
 
 LUNE. 
 
 Fair as an\^ Arcadian stream, 
 Thy waters. Lime, appear. 
 As gail}' in the sunn}' beam, 
 They flow in wavelets clear. 
 
 When the gentle sprmg does resume 
 Its reign o'er wood and lea, 
 And flow'rs assume their bonny bloom. 
 What ]'o\- thou giv'st to me. 
 
 Thy silvan holmes, and th}- groves gay. 
 Thy verdant fields and meads, 
 Seen in the robe of lovely May, 
 Are all that fanc}- needs. 
 
 The earth does here her wealth bestow 
 In winsome month of June. 
 While th}' full dimpling course does flow 
 In charming maze, O Lune. 
 
 The minnows small thy waters cleave, 
 The speckled trout does glide. 
 The salmon honour does receive, 
 As monarch of thy tide.
 
 LUNE. 
 
 A\'hcn Autumn slieds its nipllow ray 
 Upon tlie crimson leaf, 
 And when the sun, at close of da}', 
 Gives £?lory to the sheaf. 
 
 Then gentle breezes woo tlie wootl 
 Of royal oak and fir. 
 Trees reflected in thy dear flood. 
 From which the cushats whirr. 
 
 Here on the fields of tlw rich dak; 
 Large flocks and herds are seen, 
 And lasses, chanting o'er the pail, 
 With shepherds do convene. 
 
 Here ancient faith, which knows no guile. 
 Her homage does retain, 
 .And wise industry's cheerful smile 
 And loval heart remain. 
 
 Thy dalesmen free do fear no foe, 
 They loathe the coward's guise, 
 With honour do their bosoms glow, 
 Their blessings do the}' prize. 
 
 Generous friends, whom once I loved, 
 Near thee lived fair ri-\^er, 
 Now far away they have removed. 
 Bliss enjoying ever. 
 
 And while with tears I trace their flight 
 .\down fate's silent stream, 
 I hope to reach that land of light, 
 Which needs not the sunbeam. 
 
 O may my future course like theirs, 
 Be pure as thy wave, Lune, 
 Then I may breathe celestial airs, 
 More rich than breeze in June !
 
 CHILDHOOD. 23 
 
 CHILDHOOD. 
 
 I remember, I remember 
 
 The little villaf^e school, 
 
 And my first day there, when a chikl. 
 
 Beneath the teacher's rule, 
 
 I recall the bitter sorrow 
 
 Of that eventful day. 
 
 As dark clouds in a distant sky, 
 
 On a briglit morn in May. 
 
 I still can picture to my mind. 
 What kind and tender care 
 My elder brother then employed. 
 To banish all my fear. 
 
 His earnest look and winning smile 
 Dwell on my mem'ry still, 
 As my sad tears he wiped away. 
 And soothed m\' pettish will. 
 
 Tho' time is past, and \ears have fled, 
 Since he thus calmed my fears. 
 And he and many more have left 
 This lowh' vale of tears, 
 
 Yet still that distant scene revives. 
 As mem'ry's brightest ray, 
 As the song of a little brook 
 Which murmured on my way. 
 
 Shortlived are our early sorrows, 
 How soon they disappear. 
 As shining dew from off the grass, 
 In the spring time of the year. 
 
 And then the true joys which follow. 
 Seem borne on angel's wings, 
 vSo little do they seem to share 
 The fate of human things.
 
 24 I.ITTLK SISTF.K. 
 
 Never do the skies seem so fair 
 
 As in 3'Outh"s lovely dream, 
 
 There's beauty in the streamin^^ show'r 
 
 And jo\- in the sun-beam. 
 
 The gambols of the snow-white lamb, 
 
 The sweet notes of the birds, 
 
 Do seem to have a liarmony 
 
 With children's happy words. 
 
 O sunny hours of fair childhood, 
 
 How soon ye pass away, 
 
 As the bow which spans heaven's arch, 
 
 As dew-drops on the spray ! 
 
 LITTLE SLSTER 
 
 I had a little sister, 
 
 And she had angel grace ; 
 And the smiles of love adorned 
 
 Her fairy form and grace. 
 Dark glossy hair, too, she had. 
 
 And rich bloom on her cheek. 
 Which did enhance her goodness. 
 
 And her behaviour meek. 
 " Like flowers which grace the wild," 
 
 Her worth we scarcely knew, 
 Until, on an early morn. 
 
 To earth she bade adieu. 
 Then keen sorrow filled our hearts, 
 
 And bitter tears were shed ; 
 Hardly could we own the fact 
 
 That our loved one was dead. 
 When the sun set in the west. 
 
 And shades of eve did fall, 
 We missed her gentle footsteps. 
 
 And words so dear to all,
 
 THE CHIMES. 
 
 l!ut, if gone, yet near us still, 
 
 She seemed to share our joys ; 
 We fancied we heard her laugh, 
 
 As we turned o'er her toys. 
 As the morning clouds depart. 
 
 And mists dissolve in rain. 
 Our bitter childhood's sorrow 
 
 Did not too long remain. 
 Yea ! sooner it wore away 
 
 The keener it was felt, 
 As snow, which falls in April, 
 
 The bright spring sun does melt. 
 But if thus stern Fate divide 
 
 The magic band of love, 
 And cause a schism in those hearts. 
 
 Which sympathy does move. 
 In the changeless world above, 
 
 God's goodness is confest ; 
 The wicked cease from troubling. 
 
 The weary are at rest. 
 
 There no true ties are sundered, 
 As on this changeful earth ; 
 
 The union is eternal, 
 As of heavenly birth. 
 
 THE CHIMES. 
 
 The chimes sound clearly o'er the town, 
 
 Borne sweetly on the midnight air, 
 Ev'n as a choir of angels flown. 
 
 To soothe the toil of woe and care. 
 They soothe the ear of pious grief. 
 
 They charm the sore of drooping pain ; 
 They speak of joy and sweet relief, 
 
 Of ancient faith without a stain,
 
 26 THK CHIMES. 
 
 They recall that sweet scene of old, 
 When angels came upon the eartli. 
 
 And in a glorious halo told, 
 The news of a Saviour's birth. 
 
 " Peace and good will,'' tliey yet proclaim 
 To rich and poor in dulcet tones ; 
 
 They plead the aged widow's claim, 
 They crave pity for captive's moans. 
 
 They mind us of the waifs and strajs, 
 Who wander homeless on the street ; 
 
 And of that fair one's wasted days, 
 Who plunges in the current fleet. 
 
 They fall upon the student's ear. 
 As he pores o'er this solid theme ; 
 
 They steal upon the poet's sphere, 
 The}' mingle with the miser's dream. 
 
 They fill the ears, too, of a youth 
 Who wavers in the haunts of vice ; 
 
 Who shuts his ear against the truth. 
 Words of wisdom, above all price. 
 
 W^hen, lo ! a vision bright and fair 
 
 Lights, unawares, his mental view ; — 
 
 As if borne on the wings of air. 
 As lark upspringing from the dew. 
 
 He sees the outline of the hill, 
 
 Where stands the house, — his former home; 
 He marks v.-itli joy the babbling rill. 
 
 The verdant lanes where he did roam. 
 
 The spire of the old village church, 
 
 Appeals to his wondering eye ; 
 The aged walls, the moss grown porcli. 
 
 As ]")ioiis dre,'ims before' him He,
 
 K FN DAL. 
 
 Once more he views liis sire repair 
 To this dear churcli, astir betimes ; 
 
 Once more, he hears his mother's prayer, 
 In tlie soft cadence of the chimes. 
 
 The hymns, beside, which once he sung, 
 Seem to float on the midnight air ; 
 
 I lis heart with strong emotion wrung. 
 Vainly he checks the bursting tear. 
 
 Proof against the enchantress' snare. 
 He now forswears the haunts of sin ; 
 
 He feels his need of earnest prayer, 
 When foul corruption reigns within. 
 
 Firmly his steps does he retrace, 
 His mother's bible his sure guide ; 
 
 No more the slave of foul disgrace. 
 Honest men in his worth confide ! 
 
 KENDAL. 
 
 As stood the hills round Salem's tow'rs, 
 Guarding them from invading pow'rs, 
 So, sweetly nestling from the show'rs, 
 
 Or raging gale, 
 Thchi seem'st defended at all hours, 
 
 Kirkby Kendal. 
 
 And yet at times the foaming flood, 
 Swelling in volume many a rood, 
 Thy firm barriers have o'erflowed, 
 
 And ravage made. 
 While the storm in furious mood 
 
 Swept hill and glade. 
 
 Thus, like a storm, mosstroopers bore. 
 In fierce tramp from the Solway's shore,
 
 28 KKNDAI-. 
 
 And o'er tlic brow of Skiddaw hoar, 
 Thy walls t" assail, 
 
 Bearing alarm to ev'ry door, 
 
 In thee, Kendal. 
 
 What sights of blood may here have been, 
 When war's fierce storm obscured the scene. 
 And when hosts did in shock convene 
 
 Of bitter strife. 
 Till shades of night its woes did screen 
 
 Mid dangers rife. 
 
 Perhaps Roman blades here " drank liloorl," 
 And here the brave Brigantes stood 
 In stern form, with unyielding mood. 
 
 Till close of day. 
 Keenly contesting rood by rood 
 
 In doubtfubfray. 
 
 Swiftly as the bolts of the sky, 
 Saxon shafts did in showers fly ; 
 King Arthur did their prowess try 
 
 In battle keen, 
 And hundreds on the field did lie 
 
 Lifeless at e'en. 
 
 Thus oft by mad onset driven, 
 Battles raged from morn till even. 
 Many a one, perhaps unshriven, ' 
 
 Afield did lie, 
 Lifting to the smiling heaven 
 
 Imploring eye. 
 
 What monster now did blur time's page, 
 
 Ev'n sparing neither sex nor age. 
 
 But deaf to pity's counsel sage, 
 
 In hot haste strode 
 
 Chasing the victims of his rage- 
 To th' house of God ?
 
 KI'.MJAL. 2y 
 
 It is Duncan, () sluuncful name, 
 Who thus did piety defame ; 
 Though mothers did his pity claim. 
 
 He heard them not, 
 He gloried in th" assasin's name, 
 
 " The Aveasel Scot " ! 
 
 Such da\- as this ne'er Kendal saw, 
 A day adverse to light and law. 
 Nor can the Kent's silvery flo\\- 
 
 E'er wash the stain ; 
 The cry of babes, th' altar hcloiij 
 
 Does still complain ! 
 
 But what sad sight was now revealed ? 
 The hosts engaged on Flodden Field ; 
 And Kendal yoemen formed a shield 
 
 'Gainst stubborn foes, 
 While man)- Scots in despair did yield 
 
 To their firm blows. 
 
 As shines tlie moon in cloudy skies, 
 A graceful form here greets our eyes, 
 With face as fair as she is wise 
 
 For peace or war, 
 Ev'n bluff King Hal she can advise, 
 
 Catherine Parr. 
 
 Gone now the sheen of her dear home, 
 
 In rums lies her father'ssdome, 
 
 No more the sound of mirth does come 
 
 From its broad wall, 
 But her name shall not cease to bloom, 
 
 Wliile seasons roll. 
 
 Now solemn stillness filled the air. 
 The messenger of God was here,
 
 30 Ki-:.\UAL. 
 
 And tull iiiain ;i one louiul his lair 
 In sudden gloom, 
 
 \\'ithout ihe tribute ot a tear 
 
 To gild his tomb ! 
 
 As swells with rage the winter's storm, 
 As huge waves in mid ocean swarm, 
 \\'hen black night does our minds alarm 
 
 With sad suspense, 
 So seemed it, when the plague's dark form 
 
 Called many hcvcc. 
 
 But as a calm succeeds a gale, 
 And gentle spring the winter's wail. 
 As silver waves calm ocean's swell. 
 
 So terrors cease, 
 When men again pure air inhale 
 
 Witli life and peace. 
 
 Again, th" (;ar heard the slogan cr)', 
 The rebel hordes were flitting by. 
 The hills in echo did reply 
 
 To their fierce tread, 
 Loyal Kendal their forms did eye 
 
 With aspect dread. 
 
 As fleets the bubble on the stream. 
 As dew's kissed off by the sunbeam, 
 As vanishes a morning dream 
 
 So all things fade. 
 For a while on time's current gleam, 
 
 Then seek the shade. 
 
 The Roman now can hght no more, 
 Mosstroopers hannt not Solway shore, 
 Nor Saxons hail the battle's roar, 
 
 'J'lieir })ith is fled. 
 The Parish Church, witli tower hoar, 
 
 Does shade the dead.
 
 " MEKKIK CARLISLE. 3 I 
 
 'rimc-honoiu'cd fane, () noble i)ile, 
 Long hast thou reflected heaven's smile, 
 INIav no profane hand thee defile, 
 
 Or e'er beface, 
 Ma\- worshippers still crowd th}' aisle, 
 
 And sue for grace ! 
 
 •• MEKKIE CARLISLE." 
 
 Here Roman generals once stood, 
 And gazed upon the limpid flood. 
 And here the fierce barbarians strode 
 
 In grim array, 
 While Eden was stained with their blood, 
 
 In the mad fray. 
 
 Here Cuthbert on a mission came, 
 Ev'n breathing a true prophet's flame, 
 And in honest words did declaim 
 
 Against all sin. 
 While notes of grace he did proclaim 
 
 With sober mien. 
 
 Arthur true Knig and Prince, was here, 
 And his beauteous Queen Guenevere, 
 And here indulged in Christmas cheer, 
 
 With honour bright ; 
 To him repaired from far and near. 
 
 Full many a knight. 
 
 Oft the prey of devouring flame, 
 In lawless force thy stern foes came 
 Till each brave maid and stalwart dame. 
 
 Their succour gave, 
 And keenl)- did their ire proclaim 
 
 By boiling wave.
 
 
 
 2 " MEKKIli CARLISLE. 
 
 As taiicy's gleams dawn on the sight, 
 What varied shades do crowd the hgiit, 
 What graceful forms th}' streets bedighi, 
 
 What martial tread, 
 As in fleeting shades they alight 
 
 Tliev form a raid. 
 
 I see Romans with aspect dread, 
 Marching o'er the unhonoured dead ; 
 I see the Dane with visage red 
 
 And vengeful arm. 
 Boldly fording thy river's bed 
 
 Thy walls to storm. 
 
 1 see the hardy mountaineer, 
 The mosstrooper with face severe, 
 I hear the loyal city's cheer 
 
 The slogan cry ; 
 And Saxon brave careering near 
 
 Appals the eye ! 
 
 ]]ut who's that form of graceful mien, 
 That sheds a lustre o'er the scene. 
 Her bearing ev'ry inch a queen 
 
 A matchless pose. 
 The fairest flow'r that e'er was seen, 
 
 Lily or rose ! 
 
 Oh ! it is Scotia's injured dame. 
 Who to our land for succour came. 
 And by vile force and lawless blame 
 
 Was captive made, 
 A foul slur on the English name 
 
 For trust betrayed. 
 
 War s coursers in the air do steer ; 
 The avenger of blood is here, 
 Human heads on thy gates appear 
 A ghastly row,
 
 AN- iDvr.. 33 
 
 Men's minds do ciiange from hope to fear, 
 Or friend or foe ! 
 
 But here now IMuses have a seat 
 On many a knoll and calm retreat. 
 On silvan holmes of Eden fleet, 
 
 Or Caldew's stream, 
 C'nmbria's muse her fire does " beet "' 
 
 In fancv's flame. 
 
 Thus sweet poesy linds a home, 
 Where rich plenty and case do come, 
 And where is not heard war's fierce hum 
 
 Or battle cry, 
 But wliore the flow'rs of peace do bloom. 
 
 And tumults die. 
 
 O sweet change, yea, O golden time, 
 No more thy streets do groan with crime, 
 But thv free course does rise sublime 
 
 On virtue's way. 
 While the glad bells of peace do chime 
 
 On festal day ! 
 
 Ma) war's dread, then, ne'er shake our shores, 
 But commerce heap her golden stores. 
 As long as Eden her wave pours 
 
 In Solwa}' bay ; 
 Yea, may peace come bj' countless doors, 
 
 And hold its sway •' 
 
 AN IDYL. 
 
 I see once more the aged cot. 
 Which stood aloft near the roadside, 
 The hawthorn hedge, and garden plot. 
 The tree which many storms defied,
 
 34 AN invi.. 
 
 I see the timber near the door, 
 
 The grindstone, and the busy saw, 
 
 The distant view across the moor, 
 
 The brook, too, with its silver flow. 
 
 As this vision of former days 
 
 Floats full across mv mental view. 
 
 In the welcome light of its rays 
 
 I see two eyes of azure hue. 
 
 Thy sylph-like form dawns on my sight, 
 
 Thy graceful step, thy modest mien. 
 
 Thy ringlets which th}- form bedight. 
 
 And thy attire so neat and clean. 
 
 Tho' I might wish to breathe my flame 
 
 Shame cowed me and the chance was gone, 
 
 And many seasons went and came, 
 
 Ere I could woo thee, little one ! 
 
 As rivers flowing from their source 
 
 Thread their way amid light and shade, 
 
 So years sped on their airy course 
 
 While summer flowers did bloom and fade. 
 
 Then if fair nymphs did please mine eye. 
 And ev'n love's passion smote my heart. 
 Yet like fairy forms they did fl}-, 
 The wound was healed, tho' keen the smart. 
 But when the time came that the dream 
 First cherished in my youthful breast. 
 Was in part fulfilled ; and a gleam 
 Of jo}' arose, by love confest. 
 
 Oh ! then how short did seem the way 
 Thro' winding lanes, o'er the lone moor ; 
 And oh ! how soon had sped the day, 
 When, to return, 1 left thy door. 
 In thy presence nature seemed to smile, 
 The birds sung a more joyous lay, 
 Thy loved form did my heart beguile, 
 Tho' winter's sun scarce shed a ray.
 
 AN invr.. 35 
 
 I loved the brook's flow in the glen, 
 
 And faint gleams of the distant sea, 
 
 The happy toil of husbandmen, 
 
 Kine browsing on the verdant lea. 
 
 The hum of bees I also loved, 
 
 The song of birds which awoke the grove, 
 
 The breeze that green leaves gently moved, 
 
 And daj'-dreams which gay fancy wove. 
 
 But far above earth's sounds and sights. 
 
 Or fancies gay which stir the brain. 
 
 In summer days, or winter nights, 
 
 Thy image did my heart detain. 
 
 Next to the Source of boundless love, 
 
 The Guard and Giver of my life. 
 
 My affection to thee did move, 
 
 And thus, at length, I called thee wife. 
 
 True as the dial to the sun, 
 
 No shadow hid thy love from me, 
 
 And when some years their course iiad run, 
 
 Our hands confirmed our amity. 
 
 Now twenty \ears have well nigh flown. 
 
 Since one were we, who erst were twain ; 
 
 Many seasons have come and gone, 
 
 Seasons of gladness in the main. 
 
 And if the days of youth are gone. 
 
 Yet shall we sadly mourn their flight ? 
 
 Na}', count our blessings one by one. 
 
 How many still our path do light ? 
 
 Soft is the light at early dawn. 
 
 But of full glory at noon-day, 
 
 Rich pleasures on our path are strewn 
 
 In sober age as in youth gay. 
 
 How happy^is;the wedded life. 
 When kmclred spirits move in love, 
 As heirs together of that life. 
 Which awaits loyal hearts above !
 
 36 BULGARIA. 
 
 And. sure, vour heart is leal and true, 
 You bear a name without a stain, 
 Would God my early youth renew, 
 I'd choose you from the throng; again ! 
 
 Ah, well ! our love grows more with years, 
 The fruit of wedlock's sacred ties, 
 If in youth a sweet flow'r it bears, 
 In age this flow'r shows richer dyes. 
 Nor time alone cements our love. 
 Our children's prattle fills our ears, 
 And their weal does our heart-strings move, 
 And our union more endears. 
 
 Then oh ! may He who rules above. 
 
 And makes mankind His loving care, 
 
 Preserve the blossoms of our love. 
 
 And strew their paths with blessings rare ! 
 
 May he who curbs the restless wave, 
 
 And guards from harm the sparrow's brood. 
 
 Our lives from odious evil save. 
 
 And crown our closing years with good ! 
 
 BULGARIA. 
 
 Not more cruelly howl the blasts 
 Over Siberia's desert plains. 
 Than the threatenings of the Czar, 
 Foretokens of a tyrant's chains ! 
 
 Hungry wolves may spare travellers, 
 Encompassed in a winter's snow. 
 But no pity dwells m liis breast, 
 His heart disdains the friendly glow. 
 
 Oh I may heaven avert th' omen, 
 \\'hich his odious words suggest. 
 And may Bulgaria hold the place. 
 By the stern right of war confr'sscd,
 
 Till-; i-AiAi. ji-:.s]'. 37 
 
 ivCl nul the sad cr}- of thousands 
 Appeal in \ain to heaven's law, 
 May the datiint; sense of freedom, 
 For ever in their bosoms glow ! 
 
 THE FATAL JEST. 
 The King sat in a gorgeous room 
 Receiving the toilet's care, 
 When lo ! among his raven locks, 
 There was seen the tirst grey hair, 
 in gleesome mood he placed this hair 
 Upon a silver salver ; 
 And then addressed a roya.l page, 
 Who near his side did hover. 
 •' Convey this boon unto the Oueen, 
 And thus to my dear lieart say. 
 That hoary hairs do grow apace, 
 And it is not alwaNS Ma}'."" 
 Alas the King did little deem 
 How saddening was the sign. 
 That thus in a jest he offered 
 Unto beauty's holy shrine. 
 Oh too, too unhappy omen ! 
 What sorrows did it forbode. 
 Yea, sorrows of the keenest kind, 
 As were only known to God. 
 From the weird close of Naseby"s fight, 
 To the scene before W' hitehall, 
 Such a roll of sufferings came 
 As the bravest might appal. 
 Ill-fated King ! can no strong arm 
 Save thee from the raging storm 
 Of evil tongues, and cruelty. 
 And of bigotry's foul form !
 
 38 IHI-: lAiAi. jivsr. 
 
 In vain Rupert's fiery charge 
 Sustains the cavaher cause, 
 The prize oi war seems to be won 
 By more than mere human toes. 
 
 As the shades of eve are falHng 
 Over Naseby's crimson field, 
 The cause of the King seems liopeless, 
 And his utter ruin sealed. 
 
 O'er Britannia's hills and vales 
 The tide of swift conquest rolls, 
 And the magic of Cromwell's name 
 Is felt in shires, towns, and halls. 
 
 And vainl}- the royal Charles strives 
 To I'etrieve his fallen cause : 
 The shrewd Scots, in whom he trusted. 
 Do betra\ him to his foes. 
 
 Thus, hunted like a stricken deer, 
 He now pines in durance vile. 
 The prey of a factious crew. 
 And the sport of Cromweirs guile. 
 
 Lured to forsake his early faith 
 Ev'n by the fair wife he loved, 
 To sully thus his country's weal. 
 The wise monarch stands unmoved. 
 
 Yea, sooner than bctiay the trust 
 Whicli (iod to him has !2;iven. 
 He aspires to the martyr's crown. 
 The pledge of home and heaven. 
 
 And with llic fatal axe's gleam 
 So near his devoted liead, 
 He utters the word "remember, " 
 Before his i)ure spirit fled :
 
 Tllh SWALLOW. 39 
 
 Thus showing that while rank and power 
 All sovereigns do receive, 
 The purest gem that decks a crown, 
 Is wisdom, which can forgive. 
 
 THE SWALLOW. 
 
 Bird of the skimming wing, 
 
 Thou whom we hail in Spring, 
 Noiv safe be th}- journey o'er land and sea ! 
 
 Oh ! whither dost thou steer, 
 
 To regions far and near, 
 Afric's fair plains, or sunny Italy ? 
 
 Like a mournful exile, 
 
 Thou dost fly man\- a mile, 
 Leaving the dear home which first nourished thee ! 
 
 Seeking in other lands. 
 
 Where the rich grove expands. 
 The light and the heat which here may not be. 
 
 When here the wintr\- west 
 ■ Loudly extends its blast, 
 Stripping the pride of Summer from the tree. 
 
 Urging the tempest's war, 
 
 Scattering leaves afar. 
 There thou rejoicest in vernal beauty. 
 
 Then when the winter's rage 
 
 The zephyrs do assuage, 
 And gentle Spring reigns o'er woodland and lea ; 
 
 Thou from strange lands dost come, 
 
 Seeking thy English home, 
 Seeing with glad eyes th' abodes of the free. 
 
 * Charles the First addresses his Queen as "my dear heart" in 
 his letters to her*
 
 40 
 
 1-C)KSAK1-.N. 
 
 So, too, in camps and courts 
 
 In th' hum of distant ports, 
 Where'er the Briton roams o'er the ^vide sea ! 
 
 Still, still his fondest dream, 
 
 The music of his stream, 
 The old house and the once familiar tree. 
 
 When many days are past. 
 
 And he comes home at last. 
 Tears fill his eyes, as he sees th' old roof tree, 
 
 Yet feelings of calm rest 
 
 Gently soothe his sad breast. 
 As he views with joy his congenial lea. 
 
 Home shows its brightest face, 
 
 Love assumes its best grace. 
 As tlie lost kinsman is received with glee. 
 
 Rich bounty crowns the board 
 
 For a brother restored. 
 No more to roam o'er the wide-rolling sea ! 
 
 FORSAKEN. 
 
 Beauteous nature teemed with lite. 
 In wood and grove and grass}- dale, 
 But in her silent tomb reclined 
 Maggie, the pride of all the vale. 
 Sweet is the linnet's lay at morn. 
 As it falls gently on the ear, 
 But the soft tones of Maggie's voice 
 You never more with jf)y may hear. 
 As cheerful as a lamb at pla)', 
 No gloomy sorrow had she known, 
 Until thro' love's deceitful wiles, 
 Her gentle peace of mind luid flown. 
 Now vainly she bedewed her couch 
 W^ith tears of sorrow and of pain.
 
 i:kam. 4 1 
 
 The happiness, which she once had, 
 Could never more return again. 
 
 Seduced, forsaken by the swain. 
 To whom she gave her hand and heart, 
 What power now could sooth her grief, 
 What sovereign balm remove the smart. 
 
 In vain her widowed mother strove 
 To relieve th' anguish of her breast, 
 There seemed no charm for hapless woe, 
 No solace for the deep distrest. 
 
 The hand of friendship failed to " pluck 
 The rooted sorrow from the brain "' ; 
 She pined, she perished as a rose, 
 Swept by the stormy wind and rain. 
 
 But ev'n w^hen sickness paled her cheek, 
 And th' eye was dim with sorrow keen, 
 The polestar of sweet hope arose 
 To shed light o'er the dismal scene. 
 
 Like one tost on the raging main, 
 Who sees a bay of rest at last, 
 She now is safe from every storm, 
 From winter's snow and winter's blast. 
 
 Near \uu wall, beneath the green sward. 
 She rests in })eacc, released from tears, 
 Watched b\ Him who never slumbers, 
 Thro' all the mazv course of years. 
 
 CRAM. 
 
 The clock strikes nine, the hour is come 
 When the Inspector should arrive, 
 Each eye peers keenl}- round the room 
 Like bees alarmed in a hive I
 
 4^ i:xAM. 
 
 The teaclicr begs with careworn face 
 His pupils to do their part well, 
 " Each pass," says he, " is worth an ace, 
 EvTy cypher and cross must iclL'" 
 
 Now one and all I do implore, 
 My feelings \ou will not hector : 
 When, lo ! a rap comes to the door. 
 And tliere is the School Inspector. 
 
 With graceful step, and face as gay. 
 The children he bids "good morrow," 
 O ! would he wear that smile all day, 
 Should there be much room for sorrow ! 
 
 But now the exam is begun. 
 
 And the three Rs are keenly scanned ; 
 
 Whene'er a happy score is won, 
 
 We feel like men with cash in hand. , 
 
 But when a cypher marks failure, 
 We note the fact with downcast eyes, 
 We'd hand the child to a jailer. 
 Or punisli him in any wise. 
 
 " Now ye girls must begin to sew," 
 The very words our hearts appal, 
 " Please do your work without a flaw, 
 And neatly form a button hole." 
 
 And here the parson kicks his heels, 
 And views their work with languid care ; 
 The mistress for her scissors feels, 
 And hands the cloth in pieces square. 
 
 'Lo ! chubby boys with fingers small 
 Their legal task of knitting ply ; 
 The teachers, then, both one and all, 
 Regard this task with glances shy.
 
 i-:.\AM. 4 J 
 
 Next, special subjects claim our care, 
 Latin, Euclid, Gcof^^raphy ; 
 And when the pupils grossly err. 
 Oh, then, we bubble o'er with glee ! 
 
 The registers demand research, 
 The master's journal an o'erhaul, 
 Th' Inspector nnist disclose each smirch, 
 Ev'n a chink in the school-yard wall. 
 
 Thus the dry scrutiny proceeds. 
 While the drowsy clock tolls the hours, 
 While we sigh for the verdant meads. 
 And the scent of blooming flowers. 
 
 Oh, for a draught of heaven's pure air, 
 To clear the cobAvebs from the brain, 
 To free our hearts from bitter, care, 
 i\nd, thus, onr droopmg souls sustain ! 
 
 Oh, who will sa\c the playful child 
 From peril of an early grave. 
 Or, who will spare the teacher mild 
 The grim toil of a galley slave. 
 
 O cram. cram, cram beset wuth tears, 
 When shall \\c say that cram is fled ? 
 Better the years of master Squeers, 
 And weeding of the onion bed ! 
 
 Vainly we ordain laws of health, 
 If we can thus o"er work our brain, 
 We rob ourselves of richest wealth. 
 When th' essence true of life we drain. 
 
 O famous British sons ot old. 
 
 Who guided ships in ocean's storm, • 
 
 And ye who, too, in combat bold, 
 
 Faced danger in its awful form.
 
 44 
 
 AX Al'lM-'.AI. 
 
 Ve blouimng dames of ancient days, 
 The mothers of a stalwart race ; 
 Long may your memory keep its bays, 
 And may your sons ne'er you disgrace, 
 
 May vigour yet regain its sway, 
 And health and happiness increase, 
 Ma}' prudence shed its mellow ray, 
 And us from error's <:;looiii release ! 
 
 AN APPEAL. 
 
 () ye famous men of England. 
 
 Heirs of a might}' name, 
 
 More worthy of the meed of praise 
 
 Than Rome in all her fame ! 
 
 Let not the rich fruits of concjuest, 
 
 Of faith, and glory sheen 
 
 Perisli in all their sunnner glow. 
 
 Guard }Our country and Queen. 
 
 Ly the noble name of Nelson, 
 Who for true freedom fell, 
 By the great name of Wellington, 
 More famous far than Tell ; 
 By the tears of the sister Isle, 
 The prey of faction keen ; 
 Arouse you, O my brothers dear, 
 For your Country and Queen. 
 
 Plant firmly the flag of freedom 
 
 Mid faction's noisy swell ; 
 
 And oh ! now avoid for ever 
 
 The flatterer's subtle spell. 
 
 Do not foes thunder at your gates, 
 
 Nay, win access within ? 
 
 The cause of truth rests on your arm, 
 
 Shield your Country and Queen.
 
 A COLD SPRING. 45 
 
 Oh, too long tlie breath of rancour 
 Our weary souls appal, 
 Oh, too long the sword of justice 
 Hangs rusting on the wall. 
 Then wield it in the cause of right, 
 And shew true patriot's mien, 
 Your native land appeals for aid. 
 Save your Country and Queen. 
 
 Yea, by the free soil of Britain, 
 Once wet with martyrs' tears; 
 And by the wise words of statesmen 
 Resounding through the years ; 
 By the sweet notes of Jubilee, 
 All loyal hearts noiv screen, 
 The cry of wrong ascends to heav'n, 
 Guard your Country and Queen I 
 
 A COLD SPRING. 
 Were it not for the balmy breeze 
 Of the warm Gulf of Mexico, 
 Then cold extreme should Britain freeze, 
 Borne o'er the waste of northern snow. 
 Thus breezes bland have spread their wings 
 O'er our Isle from time antique. 
 Yet mid chill show'rs the mavis sings, 
 Are there icebergs on th' Atlantic ? 
 
 Yea, driving show'rs come from the west. 
 The Langdale Pikes are clad with snow, 
 Not a breath of air from the east, 
 Yet with keen gusts the wind does blow, 
 Vainly we con the weather glass. 
 O'er it pore with face pedantic, 
 Weather lore does our brain surpass, 
 Are there icebergs on th' Atlantic ?
 
 46 CARACTACUS. 
 
 Still more loudly the wind does rave, 
 And blinding hail assails our face, 
 We stay our steps with aspect grave. 
 Or the way homeward we retrace. 
 And when the wind does bang our door, 
 Round we glance with visage frantic, 
 While the reason true we implore, 
 Are there icebergs on th' Atlantic. 
 
 But yet the genial breeze shall come. 
 
 And sweet May-dews our lawn shall wet, 
 
 Bees search the flow'r with busy hum, 
 
 Mid golden clouds the sun shall set, 
 
 The lamb shall play around its dam, 
 
 Or race the field with glad antic, 
 
 And the blushing dawn shall breathe the balm, 
 
 Or woo rich show'rs from th' Atlantic. 
 
 CARACTACUS. 
 The British Chieftain, foiled in arms. 
 Now the Romans victor's prey, 
 Beheld unmoved the surging croud, 
 Who did swarm upon his wa}-. 
 The lordly piles of ancient Rome 
 Absorbed his wondering eyes ; 
 And speech at length revealed his thoughts. 
 Manly speech without disguise 
 " What noble palaces are here, 
 What grandeur is displayed ; 
 Then why envy me my cottage, 
 Reared within the forest glade ? " 
 The pomp of th' imperial court, 
 Disturbed not his dauntless breast, 
 But calm and unsubdued b}' fate. 
 Great Caesar he thus addressed.
 
 CARACTACUS. 47 
 
 " Had I not in fierce strife engaged, 
 But submitted to thy will, 
 I might have gained thy early love, 
 Without any liap or ill. 
 
 But where should be those feats of arms, 
 Which enoble the Roman name ? 
 Or, where the guerdon of success, 
 From which I derive my fame ? 
 
 True ! Rome would be conqueror, 
 A conqueror far and wide ; 
 But shall w^e tamely own her pow'r, 
 And in her strong will confide." 
 
 The wild beasts which roam o'er the plain, 
 Or recline in forest shade, 
 Know the sweet sense of liberty. 
 And no foe makes them afraid. 
 
 Shall man, then, who freedom inhales 
 Ev'n with his earliest breath, 
 Renounce the hopes which heaven gives him. 
 Or maintain them unto death ? 
 
 When I think of my former days, 
 W^hen I had great wealth and fame, 
 W'hen soldiers brave obeyed my word, 
 And foes trembled at my name ; 
 
 Then I long for their return, 
 And sigh for my native woods, 
 I yearn for my lofty mountains, 
 And my tempestuous floods, 
 
 Caesar, sad is my fate this day. 
 Sad as thy glory is great ; 
 May thy mercy adorn thy pow'r. 
 And save me, though suing late.
 
 48 LILY-MERE. 
 
 Oh let my life, I beg, be spared, 
 Tho' unworthy of thy love, 
 And I shall show to latest days. 
 What true thankfulness can prove." 
 
 Here ceased the British warrior, 
 But still his dark rolling eyes 
 Foreshadowed the silent longings, 
 Which in his pure soul arise. 
 
 And great Caesar viewed his captive, 
 With a calm and thoughtful brow ; 
 For he saw in him a power 
 To which he himself might bow. 
 
 Deeply moved by his misfortunes, 
 And by his true, noble mien, 
 To him he gave life and freedom. 
 And to all his kith and kin. 
 
 LILY-MERE. 
 
 Far-famed are the braes of Yarrow, 
 And the groves of Ceylon's Isle, 
 But half-hid among the mountains, 
 Heaven greets thee with a smile. 
 Many a hill and many a river, 
 Have been famed in classic lear, 
 But no poet weaves his numbers 
 In praise of thee, Lih^-mere. 
 
 Years have fled since first I saw thee. 
 
 On a peaceful summer day. 
 
 Then all nature smiled around me, 
 
 Thy pure way beneath thee lay. 
 
 Bees hummed on their way with pleasure, 
 
 Swallows darted here and there. 
 
 And the lark poured forth its gay song, 
 
 In the lucid morning air.
 
 ROMANS ON HELME. 49 
 
 And the jieerlcss blue of heaven 
 
 Was reflected in thy wave, 
 
 While the breeze that kissed thy waters, 
 
 Dreamy ripples to thee gave. 
 
 Well thy name denotes thy beauty, 
 
 As the lily's snowy grace, 
 
 Emblem of a Saviour's love, 
 
 In thy water finds its place. 
 
 Each season adds new interest 
 To thy water, Lily- mere. 
 In wmter, on thv floor of ice 
 Loud resounds the skater's cheer. 
 Near thee once a lady lived, 
 Both to fame and friendship dear ; 
 Here she reared a fairy mansion. 
 Which commands th}^ slope, sweet mere. 
 Here she pondered works of mercy. 
 Worth of which to few is giv'n ; 
 And here excelled in deeds of love, 
 Like the cloudless blue of heav'n. 
 Could I make thy wave my emblem, 
 As it is, indeed, my theme. 
 Then, like her, I'd forsake all jo3's 
 Fleeting like a morning dream. 
 Free from vice's bewitching snare, 
 Hopes I'd hold of prospects dear, 
 Reflecting in my latest days, 
 Thy pure image, Lilymere. 
 
 ROMANS ON HELME. 
 
 One morn a leader drew the rein 
 On dewy Helme's breezy height, 
 
 For he descried a prospect fair 
 Stretching far in human sight.
 
 50 
 
 ROMANS ON HELMF,. 
 
 In the land which his eyes embraced, 
 
 Tlicre harked foes both brave and strong, 
 
 Disdainers of a foreign rule, 
 Scorners of a tyrant's wrong. 
 
 Long paused the leader in deep thought, 
 Scanning the country near and far, 
 
 While his soldiers stood to arms. 
 Ready to engage in war. 
 
 " This hill seems fitting for our use," 
 At length the leader did explain, 
 
 " And let us here a watch tower l)uild, 
 T' aid our battles in the plain." 
 
 The fort was reared, the men of war 
 
 Posted in haste to and fro ; 
 And soon the din of war was heard, 
 
 Confusing the land below. 
 
 And oh ! what scenes of blood defiled 
 
 Thy winding hill, airy Helme, 
 As the heroes of lordly Rome 
 
 The Brigantes did overwhelm. 
 
 Vainly the brave Brigantes strove 
 
 To repel thy onset Rome, 
 There is no safety for the prey, 
 
 Where the imperial eagles come. 
 
 As fair noonday declined to eve. 
 Fiercer rolled the course of war, 
 
 Until the friendly shade of night 
 Further slaughter did debar. 
 
 And the following morning's dawn 
 W^as the signs of strife renewed. 
 
 Till the final charge of Rome 
 Stemmed for a time deadly feud.
 
 COLUMBUS. 51 
 
 Ijiit if Rome won success in war, 
 
 She could be a gen'rous foe ; 
 And when the vanquished sued for life, 
 
 Further vengeance would forego. 
 Thus, too, she taught the arts of peace, 
 
 Trees to fell, and land to drain ; 
 And where confusion held its place, 
 
 Law and order to maintain. 
 By means like these she won the hearts 
 
 Of those whom she fought before ; 
 On ev'rj' side fair cities rose. 
 
 Commerce grew from shore to shore. 
 And the sweet sound of gospel peace 
 
 Followed the wild blast of war. 
 In the desert streams broke out, 
 
 Notes of love were heard afar. 
 
 COLUMBUS. 
 
 There sailed three ships from the coast of Spain, 
 The coast of Spain, from Pales bay ; 
 
 .uid men their misty eyes did strain 
 On the shore, as they bore away. 
 
 A gentle breeze blew from the land, 
 Blew from the land, and on they glide. 
 
 And stront: faith did the heart command 
 
 'f5 
 
 Of him who was their true-born guide 
 
 fc>' 
 
 All human threats did his soul brave, 
 Did his soul brave, and sad hearts cheer, 
 
 And smiling heaven hushed the wave. 
 As o'er the ocean they did steer. 
 
 Oh in hope and fear they sailed on. 
 
 They sailed on, o'er the length'ning sea ; 
 
 And happy omens one by one 
 Seemed to woo them to victorx-.
 
 52 COLUMBUS. 
 
 Beauteous birds did light on the ship, 
 Light on the ship with soft notes gay, 
 
 And in the wave their phimes chd dip, 
 As thougli the}' came not far away. 
 
 Night may be darkest ere the dawn, 
 Ere the dawn with its blushes suave. 
 
 So to the hero watcliing lone 
 
 A light there twinkled o'er the wave. 
 
 " Is that a light ? "" m a maze he cried. 
 
 In a maze lie cried as he watched bv night, 
 
 " It is," one of his men replied. 
 
 Whom he from sleep had called outright. 
 
 A gleam of joy shone on his face, 
 On his face, as the star of morn, 
 
 He clasped his hands in humble grace, 
 His heart by fervent hope upborne. 
 
 " Oh it must be so,'" he exclaimed. 
 
 He exclaimed, as thro' gloom he peered ; 
 
 And that moment thro' time is famed, 
 One grand epoch it is revered. 
 
 Bang then, oh, Bang, sounded again, 
 Sounded a gun as morn appeared ; 
 
 O glad sign, a new world was won. 
 
 The hearts of sailors now were cheered. 
 
 And oh, how lovely seemed the shore. 
 
 Seemed the shore, as the ships drew near 
 
 The fairy woods of SaKador 
 A paradise did then appear. 
 
 And he who calmed the gloomy fears. 
 The fears too gloomy of his men, 
 
 (Bewildered where green wave appears), 
 Found favour in the sa\age ken,
 
 YOUTH. 53 
 
 Then in due tunc Columbus sailed, 
 
 Sailed homeward to the Spanish shore ; 
 And many an one his presence hailed, 
 
 Yet meekly he the iionour bore. 
 Not like a soldier he returned. 
 
 He returned witli the spoils of war, 
 A sailor's heart within him burned, 
 
 Dreams of a world which la\- afar ! 
 
 YOUTH. 
 
 How sweet the dreams of early youth, 
 
 When o'er the fields we careless stray. 
 The foes of guile, and friends of truth, 
 
 Blest with the sun's caressing ray. 
 How gladly move the halcyon days, 
 
 When each tieeting hour oft does smile, 
 When seasons crown our head with rays 
 
 Of hope, which seem not to beguile. 
 With stealthy steps comes rude winter, 
 
 And fade the How'rs of summer bright, 
 But fears of change rarely enter 
 
 A young heart, that brave deeds incite. 
 Tears of youth are like April show'rs 
 
 Which swiftl}- come and disappear ; 
 Then love woos to golden bowers. 
 
 And soothes the mind with happy cheer. 
 
 A SPECTRAL HERD. 
 
 /] tvadition of Kirklinton, Cumbevland. 
 
 One fine morn on my way I hied 
 
 My field to reach, to call kine home; 
 
 When lo ! a mighty herd I spied. 
 
 Which seemed from Highland moors to come.
 
 -_! A SPECTRAL HERD. 
 
 , From side to side they filled the road, 
 ' Far as the stedfast eye could view ; 
 Yet no one of them ever lowed 
 
 As they were moving o'er the dew. 
 
 Still on and on they deftly came, 
 
 While in deep thought I sadly mused, 
 
 " Oh, how can I my cows reclaim. 
 
 With this crowd they must be confused." 
 
 I crossed the lield with footsteps slow. 
 With care I drove my cattle on ; 
 
 But when again the road I saw, 
 
 Like a meteor that herd had flown ! 
 
 1 looked behind, I looked before, 
 I strained my eyes on ev'ry side ; 
 
 But tho' the road held many a score, 
 Not ev'n a hoof was now descried. 
 
 No fleeting forms my eyes embraced. 
 No vestige of the vanished herd ; 
 
 The lightning's path is vainly traced, 
 And thus the crowd had disappeared. 
 
 " Ah ! wherefore this ? " I loudly cried, 
 " Who can the mystery explahi ? " 
 
 Soon did the course of time decide 
 This riddle, and relieve my pain. 
 
 Like eagles hast'ning to their prey, 
 In furious hordes the Celts did come ; 
 
 And war's dark cloud obscured the day. 
 Echoed the hills the cannon's boom. 
 
 In dubious form the contest raged, 
 
 WHiile fortune veiled her deep designs, 
 
 Too soon the Celtic ire assuaged, 
 Ev'n as a sudden blaze declines.
 
 TO HMMA. 55 
 
 The wind whicli blew the smoke away, 
 
 O'er Culloden's crimson heather, 
 Left Prince CharHe no hope or stay, 
 
 An exile he knew not whither ! 
 
 TO EMMA. 
 
 Vo'ses untttii in a Lady s Album. 
 
 Lovely May is come with flowers, 
 
 Which shed rich perfume o'er the dale. 
 
 Fled are now the .Vpril showers. 
 And sullen winter's fiercer gale. 
 
 How brightly smiles yon summer cloud, 
 As o'er Hutton fell it does move, 
 
 And the blithe mavis sings aloud, 
 x\nd swells the chorus of the grove. 
 
 How sweet is calm after unrest. 
 
 And health, when sickness pale is healed ; 
 How beauteous the summer's vest, 
 
 Compared with winter's cheerless field ! 
 
 Gently the wave does wash the shore 
 
 When the fierce storm lias ceased amain ; 
 
 And sorrow's pain is felt no more, 
 When rest eternal we attain. 
 
 May He, tlien, who restrains the show'r, 
 And the breeze tempers to shorn Iamb, 
 
 Console thee in the trying hour. 
 
 And o'er life's sorrow breathe a calm ! 
 
 May His eye foreseeing guard thee. 
 Solve thy doubts in each dilemma, 
 
 And with heav'n at last reward thee. 
 Life's unfading bliss, dear Emma !
 
 THE SPRING. 
 
 THE SPRING. 
 
 /// the Scottish dialect. 
 
 Dark wintry fogs are fled awa_\-. 
 The snaw's dissolved frae ilka brae, 
 Bright are the dewdrops on the spray, 
 
 Rich nature's boon. 
 And smiling go wan, and cowslip gay 
 
 The meadows crown. 
 
 Where ance the howling blasts did rair, 
 The flowerets scent the morning air. 
 An' ilk rich blossom has a share 
 
 O' perfume sweet. 
 The leafy groves form vistas fair 
 
 Our e'en to greet. 
 
 The toddling burn flows on its way, 
 With easy whirls its wave does stray. 
 And saftly do its waters play 
 
 Beneath the shade. 
 r fairy nooks is formed a bay 
 
 Wi' snia' cascade. 
 
 Thick loliage deeds yon forest high, 
 Where cushats coo their lullaby. 
 Where sweet the mavis does reply 
 
 To echo dear. 
 An' loud resounds the plover's cr\', 
 
 Careering near. 
 
 On pastures green do graze the cows, 
 The lambies frisk upo' the knowes, 
 An' lightly bounding o'er the dews 
 
 The sheep dog roams. 
 While whistling clear along the hows 
 
 The ploughboy comes
 
 XOVEMBLR. 57 
 
 Then come my crony, let us stray 
 O'er pasture <^YCcn and mountain grey, 
 An' let us spend the livelong day 
 
 Mid joys that cheer, 
 While zephyrs whisper on their way 
 
 " The spring is here." 
 
 NOVEMBER. 
 
 Chill November is come again, 
 The scowlmg tempest bursts amain, 
 An' in drenching show'rs does the rain 
 
 A deluge pour, 
 While leaves are drifting o'er the plain 
 
 Fu' many an hour. 
 
 Fled now the balmy summer air, 
 The trees look woe begone and bare, 
 An' sere the bloom o' lily fair, 
 
 An' beauteous rose, 
 While smiling gowans scarcely dare 
 
 Their form disclose. 
 
 As leaves bestrew the sylvan shade, 
 So like a leaf a' things do fade, 
 A' that the art o' man e'er made. 
 
 Or genius wrought, 
 By the blasts o' time prone are laid. 
 
 An' come to nought. 
 
 The foammg streams shall cease to flow, 
 While cliffs that fill the eye with awe, 
 An' lofty mountains piled wi" snow 
 
 Flit like a dream. 
 An' the sun himself, mid nature's woe 
 
 Shed his last gleam.
 
 THE MORNING STAR. 
 
 Not sae frail man, he shall arise 
 To joys unseen by mortal eyes, 
 Tlio' the heavens with a great noise 
 
 Shall pass away. 
 Yet shall he iiail wi' glad surprise 
 
 Eternal day. 
 
 THE MORNING STAR. 
 
 O morning star, O morning star, 
 Long hast thou shone in glory bright, 
 While borne upon thy radiant car, 
 Fair Luna thou dost vie in light, 
 Sure herald of approaching day. 
 When the sun his pow'r does dis])lay. 
 
 O morning star, O morning star. 
 The star of love and beauty rare. 
 May envious clouds retire afar. 
 And let me thy sweet aspect share ; 
 Oh why should clouds obscure thy light. 
 Thou fair gem on the brow of night ! 
 
 O morning star, O morning star, 
 How welcome is thy sparkling ray, 
 As sailors, when rude billows bar. 
 Do urge with fear their dubious way, 
 Anon the morn dawns on the sight, 
 Then flee their fears as shades of night. 
 
 O morning star, O morning star. 
 
 What countless years o'er thee have flown, 
 
 Since thou, u])on thy course afar 
 
 Didst hail, at first, the coming dawn, 
 
 What years of joy, and years of strife, 
 
 Yet calm thou seem'st mid dangers rife.
 
 Al-I'IiCTION 59 
 
 O morning star, O morning star, 
 Allied to peace thy conrse appears, 
 No room there seems for nncouth war 
 Within the mnsic of the s])heres ; 
 The bard from soft sleep thon canst lure, 
 To feel thy sweetly soothing pow'r. 
 O morning star, O morning star. 
 Farewell, the sun is on his w^ay, 
 Few orbs witli thee are on a par, 
 Yet tliou must pale before his ray, 
 Eluding now my longing sight, 
 Fain would I trace thee in thy flight. 
 
 AFFECTION. 
 
 Again the sere anrl yellow leaves 
 
 Are falling from the trees. 
 
 Here and there they drift in numbers. 
 
 While wafted by the breeze : 
 
 Summer's bloom once more is over, 
 
 And winter's coming fast, 
 
 The robin's i)laintive note is heard, 
 
 And keener blows the blast. 
 
 Tho' years roll on, and seasons change. 
 
 And flowers fade in the grove. 
 
 And winter's howling blasts are heard. 
 
 No wmter's in nn- love ; 
 
 Tho' all the world prove cold and false. 
 
 My heart beats true to thee, 
 
 As 3'oung and fresh as springing flow'rs 
 
 Upon the verdant lea. 
 
 Pure as the snow on Skiddaws crest, 
 So shall my fond love be ; 
 And like a rock which breasts the wave, 
 Amid a stormy sea.
 
 6o IMITATION" OF ANACREOK. 
 
 Sliouid danger e'er beset thy path, 
 Or sad grief thee assail, 
 Then I would fly to thy rehef, 
 My succour should not fail. 
 
 Tho" hills and vales between us lie, 
 
 And thou art far away, 
 
 Thy form shall ne'er fade from my breast, 
 
 But blossom day by day. 
 
 The magic of thy loving eye 
 
 Shall dawn upon my mind, 
 
 Undimmed b}' time's obscuring power, 
 
 While years their course shall wind. 
 
 The fair bride may despise the ring, 
 
 Pledge of her Avedded life ; 
 
 The soldier may disown the sword 
 
 Which aids him in the strife ; 
 
 The mother may forget her babe 
 
 Who smiles upon her knee ; 
 
 But I will ne'er renounce my love, 
 
 While life and thought may be. 
 
 IMITATION OF ANACREON. 
 
 Oh, were my love a shniing pearl, 
 
 Which lies concealed in yon deep sea. 
 
 And I my self a diver bold, 
 
 No danger e'er should frighten me. 
 
 Oh, were my love a primrose fair. 
 Which decks the grove in April gay, 
 
 And I myself a morning breeze, 
 
 How gently round her I would l)la}'. 
 
 Oh I would be a mirror true, 
 
 Ev'n to record her pleasing smiles. 
 
 To reflect her beauteous form. 
 
 And the frame of her hair's dark coils !
 
 QIIARTF.TTI-:. 6 1 
 
 Oh I would be a fountain clear, 
 That I mif^ht la\e her snowy feet ; 
 
 Or I would he a zone to clasp 
 
 Her heaving bosom fair and neat ! 
 
 Oh I would be a glove to touch 
 
 The rich bloom on her maiden check ; 
 
 Or I Avould be a couch of down, 
 
 Where soft rest she might«fondly seek ; 
 
 Oh I would be a ring of gold 
 
 To deck her hand, as lily fair ; 
 Or I would be a dove to bring 
 
 Her love-notes thro' the lambent air ! 
 
 Oh I would be a ribbon fine 
 
 To softly bind her raven hair ; 
 Or I would be a rich bouquet, 
 
 Which to the altar slie does bear ! 
 
 QUARTETTE. 
 
 My wife and I have daughters four, 
 The light and solace of our home, 
 More dear to us than golden ore. 
 Or gems that from the ocean come. 
 After winter comes gentle spring. 
 And autumn follows summer fine, 
 But thro' all seasons they do cling. 
 Around our hearts as the woodbine. 
 
 As the blending of sweet voices 
 In song melodious, or quartette, 
 Over them each heart rejoices 
 With love sincere, ne'er waning yet. 
 May the God of Bethel bless them, 
 And guide them thro' each fleeting year, 
 May no evil e'er oppress them, 
 And calm content their bosoms cheer,
 
 62 FREEDOM. 
 
 FREEDOM. 
 
 Noble is tli}' cause of freedom, 
 
 Still throbbing in the bosom's core, 
 
 Who can thy sacred worth explain, 
 Or who thy hidden depths explore ? 
 
 Cradled in the ark with Moses, 
 
 Or conceived on the Alps with Tell ; 
 
 Thou dost garner thy richest fruits 
 'Neath the sound of the sabbath bell. 
 
 By the magnetic pow'r of love, 
 
 First felt in obscure Galilee, 
 The mournful captives burst their chains. 
 
 The sons of sorrow were set free. 
 
 As lightly as the bounding roe 
 
 Does walk at large o'er Juda]i"s hills, 
 
 With shapely limb and beauteous e3'e, 
 Drinking from the murmuring rills. 
 
 So, too, does the guileless christian 
 
 In safety walk o'er God's rich earth. 
 His heart warm with man}' a blessing, 
 
 The fruitage of the second birth. 
 Jesus is as a fountain clear 
 
 Wliose cooling draughts his thirst allay 
 Or as a tree, whose leafy shade 
 
 Relieves the languor of his way. 
 
 And as he scales mountains hoary, 
 Or slakes his thirst in gushing rills, 
 
 Gladsome is the way before him, 
 Until he views fair Zion's hills. 
 
 THE GRASSHOPPER. 
 
 O happy insect, what can be 
 In happiness conipared to thee.
 
 THE GRASSHOPPER. 63 
 
 As thou dost flit upon the lea 
 
 In agile mood, 
 The very flow'r of jollity 
 
 In thcc docs l)ud. 
 
 Thou sip'st the niornmg's early dew, 
 Where ope the daisies on the view. 
 Where warblers do their notes renew 
 
 O'er many a plain, 
 And nature s self does give the cue 
 
 To each blithe strain. 
 
 And haply, ne'er a blither lay 
 
 Than thine e'er blessed the hvelong day; 
 
 Can ev'n the throstle from the spray 
 
 Such rapture show 
 As thou with chirp benignly gay, 
 
 When flowers blow ? 
 
 The shepherd gladly heareth thee, 
 As winding slowly o'er the lea. 
 He stays to mark thy voice of glee 
 
 Alid nature's wealth. 
 And mark thy wanton course so free. 
 
 Thy nimble stealth. 
 
 Beauty dwells in queenly bower. 
 Courtiers fawn on kingly power. 
 But thou art heir to nian}^ an hour 
 
 Of rustic bliss. 
 When Phoebus woos the blooming flower 
 
 With many a kiss. 
 
 How sweetly smile yon summer fields, 
 How rich a scent each flow'ret yields, 
 The morning sun the mountain gilds 
 
 With welcome ra}'. 
 As like a nurse, kind nature shields 
 
 Her offspring ga\'.
 
 64 ACACIA ROSE. 
 
 Bri^dit Phccbus loves th}' bloodless form, 
 And cheers thee with his aspect warm ; 
 Unknown to thee is winter's storm 
 
 Or vapour cliill. 
 No penur\' does tin* strength worm, 
 
 Or senile ill. 
 
 Child of the sun's ethereal ray, 
 An epicure thou liv'st each day, 
 Then like a fleeting flow'ret ga}- 
 
 Dost sink to rest, 
 Sated with song, and dance, and pla\-, 
 
 Thv summer's feast. 
 
 ACACIA ROSK. 
 
 Go lovely flow'r. 
 
 Tell him whose friendship is sincere. 
 How rich a dow'r 
 His love to me does still appear. 
 As rich as thy fair petals are. 
 
 Tell him I know, 
 
 Who shuns his virtues to disclose. 
 
 That didst thou grow 
 In places lone, where no man goes, 
 Xo one should praise the blooming rose. 
 
 Vamly the flow'r 
 
 Does shed its beauty o'er the wild. 
 
 If thro' each hour 
 The gaze it woos not of a child, 
 Nor human fancy e'er beguiled. 
 
 Thus seems thy love, 
 
 As modest as thy retiring self, 
 
 Yet it does prove 
 As sure as is the miser's pelf, 
 That lies concealed upon a shelf.
 
 ACACIA ROSK. 65 
 
 Crop not tliisflow'r, 
 
 But let it bloom on its own tree, 
 
 As in the hour 
 It first in beauty smiled on me, 
 A thing divine, unselfish, free. 
 
 Yea, let it gi'ow. 
 
 Sustained by Him who rules the spheres, 
 
 \\'hose love does blow 
 As flow'r unfading in the years, 
 x-\nd, as they roll, more rich appears.
 
 SACRED POEMS.
 
 (69) 
 
 HEAVEN. 
 
 My soul, there is a country, 
 Whose joys are not of earth, 
 
 But whose source is eternal, 
 Because of celestial birth. 
 
 The river of life does flow 
 From (tocI's eternal throne. 
 
 With a full pellucid stream, 
 Its clearness all its own. 
 
 There, too, no odious evil 
 The courts of God invade. 
 
 The tree of life outspreading 
 The saints of God does shade. 
 
 There no disease may enter 
 No sorrow blight our joy 
 
 There no rude blasts may venture 
 Our comfort to destroy. 
 
 The rose that cannot wither 
 Celestial groves does grace ; 
 
 And there the herb of heart's ease 
 For ever finds its place. 
 
 And afar beyond the stars, 
 
 One in a manger born. 
 Does rule the many mansions 
 
 That God's own house adorn. 
 
 Oh, could our minds more often 
 To that bright world ascend, 
 
 Could we think of that pure home, 
 Which fancy does transcend ;
 
 7© IN MEMOKIAM. 
 
 How sweet should be our foretaste 
 
 Of tlie rich land abo^■e, 
 Where, free from jar and danger, 
 
 The saints in rapture move. 
 
 IX MEMORIAM, 
 
 The late Alderman Braithwaite, 
 OF Kendal. 
 
 Art thou gone, last almost of that bright band. 
 Whose civic virtues were their townsmen's praise. 
 Yea, thou whose w^ise w^ords did our hearts com- 
 mand. 
 Conceived in fitting sentiment and phrase ? 
 
 The tender husband, and the father kind, 
 The friend sincere, the man of culture too, 
 Crowned with piety, all recur to mind. 
 As o'er thy tomb in sadness we do bow. 
 
 There needs no aid of sculptor's subtle art. 
 Or studied phrase thy virtues to portray. 
 Thy name is written in the people's heart. 
 While thy true worth defies time's wasting sway, 
 
 Elijah's mantle on his pupil fell, ^ 
 
 So may we profit by thy noble life, 
 Mid changes varied do our duty well, 
 Then hail the shore where waves ne'er break in 
 strife ! 
 
 IX MEMORIAM. 
 
 The late Councillor Musgrove, 
 OF Kendal. 
 Full many a star of ray serene and bright 
 
 Shines in high hcav'n, afar from human ken ; 
 So thou, translated to the fields of light, 
 
 Hast found, forsooth, that death is real gain.
 
 DIVINE LOVE. 71 
 
 Yea, tliou dost reap the harvest thou hast sown, 
 
 And garner fruits which fade not nor decay, 
 And fully knowing, e'en as thou art known, 
 
 Reflectest truth from heaven's unsullied ray. 
 Thou didst forswear the drunkard's siren cup, 
 
 Like Daniel brave, thy course was just and pure ; 
 To forbidden pleasures thou wouldst not stoop, 
 
 Ah, no ! far other joys thy soul did lure. 
 Blest is that servant whom his Lord shall find 
 
 Still duly watching at true wisdom's gate ; 
 No sad regret shall ever cloud his mind. 
 
 Unfading bliss shall crown his course elate ! 
 
 DIVINE LOVE. 
 
 Who can describe a mother's love. 
 
 Or who its fervour know ? 
 Oh, none save the}'- whose heart does move 
 
 In union with its law. 
 
 Vainly does other love conspire 
 
 Its power to dethrone ; 
 It's like a gleam from seraph's lire. 
 
 Which glows before the throne. 
 No earthly bliss is like the bliss 
 
 W'hich smiles on childhood's hour ; 
 No kiss is as a mother's kiss. 
 
 Nor brings so rich a dow'r. 
 The maiden may disown her love. 
 
 The wife renounce her spouse ; 
 But pure and unselfish it does move, 
 
 More pure than myriad vows. 
 Sleep on, dear child ; may sunlit dreams 
 
 Still hover round thy head. 
 And hope still shed its mellow beams. 
 
 And love its table spread !
 
 72 SACRED I'OETRV. 
 
 Alas ! the hour of change shall come, 
 
 And restless pain succeed : 
 And joys shall flee as the sweet hum 
 
 Of bees, which homeward speed. 
 Far other seems a higher law 
 
 Of love than men disclose, 
 A love more pure than sunset glow, 
 
 ]\Iore beauteous than the rose. 
 As high as heav'n is above the earth, 
 
 So God in love excels 
 All feelings dear of mundane birth. 
 
 And other love expels. 
 A mother may forget her child, 
 
 All mothers their offspring shun ; 
 But God and man are reconciled 
 
 Thro' His eternal Son. 
 And sooner shall heav'n pass away, 
 
 And the firm earth remove. 
 Than God withdraw a single ray 
 
 Of his redeeming love ! 
 
 " And there folio-wed Him a certain young man, having 
 a linen cloth, cast about his naked body ; and the young 
 men laid hold on him : 
 
 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked." 
 
 Mark xiv, 51 and 52. 
 
 How cpiickly did th' apostles form 
 
 A wall of fire around their Lord, 
 As men in close siege face the storm. 
 
 Till checked by Him Who is the Word. 
 
 The shepherd smitten, the sheep fled 
 With winged feet from the stern crowd. 
 
 Their new-born zeal transformed to dread. 
 To rufiian force soon they bowed.
 
 SACKHL) I'OHTKV. 73 
 
 And as the sound of their retreat 
 
 Died on the car in the night's air, 
 The Son of Man, prey of deceit, 
 
 Now sorrow's burden keen does bear. 
 But what new form bursts on the view ; 
 
 Veiled in a robe of hnen clean, 
 Whose locks betray the youthful hue. 
 
 And his brave act a manly mien. 
 Was it Mark, who, with kindling zeal. 
 
 Thus ventured boldly on the crowd ; 
 Came Lazarus, thro' love's appeal, 
 
 WJio once lay calmly in a shroud ? 
 Vainly our fancy does revolve 
 
 Names, one by one of th' honoured dead. 
 To find that man of high resolve 
 
 Who to our Lord in succour sped. 
 But if the shadows of the night 
 
 Concealed, at last, his fleeting form, 
 If ev"n his name avoids the light, 
 
 ?Iis act does keep his mem'ry warm. 
 What zeal was his, but mistaken ! 
 
 If earthly crowns had been the prize. 
 Dreams of youth should only waken 
 
 Some daring deeds in human guise. 
 Wide o'er the fields the tide of war 
 
 Should have rolled on its deadly way, 
 Until, beneath the victor's car, 
 
 Rome's bravest heroes vanquished lay. 
 Then, with what joy should Salem's crowd 
 
 Have hailed the victor's banner fair. 
 As with heart pulsing and face proud. 
 
 They saw it shinuner in the air. 
 But oh ! God's ways are not as ours, 
 
 Men He subdues not by wars dire. 
 He rules not by earth's hidden pow'rs, 
 
 By wind, by earthquake, or by fire.
 
 74 SACRED I'OKTRY. 
 
 No ! tho" tempests obc)' His word, 
 And waves that in mid ocean poise ; 
 
 Yet by love is His sway secured, 
 
 The breathing of " a still small voice." 
 
 Yes! his mighty hand awes the storm, 
 His love destroys the serpent's sting, 
 
 His voice controls the earthquake's form. 
 He stays in air the swallow's wing. 
 
 The stars do joy in courses bright. 
 
 As they move softly o'er heaven's maze, 
 
 While smiling on the brow of night. 
 The moon is vocal with God's praise. 
 
 In love, were you orbs poised on high. 
 In wisdom, were their courses traced, 
 
 They show the hand of the Most High, 
 In Whom all true life is embraced ! 
 
 Love wins the day where hate does fail. 
 It dries the mourner's tearful eye, 
 
 It relieves the throe of fear pale, 
 It fills the widow's heart with joy ! 
 
 It takes the lonely stranger in. 
 
 It breaks the slave and captive's chain, 
 
 The orphan's lone heart it does win, 
 
 As smiles the earth with summer's rain. 
 
 When Truth, too, wrought with human hands. 
 
 Love did gain its holiest store, 
 W'hile fulfilling the law's demands 
 
 Blood did stream from every pore. 
 
 Did no bright angel from on high 
 
 Cry " Hold," when the cross dawned in view, 
 No ! hosts of angels may not try 
 
 To shield pure love from death's dark hue.
 
 JOHN THK BAPTIST. 75 
 
 Man's last need no dela}' can brook, 
 
 Justice reciuired a victim meet, 
 And love its heaviest burden took. 
 
 And trod its way with bleeding feet ! 
 Such love as this scorns martial aid, 
 
 No gold excels its hidden wealth. 
 The tree of life its form does shade. 
 
 With fair leaves for the nations' health. 
 Vainl}', then, did Saint Peter strive 
 
 To shield his Master from His foes. 
 Love's deepest sacrifice does hive 
 
 Her treasure tho' men's rage oppose ! 
 Nor did the friend unknown succeed, 
 
 To soothe the pain of Peter's loss. 
 With trembling steps he, too, did speed. 
 
 Alone, our Lord did bear His cross ! 
 But surely he, who risked his life 
 
 i\gainst the power of many foes, 
 With future knowledge, mid bonds rife, 
 
 Would speed truth's more glorious cause. 
 
 And thus, at length, in Heaven's light, 
 
 As scales fell from th' apostle's eyes. 
 The truth of God should bless his sight. 
 
 And fill his soul with glad surprise ! 
 Until, released from wearing pain, 
 
 From toil and sorrow's dark'ning ray, 
 True joy he should in fine attain. 
 
 In regions of eternal day. 
 
 JOHN THE BAPTIST. 
 
 Dweller in the desert bare, 
 Clad in robe of camel's hair. 
 Locusts as his humble fare 
 Receiving ;
 
 7" JOHN' THE BAPTIST. 
 
 \'eiled in show'r of flo\vin<:( locks, 
 John sips the honey from the rocks, 
 An angel's band round him flocks, 
 
 Reheving. 
 Tho' drear}' scenes meet the eyes, 
 Tho' flow'rs show not countless dyes, 
 i et his lot may princes prize 
 
 As treasure. 
 His robe shows not royal state. 
 No fond courtiers on him wait, 
 Angels view his course elate 
 
 With pleasure. 
 From the desert his voice rang, 
 Causing sinners man}- a pang, 
 Many men on his lips hang 
 
 Delighted ! 
 Publicans forgot their gold, 
 Sinners their deepest sorrows told, 
 Scribes listened with aspect cold. 
 
 Benighted ! 
 And yet, at times, his pure word, 
 The Pharisee's stout heart stirred, 
 Sadoc's faith became a gourd, 
 
 Perishing ! 
 Lo ! Herod in royal state, 
 Heard his words with joy unsafe. 
 Their mem'r}' in close debate 
 
 Cherishing. 
 
 But alas ! his lawless spouse. 
 Hailing the hour of carouse, 
 Seduced the king to rash vows. 
 
 Unwitting. 
 Too ashamed to break his oath. 
 Yet to slay John ev'n as loth, 
 Such good sparkled like wine's froth. 
 
 Soon flitting !
 
 SACRED POF.TRV. 
 
 Far above the storms of earth, 
 No more prey of godless mirth, 
 John has gained his second birtli. 
 
 Unending ! 
 Where true worth does ahvay dwell, 
 Unshaded by prison cell, 
 Where bosoms with rapture swell. 
 
 Low-bending. 
 
 77 
 
 ' I dwell among iitiiic oii'ii people.'' II Kings iv, 13. 
 
 Among my people I do dwell, 
 I sigh not for another's wealth ; 
 
 No thoughts of pride my bosom swell, 
 My highest joy ni}- mental health. 
 
 I envy not a king his throne, 
 
 Tho' he have vassals man}' an one. 
 
 Content I am, here would I stay ; 
 
 Mine is the sum of earthly bliss ; 
 Here I did spend my early day, 
 
 I claim no other place save tins ; 
 No single wish have I to roam. 
 Till God be pleased to call me home. 
 
 Ambition brings a load of cares, 
 The worldly minded forfeit rest, 
 
 Ill-gotten gains flee \mawares. 
 
 As soar the birds o"er mountain crest, 
 
 A moment tempt the roving eye. 
 
 Elude the gaze, and onward fly. 
 
 Some, who have much, do pine for more, 
 As daughters of the horse leach crave. 
 
 Till, stranded on a barren shore. 
 Their treasure buried in the wave, 
 
 They see how fruitless is their toil. 
 
 Ev'n as the captive's wear\- moil.
 
 78 RRI-LFXTIOKS. 
 
 1 love in\' house upon the lull, 
 
 The hrecz}- hei^^ht where I do straj-, 
 
 The garden fair, the gushing nil, 
 The calm retreat where I do pray ; 
 
 Free from alarm I spend my days, 
 
 New mercies call for daily praise. 
 
 For gold the merchant ploughs the main, 
 The miner toils for precious store, 
 
 But piety yields richer gain, 
 
 "Tis solace to the wretched poor ; 
 
 Treasures await the just on high, 
 
 ^^'hich God in merc\- shall supply. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. 
 
 Supposed to he those of Nero, sometime after listening 
 to St. Paul the second time, during his last trial. 
 
 Oh, how majestic is that look. 
 
 How persuasive is that tongue. 
 No foul deceit does his soul brook, 
 
 The bane of the old and young ! 
 
 As I do scan his sober mien, 
 
 And his features calm surve)', 
 Then I recall the face serene 
 
 Of my tutor, Seneca. 
 
 His well-known form appals mine eye, 
 
 As when in a sliroud inclosed, 
 Tho' I planned his death with the joy 
 
 That tigers have oft disclosed. 
 
 How happ}' seemed m_v \'ou.thfid prime. 
 When 1 spent my days aright,
 
 RF.IT.F.CTIONS. 79 
 
 When, niliT nrw of man}' a clime, 
 1 loatlicd ni\' ]K)\vcr to write. 
 
 IJut pride and folly laid me low, 
 
 And perverted, all my ways, 
 With tears I think of man}' a saw. 
 
 Which I learnt in other days. 
 
 'J'he death of my jndicious friend 
 
 The keener makes my sorrow ; 
 And with footsteps prone I do slide, 
 
 With few hopes for the morrow. 
 
 Shall, then, another mentor try 
 
 To reclaim my soul from sin, 
 Tho' stained with crime of deepest dye. 
 
 Shall he thus m\' foul heart win ? 
 
 Not ev'n smiles of Poppaea's face 
 With their soft and subtle charm, 
 
 Nor all the wiles of maiden grace, 
 Could lure me to do him harm. 
 
 For two full years he lived in I^ome, 
 
 A m3'sterious power his guard. 
 And christians found my house a home. 
 
 Without either watch or Avard. 
 
 Yet when dark fate wrapped Rome in flame, 
 
 The christians I blamed alone ; 
 And fiercely did my ire proclaim. 
 
 As in pitch}' shirts the}- shone. 
 
 A thousand furies me pursue, 
 
 A thousand spectres gibber ; 
 Each morn and eve my pains renew. 
 
 To Hee I know not whither. 
 
 * When N'cro began his reign, he was just, Hheral, and huiiane 
 When about to sign the first death-warrant, he e>:claimed with 
 seeminsf concern, "' would to heaven that 1 had never learnt to 
 write ! "
 
 So REFLECTIONS. 
 
 All ! who sliall save me from my woes, 
 And give me that rest I crave ? 
 
 Rome thro" me may dispense her laws, 
 Yet I am an abject slave. 
 
 Oh, shall I then for mercy sue, 
 And to heav'n pour out my cry ? 
 
 Nay, Nero, to thyself be true, 
 That noblest of men must die!
 
 (8i) 
 
 A GLOSSARY Or DIALECT WORDS. 
 
 A\ all 
 
 Aboon, above 
 Afore, before 
 Aither, each 
 Alang, along 
 An', and 
 Ance, once 
 'At, that 
 Auld, old 
 Aw, all 
 
 B. 
 Bairns, children 
 Bandster, one who binds 
 
 sheaves. 
 Bauld, bold 
 Bield, shelter 
 Blavving, blowing 
 Brudders, brothers 
 Bygane, bygone 
 Beet, to add fuel to fire 
 Bevers, thrills 
 Burnie, brook 
 
 C. 
 
 Cauld, cold 
 
 Carry, the firmament or 
 sky 
 
 Cushat, a wood pigeon 
 
 Croodles, coos 
 
 Croft, a field, a small piece of 
 inclosed ground adjoin- 
 ing a dwelling house. 
 
 D. 
 
 Daur, dare 
 
 Ding, to worst, to push. 
 
 Duir, door 
 
 Dulefu', sorrowful 
 
 Een, eyes 
 'Em, them 
 
 F. 
 Fa', fall. 
 Fadder, father 
 Faither, father 
 Fa'ing, failing 
 Fa'n, fallen 
 Favv, fall 
 Frae, from 
 Frien's, friends 
 Fu' full 
 
 G. 
 
 Gae, go 
 Gie, give 
 Gang, go 
 Gowld, gold 
 Gowlden, golden 
 Gowans, daisies 
 Glints, peeps 
 Gracefu', graceful 
 Guid, good 
 Gudely, goodly 
 Gude, good
 
 82 
 
 A GLOSSARY OF DIALECT WORDS 
 
 H. 
 
 Hae, have, 
 Hame, home 
 Haw, hall 
 Hair'st, harvest 
 Hev, have 
 Heb'n, heaven 
 
 I. 
 
 Ither, other, one another 
 Ingine, genius, ingenuity 
 Ingle, fire, fireplace 
 Ilk or ilka, each, every 
 
 J. 
 Januar', January 
 
 K. 
 
 Kens, knows 
 
 L. 
 
 Lake, to play 
 Lang, long 
 Lambies, lambs 
 Lav'rock, lark 
 Loe, love 
 Lowe, a flame 
 Lown-liggin, lyingin a shel- 
 tered situation 
 
 M. 
 Mair, more 
 Mae, more 
 Mony, many 
 Maen, moan 
 Mavis, song thrush 
 Mither, mother 
 Mudder, mother 
 
 N. 
 
 Nae, no 
 
 Neebor, neighbour 
 Neames, names 
 Ner, than 
 Noo, now 
 
 O. 
 
 O', of 
 Offen, often 
 Ow'r, over 
 
 Poor tith, poverty 
 
 R. 
 Raired, roared 
 Reca', recall 
 Roosed, praised, commende d 
 
 S. 
 
 Sae, so 
 Saft, soft 
 Saftly, softly, 
 Scheuil, school 
 Seyed, tried 
 Sidlins, sidelong 
 Slee, sly 
 ; Slypes, falls over, as a wet 
 
 furrow from the plough. 
 Snawy, snowv 
 Sodgers, soldiers 
 Stooks, shocks of corn 
 Sune, soon 
 Syne, since, ago, then after 
 
 that 
 
 T', the 
 
 Throstle, thrush 
 Thur, these
 
 A GLOSSARY OF DIALECT WORDS. 
 
 83 
 
 Thae, these 
 Thowts, thoughts 
 Titties, sisters 
 Tu, too 
 
 U. 
 
 Upo', upon 
 
 W. 
 
 Wa', wall 
 Wae, woe 
 Waesome, sorrowful 
 
 Wean, child 
 Weel-kend, well known 
 Win's, winds 
 Wha, who 
 Wimples, meanders 
 Wud, with ■ 
 
 Y. 
 
 Ya, one 
 Yak, oak 
 Yance, once 
 Youthfu', Youthful
 
 T. Wilson, Printer, K 
 
 endal.
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 14, Line 3. — For " the " read " me." 
 ,, 18, ,, 8. — For " cooling" read " cool." 
 ,, 46, ,, 15. — For " the balm " read " balm."
 
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