5499 THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES DRYBURGH ABBEY OTHER POEMS. DRY BURGH ABBEY OTHER POEMS. CHARLES SWAIN, ENGLISH MELODIES, ETC. London: Simpk'ui, Marshall, iS^ Co., Paternoster Roxv. Manchester : A. Ireland &= Co., Pall Mall. 1868. I'll ARCHIBALD W 1 X l' E R HOTT () .\[ , ESQ., THIS VOLUME IS I N S C R I U K D , SINCERE ArPRECIATlON AND AFFECTION: .IL-*^.! .*"-*» v Men are agents for the future ! As they work, so ages win Either harvest of advancement, Or the product of their sin I Follow out true cultivation — Widen education's plan ; From the majestj- of nature Teach the majesty of man ! Take the spade of perseverance : Dig the field of progress wide ; Every bar to true instruction Harrow out and cast aside ! Give the stream of education Broader channel, bolder force ; Hurl the stones of persecution Out, where'er they block its course ; Seek for strength in self-exertion ; . Work and still have faith to wait ; Close the crooked gate to fortune ; Make the road to honour straight ! Take the spade of perseverance : Dig the fisld of progress wide : Every bar to true instruction Harrow out and cast aside ! y ^P^)^ CONTENTS FAGE. Dryburgh Abbey 7 The Angel-watch, or the Sisters 13 What is Noble? 15 Work and Win 17 Isabelle de Croye 20 Spiritual Vision 23 The Mother 25 The British Bow 27 To the Night Wind 29 The Other Day 31 Human Progress 34 Something Cheap i 37 Liking and Disliking 39 The Voice of Night 40 Rebecca ^ 41 The Slumberers 42 The Fisherman's Children 46 Tent of Abraham 49 There are Two Ways to Live on Earth 52 The Schooner 54 Fairies and Flowers 59 Contents. PAGE. They are Xo More 62 The Village Queen 63 Boyhood 66 A Love-dream 68 The Child and the Angels 69 The Lost 70 Love's Remonstrance 72 The Home-bound Bat k 73 The Peasantry of England 75 The Blind Boy Dying 76 Sabbath Chimes 79 The Escaped Convict 80 Death of the Warrior King 83 The Beautiful 85 Thoughts on the Stars 88 'Tis a Love-thought , 92 'Twas Yesterday 93 The Suliotc 95 Faith 97 DRYBURGH ABBEY. "T"^^ ^WAS morn — but not the ray which falls the summer boughs among, When beauty walks in gladness forth, Avith all her light and song ; 'Twas morn — but mist and cloud hung deep upon the lonely vale, And shadows, like the mngs of death, were out upon the gale. For He whose spirit woke the dust of nations into life— That o'er the waste and barren earth spread flowers and fruitage rife — Whose genius, like the sun, illumed the mighty realms of mind — Had fled for ever from the fame, love, friendship of mankind ! 8 Drybicrgh Abbey. To wear a wreath in glory wrought his spirit swept afar, Beyond the soaring wing of thought, the light of moon or star ; To drink immortal waters, free from every taint of earth — To breathe before the shrine of life, the source whence worlds had birth ! There was wailing on the early breeze, and darkness in the sky. When, with sable plume, and cloak, and pall, a funeral train swept by ; ISIethought — St. Mary shield us well I — that other forms moved there, Than those of mortal brotherhood, the noble, young, and fair ! Was it a dream % — how oft, in sleep, we ask, " Can this be true % " Whilst warm Imagination paints her marvels to our view ; — Earth's glory seems a tarnished crown to that which we behold, When dreams enchant our sight with things whose meanest garb is gold ! W^as it a dream ? — methought the " dauntless Harold " passed me by — ' The proud "Fitz-James,"' with martial step, and dark intrepid eye \ Dry burgh Abbey. That " Marmion's" haughty crest was there, a mourner for his sake ; And she, — the bold, the beautiful ! — sweet " Lady of the Lake." The " Minstrel " whose last lay was o'er, whose broken harp lay low, And with hina glorious " Waverley," with glance and step of wo ; And " Stuart's " voice rose there, as when, 'mid fate's disastrous war, He led the wild, ambitious, proud, and brave " Vich Ian Vohr." Next, marvelling at his sable suit, the " Dominie " stalk'd past. With " Bertram," " Julia," by his side, whose tears were flowing fast ; " Guy Mannering," too, moved there, o'erpowered by that afflicting sight ; And " Merrilies," as when she wept on Ellangowan's height. Solemn and grave, " Monkbarns " appeared, amidst that burial line ; And " Ochiltree " leant o'er his staff, and mourned for "Auld lang syne !" Slow march'd the gallant "Mc. Intyre," whilst "Lovel" mused alone ; Yox 07ice, "Miss Wardour's" image left that bosom's faithful throne. lo Drybui'gh Abbey. With coronach, and arms reversed, forth came " Mac Gregor's" clan — Red " Dougal's " cry peal'd shrill and wild — " Rob Roy's " bold brow look'd wan : The fair " Diana " kissed her cross, and bless'd its sainted ray ; And "Wae is me" the "BaiUie" sighed, "that I should see this day ! " Next rode, in melancholy guise, with sombre vest and scarf, Sir Edward, Laird of EUieslaw, the far-renowned " Black Dwarf;" Upon his left, in bonnet blue, and white locks flowing free — The pious sculptor of the grave — stood " Old Mor- tahty !" « Balfour of Burley," " Claverhouse," the " Lord of Evandale," And stately " Lady Margaret," whose wo might nought avail ! Fierce " Bothwell" on his charger black, as from the conflict won ; And pale " Habakkuk MucklewTath," who cried " God's will be done !" And like a rose, a young white rose, that blooms mid wildest scenes, Passed she, — the modest, eloquent and virtuous " Jeanie Deans;" DrybtLvgh Abbey. ii And " Dumbiedikes," that silent laird, with love too deep to smile ^ And " Effie," with her noble friend, the good "Duke of Argyle." With lofty brow, and bearing high, dark " Ravens- wood" advanced. Who on the false '' Lord Keeper's" mien with eye indignant glanced : — Whilst graceful as a lonely fawn, 'neath covert close and sure, Approached the beauty of all hearts — the " Bride of Lamraermoor !" Then "Annot Lyle," the fairy queen of light and song, stepped near. The "Knight of Ardenvhor," and he, the gifted Hieland Seer; "Dalgetty," "Duncan," "Lord Monteith," and " Ranald/' met my view ; The hapless "Children of the Mist," and bold " Mhich-Connel Dhu !" On swept " Bois-Guilbert"— " Front de Boeuf"— " De Bracy's" plume of wo ; And " Coeur de Lion's" crest shone near the valiant "Ivanhoe;" While soft as glides a summer cloud " Rowena" closer drew, With beautiful " Rebecca," peerless daughter of the Jew ! 12 Dry burgh Abbey. Still onward like the gathering night advanced that funeral train — Like billows when the tempest sweeps across the shadowy main ; Where'er the eager gaze might reach, in noble ranks were seen Dark plume, and glittering mail and crest, and wo- man's beauteous mien ! A sound thrill'd througli that length'ning host ! niethought the vault was clos'd, Where, in his glory and renown, fair Scotia's bard reposed ! A sound thrill'd through that length'ning host ! and forth my vision fled ! But, ah ! — that mournful dream proved true, — the immortal Scott was dead ! The vision and the voice are o'er ! their influence waned away Like music o'er a summer lake at the golden close of day: The vision and the voice are o'er ! — but when will be forgot The buried Genius of Romance — the imperishable Scott % The Angel-watch. 13 THE ANGEL-WATCH, or THE SISTERS. A DAUGHTER watched at midnight Her dying mother's bed; For five long nights she had not slept, And many tears were shed: A vision like an angel came, Which none but her might see; " Sleep, duteous child." the angel said, •' And I will watch for thee !" Sweet slumber like a blessing fell Upon the daughter's face ; The angel smiled, and touched her not, But gently took her place ; And oh, so full oi human love Those pitying eyes did shine, The angel-guest half mortal seemed — The slumberer half divine. Like rays of light the sleepers locks In warm loose curls were thrown ; Like rays of light the angel's hair Seemed like the sleeper's own. 14 The Angel-watch. A rose-like shadow on the cheek, Dissolving into pearl; A something in that angel's face Seemed sister to the girl ! The mortal and immortal each Reflecting each were seen; The earthly and the spiritual With death's pale face between. O human love, what strength like thine ? From thee those prayers arise Which entering into Paradise, Draw angels from the skies. The dawn looked through the casement cold- A wintry dawn of gloom. And sadder showed the curtained bed, — The still and sickly room : " My daughter % — art thou there my child ? Oh, haste thee, love, come nigh, That I may see once more thy face, And bless thee, ere I die ! If ever I were harsh to thee. Forgive me now," she cried; " God knows my heart, I loved the most When most I seemed to chide; What is Noble? Now bend and kiss thy modier's lips, And for her spirit pray !" The angel kissed her; and her soul Passed bhssfuUy away ! A sudden start !^what dream, what sound, The slumbering girl alarms ? She wakes — she sees her mother dead Within the angel's arms ! She wakes — she springs with wild embrace — But nothing there appears Except her mother's sweet dead face — Her own convulsive tears. WHAT IS NOBLE? WHAT is noble ?— to inherit Wealth, estate, and proud degree ?- There must be some other merit Higher yet than these for me ! — Something greater far must enter Into life's majestic span, Fitted to create and centre True nobility in man. What is noble ? — 'tis the finer Portion of our mind and heart, Link'd to something still diviner Than mere language can impart : 1 6 What is Noble? Ever prompting— ever seeing Some improvement yet to plan; To uplift our fellow being, And, like man, to feel for man ! What is noble ? — is the sabre Nobler than the humble spade? — There 's a dignity in labour. Truer than e'er Pomp arrayed ! He who seeks the Mind's improvement Aids the world in aiding Mind ! Every great commanding movement Serves not one, but all mankind. O'er the Forge's heat and ashes, — O'er the Engine's iron head, — Where the rapid shuttle flashes. And the spindle whirls its thread : There is labour, lowly tending Each requirement of the hour, — There is genius, still extending Science, and its world of power ! 'Mid the dust, and speed, and clamour. Of the loom-shed and the mill; 'Midst the clink of wheel and hammer. Great results are growing still ! Though too oft, by Fashion's creatures. Work and workers may be blamed, Commerce need not hide its features, — Industry is not ashamed ! Work and Win. 1 7 What is noble ? — that which places Truth in its enfranchised will, Leaving steps, — like angel-traces, That mankind may follow still ! E'en though Scorn's malignant glances Prove \{vm. poorest of his clan. He's the Noble — who advances Freedom, and the Cause of Man ! WORK AND WIN. ATTEND, oh, Man, Uplift the banner of thy kind, Advance the ministry of mind : The mountain height is free to climb, - Toil on, — Man's heritage is Time ! Toil on ! Work on and win : — Life without work is unenjoyed ; The happiest are the best employed ! — Work moves and moulds the mightiest birth. And grasps the destinies of earth ! Work on ! 1 8 Work and Win. Work sows the seed ; Even the rock may yield its flower, — No lot so hard, but human power, Exerted to one end and aim, May conquer fate, and capture fame ! Press on ! Press onward still; In nature's centre lives the fire That slow, though sure, doth yet aspire; Through fathoms deep of mould and clay, It splits the rocks that bar its way ! Press on ! If nature then Lay tame beneath her weight of earth. When would her hidden fire know birth % Thus Man, through granite Fate, must find The path,— the upward path, — of Mind ! Work on ! Pause not in fear; Preach no desponding, servile view,-^ Whate'er thou will'st thy Will may do ! Strengthen each manly nerve to bend Truth's bow, and bid its shaft ascend ! Toil on ! Work and Win. 19 Be firm of heart; By fusion of unnumber'd years A continent its vastness rears ! A drop, 'tis said, through flint will wear; Toil on, and Nature's conquest share ! Toil on ! Within thyself Bright morn, and noon, and night succeed,- Power, feeling, passion, thought and deed; Harmonious beauty prompts thy breast, — Things angels love, and God hath blest ! Work on ! Work on and win ! Shall light from Nature's depths arise, And thou, whose mind can grasp the skies, Sit do^vn with Fate, and idly rail % No — onward ! Let the Truth prevail ! Work on ! 20 Isabelle de Croye. ISABELLE DE CROYE. ON, soldiers of St. Louis ! — On, gallant youths of France ! Ride for the Boar of Ardennes — upon him with the lance ! Upon him — spur and spare not, until his blood be spilt ; — And he — the curs'd of Heaven — lie as deep in gore as guilt ! Think of our noble Prelate — that white anointed brow, All cloven by the brutal axe— and spur for Vengeance now ! Think of the murderer, De La Marck, and of his ruffian horde — And on them, like a thunderbolt, with arrow, spear, and sword ! And fast and far — from hall and tower — prince, peer, and knight sweep by, The banners of the fleur-de-lis rush, like a storm, on high! And many an upward gaze is cast — as rank by rank march on, Where crowd the fair and beauteous o'er the gateway of Peronne. Isabelle de Croye. 21 There, lovely as the face of morn, when light hath kissed its cheek. And golden clouds around its brow in grace and beauty break ; The love of every minstrel lute — the theme of every lay — Fair Isabelle de Croye appeared, and bore all hearts away ! Yet she — for whom e'en royalty had sought, and sued in vain, — She, whom the Prince of Orleans had perill'd life to gain; The shrine of every soldier's hope, the star of every glance. Prefers a knight of Scodand to all the peers of France. While swiftly 'neath the battlements, in chivalrous array. Advance the spears of Crawford, of Crevecoeur, and Dunois ; The thoughtful cheek of Isabelle waxed pale as if with woe. Till Quentin, and the Scottish guard, sprang forth in gallant show ! Then flushed her brow with crimson — then throbb'd her snowy breast — And love, in every glance and grace, came beauteously confest ; 2 2 Isa belle de Croye. Oh, scarcely could her trembling breath the simplest word command, When Quentin's favour'd lance convey'd a letter to her hand ! " Farewell, love, ne'er to see me more — or see me crown'd with fame ! To win thy hand I first must win a Hero's lofty name ; And I have vowed by Scotia's saint ! — by Honour's sacred shrine ! That yon bright orb shall see me dead— or Conquest see me thine ! " Farewell ! thine hand is still the prize for which I venture all ! And if — oh, if — dear Isabelle, despite of hope, I fall ! Forget not 'mid the courtly throng, when others bend the knee. The heart that 'mid the battle died— and died still loving thee !" spiritual Visiojz. i'^ J SPIRITUAL VISION. A WANDERING of the soul, as though it dreamed; A world of thought — a spirit kingdom found — The immortal portion from its clay redeem'd, Reaching eternity at one bright bound ! A dream ? a vision 1 — no, this gorgeous Night, These marvels beaming from a realm unknown, Shine not without, within is all their light — A mystery mirror'd m the soul alone ! Within, we have Eternity within ! — Yet, ever seeking, know not what we seek ; Possessing more than Prophets sought to win — Yet, feeling darkness, shrink — and dare not speak ! With hands stretched ever o'er that gloomy sphere. Dividing earth from heaven, where all seem fled; We call — but from the void no voice, once dear, Brings us immortal accents from the dead ! The symbol of our hope dissolves away 'Midst tombs, unmindful of their sacred trust, We question ashes, — commune with decay, — And read Mankind's brief elegy — in dust I 24 spiritual Vision. » 'I'he footsteps of a future doom we hear, Against whose coming nought may e'er avail; And vague presentment of some evil near, Falls on our heart and turns its current pale. We tread upon the verge of mighty things; We grasp the veil, but with unseeing mind; Death hides the light, the soul, unconscious, brings- And on the ed* 68 A Love-dream. A LOVE-DREAM. BY the village hawthorn seated Waits a village maiden fair; In her ear are sounds repeated She hath heard elsewhere. Why hath happiness such fleetness, Wings that never rest % When did memory's words of sweetness Dwell in sweeter breast % Lonely lies the field before her In the twilight hour, Yet the face of her adorer Smiles from leaf and flower. Inward is her loving vision, Inward lists she to her heart ; In a world of thought Elysian, Where time has no part. Lost in dreams of tender feeling, She forgets her cottage birth; Lost in all love's fond revealing, She is far from earth. Truly but she dreameth greatly, Nobly doth the maiden fare; She is in a mansion stately Wedded lady to the heir ! The Child a7id the Angels. 69 Wake her not — too soon love waketh — Soon is lost its world of dreams; Like a golden bubble, breaketh All that most enduring seems ! Brigliter heaven her soul is seeing In her trance than aught above ; Lost the whole of outward being In the inward Hfe of love ! THE CHILD AND THE ANGELS. T HE Sabbath- sun was setting slow, Amidst the clouds of even ; "Our Father," — breathed a voice below- " Father, who art in Heaven !" Beyond the earth — beyond the cloud — Those infant words were given; " Our Father," — angels sang aloud — " Father, who art in Heaven ! . " Thy kingdom come" — still from the ground. That child-like voice did pray; " Thy kingdom come" — God's hosts resound- Far up the starry way ! 70 The Lost. '• Thy will be done," — with little tongue, That lisping love implores; " Thy will be done," — the angelic throng- Sing from seraphic shores ! " For ever," — still those lips repeat. Their closing evening prayer; " For ever," — floats in music sweet — High 'midst the angels there ! THE LOST. THE lost ! oh, what are they, the dead ? Alas, there is a grave To which the many Lost have fled, We might, yet would not save ! Lost time, which never more can be ; Lost joys, whose sun hath set; Lost friends, whose tomb is Memory, Whose memory is Regret ! How like a churchyard is the heart, By buried relics crossed ; The dead are but a tithe, a part Of what the Heart hath lost ! The Lost. 71 The dead have an immortal dower, O'er which the soul may muse; But, oh, the Lost ! there 's not an hour We live yet nothing lose ! Ah, me ! the mystery of fate, The sorrow and the thrall, How quick we learn to estimate What we can ne'er recall ! Lost hope, that, like an arkless dove, Hath fled this world of care ; Lost peace, lost happiness, lost love, Dispers'd, like things of air ! Yon sphere that shines from earth so far Finds yet some earthly trace; How many a loved and lofty star Hath perished from its face ! Oh, stars of heaven ! and can ye fall \ Can ye by storms be tossed % Alas for hope ! alas for all We loved, and we have lost ! E'en Nature for her Woods deplores. Earth for her Cities gone, Ocean for empires, and for shores O'er which her tides sweep on ! Nor heaven, nor earth, nor man, escapes, Nor element, nor clime ; All bow before that Hand which shapes The mysteries of time ! 72 Loves Remonstra7ice. LOVE'S REMONSTRANCE. I. WHAT ! for a word — an idle word ? And more in jest than earnest spoken ] Were I to note each breath I heard My heart would soon be changed — or broken ! 'Tis not when words are stueetest said, Love's living flower blooms there to meet us ; The flower of love may still be dead. Although its fragrance seem to greet us ! Then weigh not thou a word so slight, Nor keep thy gentle bosom grieving; The tongue that finds things ever right, Believe me, love, 's a tongue deceiving. II. Oh, if my heart had sought thee less. Mine eyes loved less to wander round thee, That word of wounded tenderness — That hasty word had never found thee. The dew that seeks the Sun's fond gaze, His golden lips in gladness beaming; Meets death within his smiling rays — His gilded fondness is but seemijig! Then weigh not thou a word so slight Nor keep thy gentle bosom grieving; The tongue that finds things ever right. Believe me, love, 's a tongue deceiving. The Home-bound Bark. 73 THE HOME-BOUND BARK. '" I ^IS the winter deep ! JL And the sea-fowl sweep Afar o'er the gloomy tide; And the wild waves dash, 'Neath the signal's flash, Where the foamy tempests ride. II. And dark and drear, On the seaman's ear. Hang's the vulture's ravening cry; Like the startling breath, Of some fiend of death, In wait for the souls that die. III. The sails are rent — The stout mast's bent — And the helm and bowsprit gone; And fast and far, 'Midst the billowy war, The foundering bark drives on. 74 The Home-bound Bark. IV. The shriek and prayer, And the wan despair, Of hearts thus torn away. Are seen and heard By the ravening bird In chase of his drowning prey. V. Oh, many a sire. By the low red fire. Will wake through this night of wo- For those who sleep 'Neath the surges deep, Ten thousand fathom low ! — VI. And many a maid. In the lonely glade. For their absent love deplore ; And watch and wail For the home-bound sail No sun will see return ! VII. Mourn not for the dead. On their sandy bed. Nor their last long sleep deplore ; But mourn for those. In their home of woes. Who weep for evermore ! The Peasantry of England. 75 THE PEASANTRY OF ENGLAND. THE Peasantry of England, The merry hearts and free ; The sword may boast a braver band- But give the scythe to me ! Give me the fame of industry, Worth all your classic tomes ! God guard the English Peasantry, And grant them happy homes ! II. The sinews of old England ! The bulwarks of the soil ! How much we owe each manly hand, Thus fearless of its toil ! Oh, he who loves the harvest free. Will sing where'er he roams, God bless the English Peasantry, And give them happy homes ! "](> The Blind Boy Dying. in. God speed the plough of England ! We'll hail it with three cheers; And here 's to those whose labour planned The all which life endears ! May still the wealth of Industry Be seen where'er man roams; A cheer for England's Peasantry ! God send them happy homes ! THE BLIND BOY DYING. MOTHER — Sister — are ye near me ? I awake with closed eyes; Eyes still dark — but let me hear ye- Bless the blind boy, ere he dies ! Is the snow-drop come ? dear mother, Oh ! I thought at its last birth I should never hold another Snow-drop in my hand on earth ! Something ever in its springing Seemed my very heart to touch; June, with all its roses bringing, Never made me weep so much ! The Blind Boy Dying. 'j'j 'Twas a sympathy, a feeling I could scarcely understand; When I 've felt the tear-drop stealing O'er the snow-drop in my hand. So, when I am dead, dear Mother, When your poor blind boy is gone; Let the snow-drop, and no other, Rest his little shroud upon. It shall go with me to heaven — It shall bloom at Jesu's feet — And, when God my sight hath given, // my vision first shall meet. Weep not, mother ! —Though I'm weeping. There 's no sorrow in my tears. Should I mourn to wake from sleeping In those sight-restoring spheres 1 Yet I love — so love — that blindness, Sweet is here, as sight above ! Seraphs cannot show thy kindness. Angels cannot match thy love, No: there is but one — one mother; Earth but one such heart can find ; And I know thou 'It love no other As thou lov'st thine own — thy blind I yS) The Blind Boy Dying. And I know each Sabbath morning Thou my grave wilt bend before, With some flower its stone adorning, Though I ne'er can thank thee more. Oft the sunhght will be stealing O'er my dark, cold, burial home, Like a glance of God revealing Tidings of a world to come. Oft the summer birds will warble, Warble sweetly as of yore ; Whilst these lips lie mute as marble — All their sighs and sufferings o'er! Oh, sometimes, I shiver, mother — Shudder at the thought of death, But I strive and strive to smother That which trembles on my breath : God will keep me, God will aid me, He will calm this timorous mood; For in all I have obeyed thee, Sought, dear mother, to be good. Clasp me closer, — closer, — nearer; Lift my throbbing head more high ; Oh ! I love you dearer, dearer. Every moment that I die ! When in heaven my God hath given Sight, where blindness now hath place. It will be a second Heaven There to see my Mother's face. Sabbath Chimes. 79 SABBATH CHIMES. THERE'S music in the morning air, A holy voice and sweet, Far calhng to the House of Prayer The humblest peasant's feet. From hill, and vale, and distant moor, Long as the chime is heard. Each cottage sends its tenants poor For God's enriching Word. Where'er the British power hath trod, The cross of faith ascends, And, like a radiant arch of God, The light of Scripture bends ! Deep in the forest wilderness The wood-built church is known; A sheltering wing, in man's distress. Spread like the Saviour's own ! The warrior from his armed tent, The seaman from the tide, Far as the Sabbath chimes are sent In Christian nations wide, — Thousands and tens of thousands bring Their sorrows to His shrine, And taste the never-failing spring Of Jesus' love divine ! 8o The Escaped Convict. If, at an earthly chime, the tread Of million, million feet Approach whene'er the Gospel's read In God's own temple-seat. How blest the sight, from Death's dark sleep, To see God's saints arise; And countless hosts of angels keep The Sabbath of the skies ! THE ESCAPED CONVICT. HE trod his native land, The bright land of the free; His forehead wore a seared brand — Impress of infamy ! His brow — where youth and beauty met— Yes, there the seal of guilt was set. II. He gaz'd upon the vale, Where spring-tide flow'rets slept, Rock'd by the whispers of the gale ; He saw it — and he wept : Like drops which page a storm they came, Tears born in agony and shame. The Escaped Convict. 8 1 III. Morn sat upon the hills, But she look'd cold and dim, Clouds, like a pall which death conceals, Hung frowning there on him : All, e'en his lov'd, his mother land, Scowl'd on his forehead and the brand. IV. My sire ! my sire ! he groan'd; My home ! my lovely one ! What sire ? he hath his child disown'd — What home? I — I have none: I hear all curse — I see all shun : Yet curse not thou — not thou — thy son ! V, I saw her struck, whose cheek Did myriad sweets disclose; Whose eyes, whose form — but wherefore speak — I saw ! — my heart-blood rose : — She loved me, she was sworn my bride — I stabb'd the striker, and he died ! — VI. For this — the record lies Fest'ring upon my brow; For this — the rabble mock'd my cries ; For this — shame haunts me now ; For this — half rotted I must be. Ere my dead brow from stain is free. 82 The Escaped Convict. VII. My own, my beauteous land, Land of the brave — the high; I ask'd but this of fate's stern hand — To see thee — and to die ! — O ! yes, my country, let me be In my last hour — in deatli — with thee. VIII. The moon look'd on the vale, Wearing her starry wreath. And soft display'd a form, that, pale Lay there alone — with death : The zephyrs drew a length'ned sigh, And slow the convict's corse pass'd by. IX. 'Twas said that lovely night A spirit youth was seen Gliding among the flow'rets bright, The trees, and meadows green; And chiefly by a cot, and there It wept, and melted into air. Death of the Warrior King. 8 a w;)^M»»"j ^^mt MflgWy" WTT^ IM^MtfJ ^fe & rrrrrVi ^^ THE DEATH OF THE WARRIOR KING. I. THERE are noble heads bow'd down and pale, Deep sounds of woe arise, And tears flow fast around the couch Where a wounded warrior lies ; The hue of death is gathering dark Upon his lofty brow, And the arm of might and valour falls Weak as an infant's now. II. I saw him 'mid the battling hosts. Like a bright and leading star, "Where banner, helm, and falchion gleam'd. And flew the bolts of war: When, in his plenitude of power, He trod the Holy Land, I saw the routed Saracens Flee from his blood dark brand. 84 Death of the Warrior King. III. I saw him in the banquet hour Forsake the festive throng, To seek his favourite minstrel's haunt, And give his soul to song: For dearly as he loved renown, He loved that spell-wrought strain Which bade the brave of perished days Light conquest's torch again. IV. Then seem'd the Bard to cope with Time, And triumph o'er his doom — Another world in freshness burst Obhvion's mighty tomb ! — Again the hardy Britons rushed Like lions to the fight; While horse and foot — helm, shield, and lance Swept by his vision'd sight ! But battle shout and waving plume, The drum's heart-stirring beat. The glittering pomp of prosperous war — The rush of million feet — The magic of the minstrel's song. Which told of victories o'er, — Are sights and sounds the dying king Shall see — shall hear no more ! The BeatUiful. 85 VI. It was the hour of deep midnight, In the dim and quiet sky, When, with sable cloak and broider'd pall, A funeral train swept by : Dull and sad fell the torches' glare On many a stately crest — They bore the noble warrior-king To his last dark home of rest. ^ THE BEAUTIFUL. THERE 'S beauty in the soft, warm, summer morn, When leaves are sparkling with the early dew; When birds awake, and buds and flowers are born, And the rich sun appears, half trembling, through The crimson haze, and dim luxurious blue Of the far eastern heavens; — there's beauty deep From mountain-tops to catch the distant view Of quiet glen — wood-path — wild craggy steep — Or cool sequester'd coast where lonely waters sleep. 86 The Beautiful. II. There 's beauty in the noontide atmosphere ; When willows bend their graceful boughs to meet The fountain waters — delicately clear; — When mid-way heaven the wild lark carols sweet; There 's beauty m the tender traits which fleet Along the skiey shores and isles of gold, — That seem just formed for holy angels' feet, — Gleaming with gifts of an immortal mould ! God, could thy name be lost, while men such scenes behold \ III. There 's beauty in the still, blue hour of night, When streams sing softly through the moonlit vale; When, one by one, shoot forth the stars to light. Dreamy and cold, and spiritually pale : — There's beauty on the ocean, when the gale Dashes the merry billows to the strand ; When like a phantom flits some wand'ring sail, White as the moonbeam on the glittering sand, And distant flute-notes rise, touched by some skilful hand. IV. There 's beauty on the quiet lake afar. When wild-birds sleep upon its voiceless breast; — The lonely mirror of a single star. Pale shining in the solitary west; The Beautiful. 87 There 's harmony and beauty in that rest — So placid — stirless — lonely — and so deep — We scarcely move, or dare to whisper — lest A word should break the magic of that sleep, And start the spirit nymphs who watch around it keep! There 's beauty on the mountains — when the snow Of thousand ages on their forehead lies; Purple and glittering in the sun-set glow, The gala light of the Italian skies: — When gorgeously the clear prismatic dyes Illumine ice-built arches — crystal walls That, like the Mirrors of the Spheres, arise; Or proud magician's visionary halls, Arrayed for merry masques — for pomps and carnivals. VI. There 's beauty in the old monastic pile. When purple twilight, like a nun, appears Bending o'er ruin'd arch— and wasted aisle — Majestic glories of departed years, — Whilst dark above the victor-ivy rears Its sacrilegious banner o'er the shrine. Once holy with a dying martyr's tears; Yet amidst dust — and darkness — and decline, A beauty mantles still the edifice divine ! 88 Thoughts on the Stars. VII. All beauty is the Mind's ! — The dews of earth, Her loveliest breathings — her serenest skies Ne'er warm'd such noble feelings into birth, As from our own imaginations rise; The bright, illuminated memories Which are the rays of the soul's world ! — the gay. And fond creations of our youthful eyes : — Beauties which set not with the setting day ; But hold a life within — a charm against decay ! THOUGHTS ON THE STARS. S' TARS of the solemn night, Mute prophets of old time. What mark ye on your calm and beauteous flight O'er distant shore and clime ? Retains the queenly Earth Her majesty of air — The brightness of the morning of her birth, When Deity moved there % Still, silent gaze ye down, Pale watchers of the hour; Miss ye the lost, the old seraphic crown God placed in Eden's bower? TJionghts on the Stars. 89 Miss ye the seraph-wings That dwelt with earth of old ? Shows Night no more the soul-inspiring things Her hosts could erst unfold % Hear ye, by Chebar's stream, The angels sing no more ? Fled is the inspiration of that theme ? Is all its music o'er % The olive and the vine Flourish in beauty still; But when will shape, or sound, or sight divine, Hallow fount, vale, or hill % Hush'd is the Delphian lute. The Olympic laurel gone; The triumphs of Athenian song are mute; But ye, ye still shine on. I mark ye flashing free. Yet marvel 'midst your light That ye, who watch'd the Saviour's agony. Could e'er again look bright. Empires have shrunk to dust; Crowns crumbled 'neath your sway; Sceptres and thrones, whereon the Mighty trust, Fallen, like meaner prey. go Tho2ights on the Stars. Sage, seer, and prophet fam'd, To you their hours have given ; Ye by the bard immortal have been nam'd The poetry of heaven. And yet not so; if power, Passion, and grandeur, be The elements of that mysterious dower, Clouds are heaven's poetry : When they at sunset wear The mantle of their god. And with their gorgeous presence all the air Seems as by angels trod. Or when from storm beneath The lightning leaps afar, Like God's avenging sword from out its sheath- Oh, match not with the star. The poetry of clouds ! The passion and the naight. Which at one stride the howling ocean shrouds, And shakes the throne of Night. Clouds are heaven's poetry — Whirlwind and tempest make These their wild heralds o'er the shrieking sea. Whilst hearts with terror ache. Thoughts on the Stars, 9 1 No; beautiful ye are. And fair as woman's love; And to the poet dear is every star His eyes yet found above. But not to you is given The character to change, And mark the varying poetry of heaven — Ye have a bounded range. Nor need the bard deny What every moment tells, Clouds are the rnxohty features of the sky, And there expression dwells. Youth, hope, and beauty, meet To celebrate your worth ; Ye to the lover and the muse are sweet As aught beheld from earth. Ye cheer the cloister'd flower, When night sits cold and dim ; Or list the lonely nun at twilight-hour Breathe low her vesper-hymn. All sacred feelings seem To hail the light ye shed ; Prophets have knelt, and bless'd the starry beam That first to Jesus led. 92 ^Tis a Love-thotight. Oh, when my setting day- Leaves dark the path I trod, Still lead my thoughts upon your heavenly way. And light my soul to God. 'TIS A LOVE-THOUGHT. "nr^IS a love-thought hidden X In a maiden's breast. Which, though sweetly chidden. Will not let her rest. She, in golden vision Of her love, hath wreath'd Feelings more Elysian Than e'er tongue hath breath'd. Every sorrow losing In the passion wrought, There she sitteth musing O'er her one sweet thought. Still her fate unseeing, Love doth all impart ; Beauty fills her being, Melody her heart. *Twas Yesterday. 93 'TWAS YESTERDAY. >'T~^WAS yesterday! — oh! solemn sound, X Heard oft as idle breath, Yet, prophet-like, to all around It speaks of woe and death ! A mourner by the Past it stands, In mystic mantle of decay, — Shrouds in the night of years its hands. And grasps all life away ! High from the boundless vault of time. The stars of empire veer : 'Twas yesterday they beam'd sublime. The mightiest in their sphere ; 'Twas yesterday reveal'd to fate, The rival crowns of centuries flown, Show'd where a phantom sat in state, Upon the Caesar's throne. We hope, — but what we hope the shroud Wraps from our weeping sight ; We aim at stars and clasp the cloud, — Seek day, and find but night ! 94. 'Twas Yesterday . Ah ! who with hfe's dread woes could cope, If 'twere not for that Faith sublime, Which sees the Ararat of Hope Above the floods of time ! What, then, is yesterday 1 — a key To wisdom most divine, — It is the hall of memor}-. Where Fame's brief trophies shine : The spiritual home of things. Where intellect immortal beams. Which lends to thought its holiest wings, — Inspires the noblest themes ! A drop, that mirrors forth a world, Then mingles with the earth : A star from Time's vast empire hurl'd, Slow falling from its birth : A presence with the sacred past. To warn our spirits of delay, — Which saith, "Proud man, lo-day thou hast. Use well thy little day /" a-^-* The SuHoie. 95 THE SULIOTE. I LIVE for Immortality, And Time to me is nought ; Death hath no torture for the free, No power with terror fraught ! Beyond the fetter and the brand, The tyrant's red control ; I seek the everlasting land ! — The Sabbath of the Soul ! 11, Ye urge me to betray the friends, For whose brave blood ye thirst; Show me the bribe your tyrant sends To purchase deed so curst ! Display the wealthy argosy, This treachery to win ; To blast the counsels of the free — And steep my name in sin ! 96 The Siiliote. III. Away ! the gold was never found That yet might shake my faith : Bring — bring your felon racks around — A Suliote fears not death! — His home is like the eagle's nest, Inviolate and high; Freedom the idol of his breast, For which 'tis dear to die ! IV. List ! — ^tis the war-cry of the brave ! Hear ye that thrilling cheer? — They come — whose every step 's a grave. For each assembled here ! Marshall your stern and countless hordes ! Oh, vain and powerless show ! There lives a spirit in our swords That slavery ne'er may know ! Off : — I have heard a voice that fills With treble strength these veins; Back, — back! — the fire that lights our hills Shall melt the tyrant's chains ! God of the Just ! be thou my shield ! My fate be in thy hand ! — He dashed amidst the hostile field, — He gained his native land ! Faith. 97 FAITH. FROM the anguish of the spirit Came a moan, — A moan of utter dreariness, A sigh of inward weariness, Of confidence o'erthrown ! "When — when shall man have resti" it cried; And through the dark on every side, A voice, half heard, half lost, replied, In syllables sublime — " When thy Faith hath wings to waft her, — Light to climb, Rest shall meet thy soul hereafter I — Wait thy time!" From the giant head of Alps, Bearded by the avalanche. Thousands winters yet shall blanch, Came a moan ; And the torrents leapt aside. As above them still replied. High in solitude subUme, " Rest is in the Great hereafter ! Wait thy time!" qS Faith. From the broad Atlantic ocean, With an everlasting motion, As in pain. Swept that wandering voice, distrest, — "When — oh ! when — shall Man have rest?" And above the raging blast, That, 'mid clouds, the billows cast, Rose a strain, Higher than the storm could climb, — " Rest is for the Great Hereafter, Wait thy time !" Then the darkness stept aside. And the glory multiplied. As an avenue of light Shewed an angel to the sight: Slowly to the spirit, chained Unto sorrow, that complained, - She approached — and as she trod, Comfort, like a breath of God, Fell upon that spirit bent. In its own abandonment; And those eyes, with sudden grace. Turned upon that angel-face With a perfect hope, and said, " Blessed be the Holy One ! Blessed, — may His will be done." Faith. 99 And before the words were gone, Suddenly the angel fled; — But within that heart renewed, Like a chime. Rang the melody sublime, — " When thy Faith hath wings to waft her, light to climb, Rest shall meet thy soul Hereafter ! — Wait thy time." A, Ireland and Co., Printers, Manchester. Second Edition. SONGS AND BALLADS, BY CHARLES SWAIN. Price One Shilling, in extra cloth. ©ptnt'ons of t^f ^rfss. "A volume well calculated for popularity." — Athenmum. " In this charming volume there are ample proofs of the truly poetical character of the author's intellect, as well as of its alternate vigour and manliness, its tenderness and touching sensibility. It has been well said of his principal poem, that 'we know not which most to admire, its mind or its heart, its soul or its dress ;' and similar language may appropriately be used of the present collection : they are all short productions : and they are all exquisite, simple, unaffected, natural, tasteful, and full of thought and feeling." — Morning A dvertiser. "This volume comes recommended by the author's high and well merited reputation. One of his best qualities is a native vigour, sweetness, and wholesomeness, a truth of feeling, and absence of affectation, alike akin and grateful to our English nature. All can understand and be better for reading these songs. Many of them are worthy to take root in our literature." — Sltarpe's London Magazine. "The merits of this poet have been already acknowledged ; a man of fine intellect, Mr. Swain possesses a poetic vein of much vigour and true pathos. As a lyrist, he is entitled to take rank with the best reputations ; he has fancy and fervour, associated with both sentiment and thought, and feels as grandly as Wordsworth the throbbings of the human heart. He is, likewise, the poet of progress, and looks onward and upward, flattering no particular interest, but desiring the benefit of the common weal, urging forward to the utmost improvement, both society and the individual." — Douglas Jerrold's Weekly News. "Charles Swain's 'Songs' are amongst the sweetest and the purest gems of poetry that the English language contains. We know of no living poet who has written so many exquisitely beautiful specimens of lyrical com- position. Whatever Swain does, he does with the hand of an artist He is a bom poet." — Family Herald. "True in feeling, pure in thought, and graceful in versification. Asa lyric poet, Mr. Swain has for many years held his place among the best writers of that class during the present generation." — Art younial. " The most pleasing originality of thought, elegance of metre, and refine- ment of sentiment ; poems that will lose nothing by comparison with the shorter poems of the author of ' Childe Harold.' " — BclVs Messenger. " Exceedingly beautiful ; here and there we meet with a touch of poetry, a thought or an image so delicately conceived and so chastely expressed, that we are sometimes at a loss to remember anything of the kind equally beautiful." — Sunday Times. "They are 'Songs' of the most charming character; nationally true, in the best sense of nationality ; and nationally good, in the best sense of poetical composition. Can we wonder that the author's productions have been so universally successful, and that they are copied and quoted wherever the English language is spoken?" — Literary Gazette. "The author e.xhibits great skill and cleverness, — the poems are well adapted to be married to music, — they possess much of that sportiveness and point which, in the mouth of a good singer, or even reader, are irresistible."— ^-/ff^^z/c^. "They are full of grace, tenderness, ease of versification, and unexpected naivetd, while invariably inspired by a pure and healthy morality." — Manchester Guardian. " It is not too much to say that for musical adaptability, Mr. -Swain's poems are unsurpassable ; whilst they all give token of their being the charming children of a highly cultured, a sj'mpathetic, and thoroughly pure and healthy mind ; and marked as they are by the most refined tenderness of expression, which proclaims their writer to be one to whom the manliest thoughts and aspirations are constantly familiar." — City News. "The author of 'The Mind,' and other poems equally well known and appreciated, needs little recommendation at the hands of the critics. The 'Songs' are remarkable for their simplicity, yet elegance of diction: they are essentially English in tone and spirit, and the volume merits a dis- tinguished place among our poets." — Church and State Gazette. "One of England's sweetest bards. Charles Swain belongs to the noble brotherhood of poets who sing divinely of the divine in man ; and who, appealing to all that is best and highest in human nature, promote virtue and truth, by the influence of love alone. Of such are the moral regenera- tors of the world." — Eliza Cook's younial. " Charles Swain is one of our best song writers : in his present volume he has shown that he possesses the happy talent of writing words well adapted for music. Many of our first class poets have failed in this. It is, in fact, a peculiar branch of the poetic art Charles Swain stands first in the foremost rank in this department." — Liverpool Chronicle. "Charles Swain's reputation has been long made, and is well established. His name has been familiar and honoured in English literature through many a year. A healthy, kindly, lofty spirit breathes through all the strains of this true poet. The reader finds the universal sympathy with all sorts and conditions of men in every joy and sorrow, in the graceful verse, now solemn and anon gay, in which the poet appeals to his fellow-men, or records his ex- perience of their common lot." — Morning Post. "Surely no poet has ever written more directly from the heart — and that a true and kindly one — embodying in graceful verse thoughts, emotions, and aspirations with which every generous nature must sympathise. Mr. Swain's poetry is entirely free from false sentimentality. Here is no morbid self- contemplation, but the genuine utterances of a thoughtful and poetic nature, viewing all things with a large-souled humanity. Many of these verses have been already married to music, for which they are indeed well adapted from their flowing smoothness and felicity of language, their graceful tenderness, and the home feeling which generally pervades them. If simplicity, grace, and tenderness, with passion (when the subject demands it), are, as we believe, the essential requisites in a song, the contents of this volume give ample proof that Mr. Swain has most successfully complied with these conditions." — Exatnincr and Times. This book is DUE on the last date stamped below lOm-ll, '50(2555)470 THE LIBRAKH ^ UNIVEKSITY OF CALIFORMV UBRftRVfAClLlTV AA 000 376 374 5 PR Sh99 S985d