Fair cities, gallant mansions, castles old, And forests, where beside his leafy hold The sullen boar hath heard the distant horn, And whets his tusks against the gnarled thorn: Palladian palace with its storied halls; Fountains, where Love lies listening to their falls; Gardens, where flings the bridge its airy span, And Nature makes her happy home with man; Where many a gorgeous flower is duly fed With its own rill, on its own spangled bed. And wreathes the marble urn, or leans its head, A mimic mourner, that with veil withdrawn Weeps liquid gems, the presents of the dawn: Thine all delights, and every muse is thine : And more than all, the embrace and intertwine Of all with all in gay and twinkling dance! Mid gods of Greece and warriors of romance, See! Boccace sits, unfolding on his knees The new found roll of old Mæonides; But from his mantle's fold, and near the heart, Peers Ovid's Holy Book of Love's sweet smart! 1 O all-enjoying and all-blending sage, Long be it mine to con thy mazy page, Where half conceal'd, the eye of fancy views Fauns, nymphs, and winged saints, all gracious to thy muse! I know few more striking or more interesting proofs of the overwhelming influence which the study of the Greek and Roman classics exercised on the judgments, feelings, and imaginations of the literati of Europe at the commencement of the restoration of literature, than the passage in the Filocopo of Boccaccio, where the sage instructor, Racheo, as soon as the young prince and the beautiful girl Biancofiore had learned their letters, sets them to study the Holy Book, Ovid's Art of Love. "Incominciò Racheo a mettere il suo officio in esecuzione con intera sollecitudine E loro, in breve tempo, insegnato a conoscer le lettere, fece leggere il santo libro dovvidio, nel quale il sommo poeta mostra, come 1 santi fuochi di Venere si debbano ne' freddi cuori accendere." Still in thy garden let me watch their pranks, And see in Dian's vest between the ranks Of the trim vines, some maid that half believes The vestal fires, of which her lover grieves, With that sly satyr peeping through the leaves ! 1828. 1829. PHANTOM OF FACT A DIALOGUE IN VERSE AUTHOR A LOVELY form there sate beside my bed, And such a feeling calm its presence shed, A tender love so pure from earthly leaven, That I unnethe the fancy might control, 'Twas my own spirit newly come from heaven, Wooing its gentle way into my soul! But ah! the change-It had not stirr'd, and yet Alas! that change how fain would I forget! That shrinking back, like one that had mistook! That weary, wandering, disavowing look! 'Twas all another, feature, look, and frame, And still, methought, I knew, it was the same! FRIEND This riddling tale, to what does it belong? Is't history? vision? or an idle song? space Of time this wild disastrous change took place? AUTHOR Call it a moment's work (and such it seems) This tale's a fragment from the life of dreams; But say, that years matur'd the silent strife, And 'tis a record from the dream of life. 1830. 1834. SCOTT LIST OF REFERENCES EDITIONS * Moks edited by William Minto, 2 volumes, Edinburgh, al Works, edited, with revision of text, by W. J. Rolfe, Poetical Works, edited by Andrew Lang, 2 volumes, The pany. Poetical Works (Globe Edition), edited by F. T. Mcmillan Company (not complete). Complete Works stion), edited by II. E. Scudder, Houghton & Mifflin. Poems e Poets), 5 volumes, The Macmillan Company. Complete 6. Prmatie Works (Riverside Edition), 5 volumes, HoughMarmion (Students' Edition), edited by W. J. Rolfe, You& Vitlin. * Marmion (Longmans' English Classics), edited by BIOGRAPHY AVART (J. G.), Life of Sir Walter Scott (The standard biography). ex (R. H., Scott, English Men of Letters Series (containing two of excellent criticism on Scott's poetry). YONGE (C. D.) Scott, Wsturs Series. See also ScOTT's Journal and Letters. CRITICAL ESSAYS, ETC. Jerry (Lord Francis), Edinburgh Review, No. 32, Art. 1, Lady of Pe Lake ; No. 36, Art. 6, Vision of Don Roderick; No. 48, Art. 1, Lord of the Isles. Also in his Critical Essays. HUGO (V.), Littérature et Philosophie (1834). CARLYLE, Miscellanies, I. * RUSKIN, Fors Clavigera. *SHARP (John C.), Aspects of Poetry; Homeric Spirit of Scott. * PALGRAVE (F. T.), Introduction to Globe Edition of Scott's Poetical Works. SAINESBURY (G.), Essays on English Literature (Second Series). ROSSETTI (W. M.), Lives of Famous Poets. STEPHEN (Leslie), Hours in a Library, Vol. 1. PRESCOTT (W. H.), Biographical and Critical Miscellanies. LANG (A), Letters to Dead Authors. LANG (A.), Essays in Little. HOWELLS W. D.), My Literary Passions. HAY (John), Speech at the Unveiling of the Bust of Scott in Westminster Abbey. CROCKETT (S. R.), The Scott Country. BELL (C. D.), Some English Poets. BROOKS (S. W.), English Poetry and Poets. DAWSON (W. J.), Makers of Modern English. DEVEY (J.), Comparative Estimate of Modern English Poets. MINTO (W.), Literature of the Georgian Era. PIERSON (William), Epic Poems of Walter Scott, REED (H.), Lectures compared with the like Poetry of Thomas Moore. on British Poets. RUSHTON (W.), Afternoon Lectures. SWANWICK (A.), Poets the Interpreters of their Age. WILSON (J. G.), Poets of Scotland. SCOTT WILLIAM AND HELEN See Lock Imitated from Bürger's Lenore. FROM heavy dreams fair Helen rose, With gallant Frederick's princely power But not a word from Judah's wars With Paynim and with Saracen Our gallant host was homeward bound Green waved the laurel in each plume, And old and young, and sire and son, Full many a maid her true-love met, Nor joy nor smile for Helen sad, For none could tell her William's fate, The martial band is past and gone; And in distraction's bitter mood "0, rise, my child," her mother said, Nor sorrow thus in vain ; A perjured lover's fleeting heart "O, Mother, what is gone is gone, Death, death alone can comfort me ; "O, break, my heart, O, break at once! Drink my life-blood, Despair! No joy remains on earth for me, 66 'O, enter not in judgment, Lord!" "O, say thy pater-noster, child! "O mother, mother, what is bliss? My William's love was heaven on earth, "Why should I pray to ruthless Heaven, "No sacrament can quench this fire, "O, break, my heart, O, break at once! Be thou my god, Despair! Heaven's heaviest blow has fallen on me, And vain each fruitless prayer." Forbear, my child, this desperate woe, "O mother, mother, what is bliss? Wild she arraigns the eternal doom, She boat her breast, she wrung her hands, Till sun and day were o'er, And through the glimmering lattice shone The twinkling of the star. Then, crash! the heavy drawbridge fell The clank of echoing steel was heard And slowly on the winding stair And hark! and hark! a knock - tap! tap! A rusting stifled noise : Dor latch and tirkling staples ring: At length a whispering voice, *Twain awake, arise, my lore! Now, Nolen, dost thou fare? Wakse zion, or sleep'st! langa thon, "Let the wind howl through hawthor bush! This night we must away; The steed is wight, the spur is bright: I cannot stay till day.' "Busk, busk, and boune! Thou mount'st behind Upon my black barb steed: O'er stock and stile, a hundred miles, We haste to bridal bed." "To-night-to-night a hundred miles!-O dearest William, stay! The bell strikes twelve-dark, dismal hour! O, wait, my love, till day!" Look here, look here-the moon shines clear Full fast I ween we ride : Mount and away! for ere the day We reach our bridal bed. "The black barb snorts, the brid rings; Haste, busk, and boune, and seat thee The feast is made, the chamber spread, The bridal guests await thee.” Strong love prevailed: she busks, sh bounes, She mounts the barb behind, And, hurry! hurry! off they rode. The flashing pebbles flee. And on the right and on the left. "With song and clang at morrow's dawn Ye may inter the dead: To-night I ride with my young bride To deck our bridal bed. "Come with thy choir, thou coffined guest, To swell our nuptial song! Come, priest, to bless our marriage feast! Come all, come all along!" Ceased clang and song; down sunk the bier; The shrouded corpse arose : And forward! forward! on they go; "O William, why this savage haste! No room for me?"-" Enough for both : Speed, speed, my barb, thy course!" O'er thundering bridge, through boiling suige, He drove the furious horse. Tramp! ramp! along the land they rode. Splash! splash! along the sea; The urge is wight, the spur is bright, he flashing pebbles flee. led past on right and left how fast Each forest, grove, and bower! n right and left fled past how fast Each city, town, and tower! Dost fear? dost fear? The moon shines clear, Dost fear to ride with me?— urrah! hurrah! the dead can ride!”—__ O William, let them be! See there, see there! What yonder swings And creaks, mid whistling rain?"Gibbet and steel, the accursed wheel; A murderer in his chain.— |