ON INCIVILITY SHEWN HIM AT INVERARY. WHOE'ER he be that sojourns here, Unless he come to wait upon The Lord their God - his Grace. There's naething here but Highland pride, COMPOSED ON LEAVING A PLACE IN THE HIGHLANDS WHERE HE HAD BEEN KINDLY ENTERTAINED. WH WHEN Death's dark stream I ferry o'er In Heaven itself I'll ask no more, ON READING IN A NEWSPAPER THE DEATH OF JOHN M'LEOD, Esq., BROTHER TO A YOUNG LADY, A PARTICULAR FRIEND SAD thy tale, thou idle page, Death tears the brother of her love From Isabella's arms. Sweetly decked with pearly dew Fair on Isabella's morn The sun propitious smiled, But, long ere noon, succeeding clouds Succeeding hopes beguiled. Fate oft tears the bosom cords Were it in the poet's power, Dread Omnipotence alone Can heal the wound he gave, Can point the brimful grief-worn eyes To scenes beyond the grave. Virtue's blossoms there shall blow, And fear no withering blast; There Isabella's spotless worth Shall happy be at last. ON THE DEATH OF SIR JAMES HUNTER 'HE lamp of day, with ill-presaging glare, THE Dim, cloudy, sank beneath the western wave; The inconstant blast howled through the darkening air, And hollow whistled in the rocky cave. Lone as I wandered by each cliff and dell, well, Or mouldering ruins mark the sacred fane; The increasing blast roared round the beetling rocks, The clouds, swift-winged, flew o'er the starry sky, The groaning trees untimely shed their locks, And shooting-meteors caught the startled eye. The paly moon rose in the livid east, And 'mong the cliffs disclosed a stately form, In weeds of wo that frantic beat her breast, And mixed her wailings with the raving storm. Wild to my heart the filial pulses glow, 'T was Caledonia's trophied shield I viewed: Her form majestic drooped in pensive wo, The lightning of her eye in tears imbued. Reversed that spear, redoubtable in war, Reclined that banner, erst in fields unfurled, That like a deathful meteor gleamed afar, And braved the mighty monarchs of the world. "My patriot son fills an untimely grave!” With accents wild and lifted arms she cried : "Low lies the hand that oft was stretched to save, Low lies the heart that swelled with honest pride. "A weeping country joins a widow's tear; "I saw my sons resume their ancient fire; "My patriot falls but shall he lie unsung, "And I will join a mother's tender cares, Through future times to make his virtue last; That distant years may boast of other Blairs!". She said, and vanished with the sweeping blast. TO MISS FERRIER, ENCLOSING THE ELEGY ON SIR J. H. BLAIR. NA AE heathen name shall I prefix Auld Reekie dings them a' to sticks, Jove's tunefu' dochters three times three But, gien the body half an e’e, Last day my mind was in a bog, Do what I dought to set her free, My saul lay in the mire; Ye turned a neuk - I saw your e'e The mournfu' sang I here enclose And [wish and] pray in rhyme sincere, A' gude things may attend you! |