spiritual vision

POEMS
&
SONGS
THE
SPIRITUAL
VISION
BY
fOHN
MACLEOD
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POEMS AND SONGS
BY
JOHN
MACLEOD
SOMETIME PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH LITER ATU RE, ETC.
LONDON
AU TH OR OF “ THE SPIRITU AL VISION ”
SECOND
EDITION
interne**
PRINTED BY THE NORTHERN COUNTIES NEWSPAPER AND PRINTING
AND PUBLISHING COMPANY, LIMITED
DAIN AGUS ORAIN
LB
IAIN
MACLEOID
CULKEIN-STORE
AU TH OR OF “ T H * SPIR ITU AL V lt lO N ”
SECOND
EDITION
Inbhirni*
AN EACHDRAIDH THUATHACH
IN THE FIRST EDITION.
TO THE
R everen d
GEORGE HENDERSON, M.A., B .L i t t ., P h .D .,
MINISTER OF EADAR-DHA-CHAOLAIS,
AND LECTURER ON CELTIC LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW,
I d e d i cate t b is little Bookt
IN TOKEN OF MY AD M IRATIO N FOR YO U R LEARN ING AN D SCHOLARSHIP,
AND FOR THOSE H IG H ER ENDOWMENTS W H ICH A RE THE SPECIAL
D O W RIES OF THB TRUE CH RISTIAN.
A n d ,-------“ When that fell arrest
Without all bail shall carry me away,
My life has in this line some interest
Which for memorial still with thee shall stay.”
JOHN McLEOD.
I little thought when writing the above Dedication to my friend
that I should survive him. But he is not dead: he lives, and will
always live as an ideal Christian character, enlightened by great
learning, in the memory of every one who knew him, or may for ev»r
know him.
To
G E N E R A L J. W . S T E W A R T ,
Laird of Assynt.
F r ie n d s h ip , like all the moral virtues, is rooted in
.affection, and lives on mutual esteem and admiration.
Thie joy of it arises from the absolute confidence one
has inj the other, and thjat either feels he is worthy of
the other. This give® true friendship a dignity which
tends to ennoble each other’s character.
Humble in
self-estimation, but proud of the character and achieve*
ments of his friend, a man enfjoys life without ever
feeling old, for in this magnetic relationship of the
noblest and healthiest feelings of human nature he
becomes, and continues to be “ a boy eternal.”
I have been fortunate in having enjoyed the friend­
ship of several distinguished people, both good men and
good women, who have nearly all passed away; and now
that you, as another of the “ world's ornaments/ ’ have
come into my life, I feel that you were sent to me as
the “ Benjamin of my old 'age,” to make the sunset of
my life as bright as the “ sunrise gone.” In this spirit
I dedicate to you the following verses, written in our
dear mother-tongue, as «a small tribute of admiration
for your character and career— a small tribute indeed,
but still a pebble thrown by a pious hand upon your
monumental “ cairn.”
J ohn M cL eod .
Culkein, November, 1917.
PREFACE.
W
hen
on© takes the trouble to reiad a new book, he feels
naturally curious to know something about the author
of it, who he is, and what he is.
In order1to satisfy
this curiosity on the part of any one who peruses the
following Gaelic songs and poems of mine, I humbly
beg to introduce them with a very brief record of my
qareer.
To begin at the beginning, let me say that: I was
born inj the township of Oulkein-Stoer, and on the same
croft as my father, my grandfather, and my great
grand fat her were before m e; hjxb although: I .am thus a
native of Assynt, I have reason to believe that our
people came originally from Skye, and that our Chief
is McL eod of Dunvegan.
After ha,ving received a fairly good education in
the Free Church School here, and afterwards in Tain'
Academy, I went through my University curriculum in
Edinburgh, and finished my theological course under
Dr Caird in the University of Glasgow. But instead of
entering the ministry of the Church, of Scotland, I was
persuaded to accept a very promising appointment in
England, the senior mastership in the Grammar School
of Warminster. Here I had every prospect of success
in the scholastic profession, so much so, that I was
congratulated ini a letter from the late Archbishop
Thompson of Y ork ; but here, -alas, I was struck down
by a* severe illness, congestion of the left lung, which
very nearly carried me off.
8
On my recovery, and during my convalescence, I
resided with a relative of mine, Dr William McLeod,
C .B ., Inspector General, R .N ., and while recruiting my
health in his family, I was engaged in preparing his two
sons for professional examinations, one of them being
now a barrister, and the other a doctor of medicine.
After leaving Dr McLeod's family, I was engaged
successively as private tutor in some noblemen's families,
of whom I need only mention Sir Charles Tennant of
the Glen, Sir Frederick Graham of Netherby Hall, and
Lord Lawrence, late Governor-General of India.
These
were perhaps the happiest days of my life, for in each
family I was at home, and in each I have a correspondeint to this day.
I finally settled down, in London as a Lecturer
on English Literature, Philology, and Constitutional
History, in two of the best known institutions for
preparing men for Sandhurst and for the Civil Service
of India.
These latter were the finest and ablest men
I ever had to teach, and of course I could only instruct
them in my own special branch of learning. And here
again, and within prospect of the promised goal. I was
knocked on the head by a terrible fever, which shat­
tered my physical health, and even impaired my verbal
memory.
And this is the reason I am here, living in
the solitude and social isolation of Assynt.
I have not, however, been idle since I came here ;
for although I am nearly as poor as St Peter himself for
lack of silver and gold, yet I have had opportunities of
helping my crofter neighbours in many business ways,
and the sick among them with comfort and medical
treatment.
I have also secured for the township of
Oulkein ian excellent pier, which is a shelter and a
9
landing stage for the fishermen's boats; and from the
Government of the late Lord Salisbury I got a daily
local postman for the different townships of the district..
And thus I learn, and thus I feel, that he who helps to
bear the burden of his neighbour will find his own so
much the lighter.
I ought here to mention the name of His Grace the
late Duke of Sutherland? who, in hie well-known
generous and sympathetic nature, granted us a free
site, together with a contribution of £100, for the
building of this useful pier.
J. M.
Ctjlkein-Stoer, January, 1907.
AN
CLAR
IAOBHDUILLEIG.
Dedication
.
.................................................
Preface ...............................................................................
Gaelic Songs*—
Caismeaehd nan Gaidheal
&
7
•
...........................................................
H
Failte na Duthcha .........................................................................................
Na h’uile Latha Chi *s Nach Fhaic
..................................................15
Oran a Bhata
“ G’ait am Faic mi do Dhreach-Sa ”
17
..................................................19
Seumas Mac Coinnich, F.C, Elder, 1802-1889
.
.
•
.2 1
Ian Maccoinnich— Ogha do Sheumas
24
An T-Urramach Iain Eoss, 1813-1888 ..................................................27
Domhnull Macleoid, 1812-1875
....................................... ..........
. 30
Beannachd Leat, Aonghais
..................................................................... 33
Seonaid............................................................................................................ 34
Seann Ian agus Ian 0 g .
...........................................................
36
Aonghas Beg .
.........................................................................................39
Ian Macoidh, Hereford .....................................................................
41
Dol Fodha na Grein
...........................................................
Airidh Chulchinn
.
.
.
.
•
■
•
•
■
.4 3
•
.4 5
Air Chuimhne
.
............................................................................... 46
Adhlacadh an Ridire Iain Moore (Translation)
.
.
.
.4 8
Eachann Ruadh
......................................................................................... 50
English Songs—
Donald .
.
.
.
.
.
>
•
•
L a u r a ........................................................... .........
E. W .
•
•
■
52
53
Fare thee w e l l ............................................................................... 54
Little Mary .
.
.
.
................................................. . 5 6
Th@ Coronation of George V .— June 22, 1911
.
.
.
.5 7
Suilbhein Laments— The Duchess M illicen t........................................59
Emmeline Sarah Mary Archer
.
.6 0
General J. W . Stewart .
..................................................................... 63
To Roderick Macleod, our Highland Minstrel
.
.
,
.6 5
To our Boys at the Front
..................................................................... 67
11
C A IS M E A C H D N A N G A ID E A L .
Air Fonn—
Sloots w h a hae.”
I.
Nach cuala tusai an diugh ar sgeul,
A tha air aithris feadh nan sleibh,—
Claim nan Gaidheal, sliochd nan treun
A g ’èiridh gu bhi siaor!
S èisd : —
Eiribh, Eiribh, Eiribh ’chlann,
’ Chlann nan Gaidheal, ’shliochd nam beann*
’Fhuil nan gaisgich, nach bi mall
A g ’èiridh gu bhi saor!
ii.
Tha toirm Miactalla mu na bheinn
Tha gairm nam bnatach os ar cinn,
Tba spiorad ghaisgeach mile linn
A g eigheachd— ‘ ‘ Bithibh saor !’ *
h i
.
Chlann mhic Coinnich, 'chlann mhic Leo id,
Chlann gach brataich, shiol gach seoid,
Chlann nan Gaidheal, thigibh beo,
Is eiribh gu bhi saor!
IV .
Setas iair son gach bean is clann,
Seas air son gach còr & th’ ann,
Buail an t-ainneart bun-os-cionn,
Is dean an talaimh aaor!
12
F A IL T E N A D U T H C H A .
i.
Bi ag inns© dha ;n Uirinn,
Do Chuineag ’s do Shùilbhein,
O mhullach Stròin-chrùbaidh
Q-u seann Rhudha Storr,
Gu ;m faic iad mi tighinn
Chur fàilt’ orria rithisd
Miair chair dean ’s mar chinne adh
Mar rinn mi na m? òig;
Cha’n Jeil eadar Ashair,
Is Coigeach na h-airdo
Gnoc, bealach, no braghad,
Eilean, airidh na beinn,
Nach toireadh dhomh urram,
Ciad failt/ agus furan,
Nan t ’iginn o Lunnainn
Gu duthaich nan glinn!
ii.
Nar dh5 èirinn 'sa mhaduinn,
?Sa? ghrian air a casian
Thar bhmnntaicheian Asaint
?0 dhuthaich Mhic-Aoidh,
?S an uiseag ’s an fhaoileag,
’ S na ismeoraich ba chaoxnh leiarn
’ Doanamh cèol dha ’n an t-saoghal
L© furan gle bhinn ;
Co ’ n cridhe nach èireiadh
13
L© iorram cbo èibhinn—
Mactalla ga eigheachd
;0 chnoc agus beinn !
Mi fhein agus Màiri
Air mullacb na b-àiridh
’ Sa broilleadi cho àluinn
Ri èiridh na grein\
h i
.
Bta bbinn leam gach feadan
’O mhaduinn gu feasgar,
Bu ghreadhneaah gach. sealladb,,
'S ba taitneiacb gach fuaim ;
Bu cbeol leiam an cànran
Aig tonnan nia triagbaid,
Ged bbiodb iad ri ranail
Fo shlat na gaoith-Tuath;
Bia toil'am do chommun
O dhnithaich nja seall'ian
Ann an sambradh na lusan,
Na geamhradb na fuachd;
Ba sblàinte dhoinb t ’fhàileiadh,
’ Thìr dhlìgheaehid nan Gaidheal,
Si sin a rinn m ’ àrach
Mar dbaracb nan dual!
IV .
Thoir ma sboraidh gu Crona,
Far am b’aill leam bhi seòladh
Mar ri Ian MacDhomhnuill
Agus Aonghaisi M acAoidh;
Gus na seoid bbioidh air thoiseach
14
A ir d n iim
na fir dhosiacli,
’ B} a bliirlinn ga. froiseadh
Ann an corruich na gaoith!
Ba cheol leam a fatnam
Eadar shiùil agus sparran,
Agus toirmricih na mara
Our fàilt air na saoi!
Qh.a b' ionann leiam suidhe
A ir deireadh na luinge
Na giulan n,a cuing©
Air Oatbair an High.!
15
A H -U IL E L A T H A C H I 'S N A C H F H A IC .
Air Fonn—
A u l d L a n g S y n e /'
O ;s iomadh ceum a shiubhiail sinn
'0 bba sinn òg lo cheile,
?0 bha sinn g’ iomain -air an tràigh,
Gun tbrusgian oirnm ach feileadh.
S èisd : —
A b-uil© latha chi 's nach fhaic,
A h-uile latha a chi sinn,
Deoch slaint' mo charaid ni mi ol
A h-uile latha a chi sinn!
ii.
Bha sinn shios is bba, sinn sbuas,
An Lunnainn s' an Dunedin,
Ach b; annisa leam bhi ’n tir mam beann,
; S a siubhail ghleann 1© cheile.
h i.
’ S iomiadb maduinn sbamhraidh chiùin
A dbùisg sinn leis na ismeomich,
Nar bbiodb na sobhragan cho cùbhr’
’ S an dealt air barr nan neoinean.
16
IV.
'S ioanadh latha sheol sinn long,
A ir Loch-na-culai-fraoohaidh,
’ S ba bhòidheach i air bbarr nan tonn
Dol seacliiad Sgeir Nia Faoileiag.
v.
'S cha ro bròg na bonaid oirnn,
’ S ann agiadnn nadh ro feum orr’ ;
; S cha. ro; ionndrain -air a chorr
Ach commun oach a chèile.
VI.
O, na balaich bha sinn ann,
Gun bhionaidean, gun bhrògan !
Bia shoma saoghal a bhiodh ann
N a imaireadhj sin am comhmiidh ì
17
ORAN A B H A T A .
Air Fonn— ff Hail to the Chief.”
I.
Oiad fjailt’ air a» bhalach
Ba mhian leiaan ri fhaicinn,
Na sheiaeiamh cho fearail
A ir port a Chiulchinn;
Mlao Dhomhail mhic Uilleim
A st-’uireadh a ohulaidh
Nar she’ deadh tain doiniomar,
'S do ’ dh/ èirèadh na tuinn !
'S maithi chithear ’na Vaogas
Gur Leodach do chinneiadh,
Chia bhi mi 'na m/ aoniar
Ma bhios tu beò;
Oir bheir thru air ais dhoimh
Deadh iomhaigh! man giaisgeach,—
O Thormaid Mhic D hornhail,
Ho, H i, Bi, B o !
ii.
Nar dheiamadh tu suidhe
Air totain na luinge,
Aig guaillean nan gillean
'S ramh bràghad na d’ dhorn,
'S tu chuireadh a spionnadh
Ann an giubha® na sgothan,
'S-a bheireadh ’oith trotan
’ S na dosraich fo sroin;
*
18
Do bhonnan ri’ reangan
’ S i l©um ris na tonnan,
L© iorram na d; bhiloan—
B,a ^hinn ]eam a cheòl!
'Se sin a rinn diaoin©
Do Lcodich na Suain©,
O Thormaid Mhic Dhomhail,
Ho, H i, Hi, Ho !
h i
.
Oha’n ann ian am briogais
Nan Sassiumach bhionach
A dh’ àraich na bodiaiioh
’ O 5n thug thu do choir,
Ach a stiuireadh na birlinn
Troimh stnadhanan fhiadhaich
L©’ slios ris a chathadh
’ S a chualaich miai’ stròin;
N)ar sheideadh: an doinionn,
’ S nar dheireadh na tonnan,
Nar chaillear gach cladach
Le siad agus ceò,
’ Sin dhùisgeadh do spiorad
A ir a storm mar an iodair,
O Thormiaid Mhic Dhomhail,
Ho, H i, Ri, Ro !
19
“ C’A IT
AM
F A IC M I DO D H K E A C H -S A .”
Air Fonn— ff C&irsti Bhadcliasil
I.
Mar chiuin' shamhraidh thar bheianntaibh
Thia do lathaircachd fo m ’ choir,
Ann ,a,m flùran na miacbair,
Ann am feadan nan ooin.
S èisd : —
Gait’ am faic mi do dhreach-sa,
Cait' an cluinn mi do cheòl—
Fàile cùbhraidh na fluran
Fonn mhiaduinn nan coin.
II.
Bn tu solus mo smuainnteian,
Reult-mhiaduinn na spèur,
Flùr an t ’samhraidh ’san dealt air
Ann an dealreiadh na grei.n\
III.
’ S mi nach iarradh dhe 'n t-saoghail
Ach an Oigh ad ri m ? thaobh,
Air a dion ;o gach doinionn,
Ann am fasgadh mo ghaoil.
20
IV.
’ Niar a lùbadb na gasain,
’Niar a shracadh na siùil,
B ’e mo reultsa cbum istiùiridli
9Solus iùir tlm na d’ gnùis.
v.
Crìoch. saotbair troimli chruadail
Sonas buadhail na sors ’—
Ann am fochar mo leannan,
A ir a lasadh le’ gtaol!
SE U M A S M AC CO IN N IC H N A C H M A IR IO N N ,
1802— 1889 .
A
bha
re iomadh bliadhna "niai Fhoirfeach san Eaglais
I.
Buinidh dhomhsa, bhii feitheamh
Air a ghairm o* na Bhritheamh
Thug air f,albh Maighistir Iain
;Bha na eholus ;sia Storr;
Ach 'so leioiin mi na
gorta,
Mas do shlanuich a lot sin,
Gun a dh’ fhalbh four a noehd uainn
Bha na dhiadhair© mar !
’ S ann a Achanaciairnin
Fhuair mi sgeul a ta eràiteach
Gun a dh/ eug fear ba chrabhaich
’ Sa b* nails .anns an tir;
Co bia mhaisich’ na ’ bheusan
C am cleachdadh a. rèusan,—
Co thug barr orfc, a Sheumais,
Ann an deanadh na sith !
n.
Cha do thachair mi riamh riut
Nach do dh/ eiltich mo chliabh riut,
Cridhe gaisgeach na riaghailte,
tu mach iarradh bhi istrì' !
Ach lo gliocas do bhriathran
Agus cairdeiaei do rianian
Shaoir.
22
Anns mat doighean ba chialIaich',
'Toirt gach oomhradh gu brigh:
Bba do ghibhtean tbaobh njadur
A ir an deacbdadb 1© grasam,
Mar dhoadh tbocbradh o’n Ard-Bigh,
Saor mar sbolus na grein5;
Cba robh leth;-bhr©th ma d* thimchioll,
Cha robh mealladb na t ’iomchain,
Aeh aon aghaidh nam beannachd
A ir an t'saoghal gu lèir!
h i.
Cba robh mi riamh na do> chombradh
Nacb robb mo tboil na ba deonaich ’
Gu bhi oleiachdadh na còrach
Ann tan l©anmbainn do cheum;
Cha5n &nn 1© soilleir©acbd faoghluim
Bha thu tlachdmhor nia m ; sbuil©an,
Achl run diombair do ghiulain
’Toirt dhomb tuill©adb do lèirs;
Cha robh gruaim na do chreideamb,
Gba robb fuath na do theagasg,
Cba robh aiineolias ardain
Nia do spiorad gun fhoill;
B ’ fburasd fhaicinn na t ’ aogaisg
Gu robb thu taghta measg dbaoine,—
SoIub neambaidb air Viaodainn
Mar air altar na soills’ !
IV.
“ Sibhs© solus an t ’ saoghail 99—
Sin lan t ’ &earmoin ba chaomh l©at
Mar bba i leds >an Fhear- Shaoraidh
Air a seirm o na Bheinn;
’ S maith a ruigeìadh sin o r tsa ,
Bha tha fhèin na do sholus,
L© cumha giach beannachid 'san t-Soisgeul
N a’m b ’ umain miee gu isheinn;
’ S trio a thug thu air ais dhomh
Dearbh iomhiaigh nan abstol,
L©is gach samhla bh a bias da
C fheiatr-teiagiaisg nan gràs;
Agus shaoilinn an uair sin
Gu’n robhi a Spiorad m,a ’ n cuart duit
Lais tan d ’ thug e fhèin buaidh air
An uaigh ’a air a bha®.
v.
Ann a spioriadaliachd inntinn'
JS© do bhuanachds’ na chaill mi,
Dhuits© solue is laoibhneas,
Dhomhsa duibhr© is bron;
Ach bi; mi g ’ altrum do chuimhn©,
L©is na thubhairt ’s na rinn thu,
G©d tha iomhaigh ma chaill mi
Fad nia b/oidhch/ gu mo l©oin!
Orioch bhaannaicht’ an fhirean—
Duais ian t-seirblrsich dhilis—
Sonas isi'Orruidh na Rioghachd
Làn fhosgailt fo d’ choir!
Chia bhi bàs ann ni
mo,
B©atha shiorruidh air d’ shiubhal,
Gradh eiorruidh gu d’ chumail
Dlùth ri Oathair na Gloir; !
u
IA IN
M AO CO IN N ICH .*
Ogha Sheumais "Ic Coinnich air an cT rinneadh iomradh
mar tha.
Bha an duin'-nasal so na fhearteagisg fo laimh aJ
mhaighstir-sgoil ann an Ouloein-Stòrr.
*
I.
'S ioaniadb fear-gaoiil agus caraid
Dii’ fbàg mo Spiorad ro eòlach air bron,
Leis ma bba ;m bàs gu mo mbeialladb,
; S mi air turus tre ghleann nan deòir;
*S iamadh leasan a fhuair mi
Acb ;sei so f ear as cruaidhe gu mòr—
Mar is mò tba ?n cridhe toirt gaol
5S iann is cinnticb 5tbeid esian a leòin !
Mo cbaraide diliis a bba,
'So do bhàs ia cbuir smal air mo sbùil,
’ S nacb fbaic mi tuille gu bràtb
A n t-aon seialliadb air agbaidb na dutbcb7;
Bba mo chridb’ ann a solus do gnùis,
Mar tan t-sùil .ann a solus na grein, ?
Bba na h-udle ni soillear gu leoir
Ann a latbaimcbd cbo tiaitneacb riut fbein!
h i
.
Acb dh’ fbalbb a solus sin ’mam
S’ tba mo cbridb© mar bbantmch bbocbd,
Tba cumba fo* eallach a bhroin,
Ard laoibhneias na h-oigei cba lo t:
9
* Late Pupil Teacher in Oulkein School.
25
'S e cheisd a tha. Jnise ga'm chlaoidh
Ann an diomhaireachd aobhair mo lot,
Oar ison a tha Spiorad <a ghiaoil
Nia 'OÌghr ' air gach bròn agus olc ?
IV .
Mar dh' eilticheas eilid ri sruth
Ann a fàsach na tiormachd 's na teis,
Bh,a ’ n cridbe so g ’ eilteacbadh riut,
Fo aighear do* chomhradh Je> do phoars;
Tba lusan is àluinne 'snuiadh
Air a phoeadh ri meanghan na dris,
’ S tha 'n gràdh a thug mise dhuit fhèin,
Air a oheangial ri doruinn <a nis !
v.
'S ann bha mi ro shona gu deiarbh,
Ann ian oomhradh ri cuspair mo ghraidh;
'S ann tha mi nis© fo bhròn,
'S mi ’g ionndrainn na chaill mi na bhàs.
Mo' chrciach gu ?m 'oil spiorad a ghiaoil
Na oighr' air gach bròn agus cradh,
Ach b ; fhearr leam fhaighinn 's a chall,
Na idir gu 'n fhaighinn gu bràth.
V I.
Ann a stuiamachd a ghlioqais,
Ann a soil lei reachd tongs' agus ceill,
Ann an caiomhalachd naduir,
Ba tu òganach maiseiach nam beus;
5S nar ia shaoil mi gu ’n fhuair mi
Ouid a chaill mi tighinn beò annad fhèin,
*S ann a dh' eug thu gu h-aithghearr,
rS dh’ iath-bhaeaich mo chairdean gu leir.
26
V II.
Ach Thusa rinn cairdeas ri bròn,
Agus oo-cheiaingiail nuadh ris a, bhàs,
’ S ann annad tha dochas mam beò,
Agus aoibhneas do-labhairt na slaint’ ,
0 ! dooinich an dochas sin dhomhs'
Thug Aingeal na h-aiisieiridh mhàn—
Niar sheallas mi sios ann Ban uaigh
Gu ;n coinnich mi aingeal mo ghràidh
A N T -U R R A M A C H I A I N
ROSSr
1813— 1888 .
Tha eallach mo bhròin air mo chromadh^
’ S mi direadh nai bruthaich tha oas
*Smuaineachadh air na cha’ seachad,
’ S nach fhadgh mi ’san t-saoghal air ais,,
Ach Thusiai tha sioirraidh nw-atharruicht’ ,
O ! deonaich nach Bleamhnaich mo chas,
Guis a seas mi air Cathair an t-iseallaidh
Gu tir a gheallaidh, fad as !
ii.
;Se do bhàs, ’mhaighstir Iain,
Dh’ ath-bheothaich mo chuimhn’ air do chliù,
O' na chiaill mi do lathaireachd
’ S ann is soilleir’ a, chi mi do ghnùis;
Mar a bha thù na d’ bhuaidhean,
Tha thu nis ann a sealladh mo shùil—
Uiasal, iriosal, criosdal,
Agus criochean na firinn’ na d’ run.
h i.
Fo dhubharrachd sgàile* do bhais,
Ann an aonarachd spiorad a bhròin,
Thia miad mo mhialaid Js mo' chràdh,
Agus smuaintean mo chridb’ gu’m leòin ;
Mar bha thu maiseach na’ d’ bheus,
Bhia thu fearail fo shrian na cor7,
Cridhe gaisgeachi nam buadh,
Bha do thuig'se ’s do thruas cho m òr!
28
IV .
Ged cha’ thu sios a mo shealladh,
Gu mJ fhàgail a nochd ann® -an fhuachd,
Is ann gu sealbhachaidh sonais
Ann a foirfeachd na heath’ tha shuas ;
IVfiar reult sgiamhacb an fhieiasgair
Air dul sios an' lan doiimhneachd a chuain,
ann gu èiridh na *s glorm'hoir*
Ann an aodainn na maduinn 1© buaidh.
v.
Cha’n ,ann le diadhaidheaohd fhasain
Bhia thu cleachdadh bhi tomhas do cheum;
Cha’n ann le gibhtean a chealgair
Bha thu seidoadh na trompaid dhuit fhein;
Ach lo gràsan a fhuair thu
Anns gach buaidh a bha annad gu leir,
JS a rinn cho soilleir do roidoan,
Gus na ruith thu air thalamh do rèis.
V I.
?S iomadh maduinn ro ghlormhor,
’ N am tional na sgoiP ad shuas,
Lo samhanadh na h-oigo nam’ chridho,
Agus aodbhnoas na h-oig© ma’n ouairt,
’ Thigeadh ;tusa na ;m choineamh
Le .do chomhairl's do bheannachd mar dhuais,
’ S mar do ghloidh mi gach comhairl
Chum mi bheannachd a fhuair mi uait.
29
V II.
Ba cbartbanacb tairis do chomhradb,
Ko iochdmbor ri muinntir a bhròin;
Acb cionna® a db’ innsinn do dhoighean
Ged iai sgriobbmn do chliù 1© mo dbeoir !
’ S ann tba mi gun bhrosgail
?Toirt gutb do bbalbbacbd mo bhròin,
’Bbeir fìanais na’s buain ;air an duin©
Nia. ’cblacb tba mar cbuimbn* lair sa Storr
30
DOM HNULL
M A C L E O ID ,
1812-1875.
i.
Tba ceann mo rèiis tighinn fagus domh,
Tha/n oidhche ; tar ruing dlùth,
Tha nadur uile g’ inns© dhomb
Nach fhaic mi Jn tir ni’s m ò;
Tba m ’ fhooil a nis air failigeadh
Fo obumhachd iaois is bròin,
Mar shneachd .air mhullacb àrd a a ’m beann
Fo .aiteamh grèin is nooil.
ii.
O, ;s iomadh stoirm cha’ seacbad. orm,
0 ; dh’ eirich griam moi là,
A ir cuan na beatha 'Stuiroadh dhomh,
Gu trie foi tsipeuran doreh;
O, "s iomadh tonn cba; thairis orm
Lo sad bba fuachdaidb searbh,
Ga’m thilgeadh sios gun cbo-fhurtacbd
A ir doimbnoiacbd mbara garbh.
h i
.
}S a n n tba mi 'n diugb a/ ssamhlaehadh
Mo sta'd Js mo thrioblaid theann,
Ri fear nia sbuidb’ gu h’ aonarach
An luing gun shèoil gun ehranm;
A ir doimbneiaicbd fairg’ tba cianail loam
Gun tbir bhi id;r ann,
M i fhèin 7s mo chridbe doasbaireachd
A ir diomhaireachd na h’ am.
31
IY .
M.a.r sin their mi gu muladach
Gu trie ri m; chridhe truagh—
O ehridhe! ciod e tba dh’ uireas ort,
Le d; bhròn ;s le t ; amhghar chruaidh ?
*Se freagairt tha neo-shoLasiacli
A thig air ais gach uair,—
“ ’ S ann chaill mi feiar bha taitneach learn
Deadh chuep&ir graidh nam buadh!3’
v.
?Se thug mo lùth ’ s mo spiorad ’uam
Guth cumhiachdach a' bhàis,
A thiormaich suas an tobia,r isin
A shruth le h-iomadh gras ;
’ S ann dhJ fhàg sin annis an fhàsach mi
Gun lusan ann fo bhlàth,
Gun ni (air bith bheir co-fhurtachd,
Na driùchd o' n©amh bheir fast.
V I.
Ach ciod a feum bhi g ’ aithris dhomh
Ni dh’ fhag mo chridhe truagh,
Na ciod a furtachd inntinn dhomh,
Bhi deanamh ortea luaidh!
Cha thiormiaich © na suilean so
Tha sileadh dheoir gach nair,
JS cha dhuisg e suas an cadal sin
Tha agad anns »an uiaigh.
V II.
’ S ann bhia mo chridhe is m ’ aignean
An druid©adh riut cho dluth
nach d’ rinn do bhàs ach soilleir dhomh
Na chiaill mi na do ghnùis;
32
Nair chuimh5niche’,as mi na buaidhean ad.
Rinn taitneach thu na m’ shùil
’ S ann db’ iarainn laidhe ’n taca riut
Gu samhach anns1an ùir.
V III.
Is fuar ,an uaigh gum amharus,
Fo dhuibhre iomadh sgleò;
Is gruamach doroh an dachaidh i,
Gun bheath’ , gun ghluasd, gun cheòl
Ach seallaidh sùil a chreideimh rith
Mar thieamull Dhe nam beò,
Thlug buaidh air bàs le ais-eiridh,
’ S a chuairtich i 1© ghloir.
IX .
Ach Thus ’tha uile-chumhachdach
Tha’ riaghladh Armailt Neamh
’ S ann uatsa thig gach oo-fhurtachd
Ri d’ thoil ia ni mi rèidh,
O, teaguisg fhein dhomh iriosLachd
Fo smachd do ghairdein trèun
A chum s’ nachi bi mi c©annairc©ach,.
Ri ordugh siorruidh Nèimh.
x.
’ Se glioc&si sionruidh dh’ òrdaich e,
Gu ’ id bhualadh leis a bhàs
’ N deiarbh chuspair leis an d ’ fhosgail Thu
Deadh thobair ghlan mo ghraidh;
O, deonaicfo Fhein mach tiormaich i
Fo theas mo bhroin ’s mo chraidh,,
Gu siubhail i mar aibhnichean
De dh’ uisge beò nan gras.
33
BEANNACHD
(of
LEAT,
K
A O N G H A IS *
in l o c h b e r v ie
).
I.
La f&gail beannach leat, Aonghais,
?S ann <a dh’ f heurnas mi iomradh gun dàl,
Na h ’uile latha o’n uiridh
Chuir tbu mis© *& ma chulaidh .air snamh!
"S 7nar a thiginn air ais leath’ ,
JS mi na’m aoniar, gu tir air an traigh,
;S tusa dheanadh miai chomhar
Le tarruing an tobha, ’s do bhonnan a sàe I
ii.
A ir feasgair siainhnaidh dhuinn seoladh
Dh/ ionnsuidh Chròna ,s tu fhoin air rtamh,
JS na h’uil© buill© cho seolta—
Air a ghleusadh ri sèisd na/n dàn!
5S ann leiam: ba taitneich do chomhradh
Air do sboLadb 1© ceòl na, pàisd—
f Nigbean uasal t ’fbear-cinnidb
’Is i na auidh an deireadh na bat.
h i
.
’ S mar a coinnich sinn tuilleadh
Ann a lànacbd na h’oige fo bhliaths,
Bheir do ismuaintean air ais thu
Gu bhi trie an commun na pàisd;
Bi ’s a h’iomhiaigh gu soilleir
Ann an iarmailt do cbuimbn© gu bràch,
’ S a deanadh samhradh na d* cbiridb©
Leis am bi do dheadh bbnadbeian am fas !
* Angus Mackay, of Kinloohbervie.
f The accomplished daughter of the Rev. J. Mackay * M.A.,
Trinity Free Church, Glasgow.
v
34
SE O N A ID .
Air Fonn—
Eirich. ague tiugainn^ 0 1”
I.
Bha mi ?n de an Rudha Storr,
’ S bha gach sealladh fo ma choir,
W aithne dbomh ’o bha mi òg,
’ O Shuilbheinn sios gu Foinne bbein’ !
L u in ea g: —
Ach c'aite am ’oil mia chailin òg—
Uchd na cannaich, fait an ò r !—
O, ma Sheoniaid ! bJ e mia chòir
Bhi gabhail comhnuidh maille riu t!
ii.
Ann a solus gilan do ghnàis
Bha saoghal dhomhea deant’ as ùr—
Ceòl nian eoin is blath na fluir,
Is fàile cub-hr* nia macbarach.
h i.
Sheall mi ’n ear, is sheall mi Jn iar,
’O èiridh gu luidhe grian,—
Tha e ?n diugh mar bha e riamh,—
Mi fheinJ a mhàin air ath’rachadh !
IV.
D h’ fhalbh
solus do nia bheinn,
Tba miuir is tir air fas choi tinn,
Tha ’n oidhcho g’ osnaich os ma chinn,
’ S ma reultan fhein ri turraban!
35
v.
Their Cuinneag rium ’s i ga ma leòin—
“ C'àite am ;eil do chiailin òg !—
Fait a dim mar shruthean òr
Air uchd oho min1J,s a chunna mi !’ '
V I.
Ba mhaiiseach thu na reult na spèur,
Nia dr each n an neoiil ri èiridh grein,—
Ba ghrian 's ba ghealach loam thu fhein,
’Nar bha thu lathar1maillo rium.
V II.
Ie cinnteiach leam gu m J ail thu beò,
Na tJaingeal gheial ai-r cùl a cheò,
Rinn do bhàs is rinn mo bhròn
Le cheile isgaoileadh eiaidar sinn!
V III.
Leaniaidh mis' m
sholus iùil
Gus ian ruig mi crioch ma churs’ ,
Ann an dùil ga m 5 bi ma run
Tao’thall a chieo gJ am choinnieachadh!
36
S E A N N I A N A G U S I A N OG.
Rom. viii. 22.
S eann I an—
Oh, niach bochd gur e tmireadh
Ooòl .an* t'saoghail so uile,
Osnaich Ju,s bron >agus nulad
Fonn giach. maduinn is oidhch' !— •
Fonn >aig toirmrich na linn©,
Fonn Maetalla ga thilleadh,
Fonn nan ©òin nar is binn' iad
Ann am badain nani coill' !
Cha'n 'eil aoibhni©a,s gun bhròn ann,
Cha'n 'eil slaint© gun l©òin ann,
Cha'n '©il sonas na h'oig©
Saor '0 laicain is pèin;
'S © mo bhiariail gu'n cluinn thu
O bheatha. dhiomhair ma doimhn©
Oismaich 'us tuireadh na duibhr©
Miar ,aon mharbhrann gu lèir!
I an O g—
O'arson, a bhi ’ s sinn muliadach
Ouir mialaich©an air spòrs,
Mar fir thuruis aonarach
A dol troimhi ghlciann nan deòir !
Tha saoghal mar ia b' abhaist dha—
Làn cridhealas nia h' òig
Ach thus ai fas cho muladach
; S © 'n aois a rinn do chlò!
37
'S ged nach ’eil morian beartias anns
A bbaile an rugadh sinn,
Na tigbeant mòr ri fbaicinm iair
An càradh os ,ar cimn;
Gidbe&db tba saoris’ ,iis sonas lann
Bbi beo air traigb Cbulchinn,
L© beagan crodb is ciaoraicb
Agus sgadan *anns na Glinn !
Seann I an —
Tba mi cinnteacb gu deiairbb
Gu;m ’ eil an aois a toirt caocbla’ leatb’ ,
Air buadhan an aniam gu lèir
Agus giulan gach crentiair air letb ;
Acb ma gbeibh tbu do sbolus o? Neamb
’ S a bbeir dbuit eolas air criocban do bbeatb',
; S ann dh; fbeumas tu bàei do n ;an olc,
Agus èiridh as ùr ia,ir do bhretb.
I
an
O
g—
Cba tbuig mi sin, ;s cba cbreid mi e,
Oir ;s iann tha 'm oigo fas
;0 bbeath ’ gu beatba beothiachadh,
'S cha’n ann o bhàs gn bàs;
Mar sin tba 'n laois >a meudachadh
Na buadhiainnan is fbeàrr—
Sìth, creideamb, stuaim, is caomhalas,
Am fas o gbràs gu gràis.
S eann I an—
Tba mi toilicht’ ;a chluinntinn
Gu5m 'eil do tbuigs© 's do thùr eho* sèimb,
Mar bba 'n t ’ oganach maiseacb
Ntach ro f ada 01 rioghacbd N èim b;
38
'S maith dh; fhaoidhte gu 'm fàs thu
Ann an gliooas is fàbbar Dhè
Gu’n do dhearbhadh ’& an fhàsach
L© spiorad na h/aicheadb na fàidhean breug.
Ach tanni anj diomhai reach Freasdail,
'S anm an dèiligeadh Dhè ri shluagh,
7S 0 chuid ba dlùth ann an daimb ris
Bba na’n coigricb lagus luchd-ciiairt;
’ S iad bha tric bha Js an àmbninn
A linn iani isaoghal a* lastadh 1© fuath,
Gus na dh; ionnsaicbi iad fhogblnm
Gur h'iann' tba n cobhiair 's na neamhan shuas.
39
A O N G H A S BEG.
On meeting him one evening going home with a
spinning wheel.
Air Fonn—
Cumha na Curraige/J
I.
’ S ann aig Cafchair-na- Sniomhag
Tha fear gniomhach am fuireach,
Cha do thachar mi riamh ris
Nach ro thriiall gus an obair;
Eadar so agus Skiathag
Cha’n ’oil duin’ ann cho lurracih—
’ S © sin Aonghas-mae-Mhurchidh
Niach ro riamh fo na 'an ‘ tuireach ’ !
’ S miaith an inns’ air a ghliooais
Nach ’eil ‘ tuireach ’ air inntinn
‘ Tuireach 9 airgoid na sporran
Na idir fortan mi-chinnteach;
Na ’gheall a bb©artas do Shoonaid
L©ig e buileach a chuimhne,
’ S ann tha Aonghas ro shona
Leiisi a chuigoal ’s a chuidhl©!
Cha’n ’eil cùram air Aonghas
Oo a chaitheias na chiimas,
Cha’n ’oil feum aig a'r mòran,
’ S dheibh © bheo mar an fhaolag!
40
N i e suidh’ air a stolan
?S bi ?s o an oomhnuidh ri gnùan,
Ni e sniamhi tair chu!geal
Da bhi 's Soon,aid a rùmh.air!
IV .
’ S maith a gheibhear thu, Sheonaid,
Gun a phos thu © idir,
Thug thu dhasan do chotia
; S ichuir thu fhein ort 'a bhriogie ;
Bheir thu dhachaidh ?n cliamh mòine
Anns an aimisir is libisd,
Is Aonghas B©g air stòlan
Leis a chuibhl©
a chuigeal!
IA N M A C O ID H , O .E ., H E R E F O R D .
Na Bheatha.
’A chionn ;s gur geug thu de ;n ghasan
Bha tarbhach an Cataobh o thus,
Le toradh gach buaidh a bha maiseach,
Ann a Sith, ann an Oath, ;s ann ,a Cùirt,
Cha'n iongnadh learns' thu bhi fàsmhor
Anns na graean a fhuair thu o d' Iùil,
Maise an duine na d’ phciarsa,,
Agus buaidhean na daonacbd na d; chliù.
Na Bhàs.
Rè do lath’rachd ’ s a choluinn
Dh’ fhaodhte chantuinn gun bhrosgal
Gu ma tarbhach ian gasan thu fhèin;
Re do lath’rachd, etc.
Chaochail an aiimsir o ’n uair sin
O' na dh; èug an Duin’ TJasal
Bha do dh; armunn clann Chataobh na;n trein !
Chaochail an aimeir, etc.
Ghlè thu onair do shinnsir,
; S cliù cleachdaidh do mhuinntir
Ann an giulan nai beatha gu lèir;
Ghlè thu onair, etc.
42
Scribbidh mi nis air do bliratach
Suaicheantas ùr an fbior Cbatach—
Comas Moralachd, Carthamnas Gèill!
Saribbidh mi nis, etc.
Goaisgetach,, fmgbantacb, fear ail,
Faoilidb, failteach is flatba.il—
Smior a Gbaidbil nia pbearsa ’s na bheùs!
Gaisgeach fmgbantacb, etc.
DOL F O D H A N A G K E IN —
GLOIR, N A S E A N N A O IS .
I.
a&d a< tha mi air crionadh,
Is fait ma chinn air ia liathadh
7S ann thia mi na’ s miainich
A ir draach na/m bliainaibh a dll’ fhialbh..
Miar is fhiaid© V m dh; fhalbh iad
; S iann is maisaich is daalbheich
Tba bbeath’ bh?unt,a ga;m leammhuinn
Is fas rium rua’s dlùith:
;S iomadh istoirm cha seachad,
Fliuch, fuar agus fnasach,
Tha ’n diugh -air a lasadh
L© solus oral o ’ Naamh.
Mar tha* dol-fodha na grèina
Toir dhomh tuilla do lèirsin’
A ir a ghlòir thru gJ èiridh
Air neulaibh na spèur.
ii.
JS iomadh ogannach maisaach,
Faairrail, f u^gaHt* is gaisgeach,.
Thog a thriall ,air an aistair
Db* ionneuidh cal }na laoch,
Nach d' ràinig an tala,
Cha ghealtainn oho fagus,
Gun lathrachadh b arail
Air spiorad na saors;
u
Tre stoirm agus teine,
Agus crathadh na beinne,
Tha ’n tal7 ad ri ruighinn
L© ainneart na còir.
’ S cha’n ann mar isbaoil iad
Tha duaisei na saothar,
Ach ruighinin mar dhaoine
Gu comman na seòid.
h i.
Ann an aireamh na laoich sin
Tha na cairdeian is caomh luinn—
Gaisgich fearrail na faoilheachd,
Is C'liar na’n gaisgich na’n còir;
Uaisleid nadur naJn cleachdadh,
?S leds am bansa bhi faicinn
lomhaigh Dhe air an cairdean,
Nia iomhaigh Righ air an òr,—
Giaiisgich bhuadhach na ’n catban
Tha ’ni diugh seioladb a rathaid
Gus a ghlòr tha seiachiad
Air dol fodhe na grein !—
Far an G'oinnicb sinn sabhailt
Ris na cairdeian ,a b’aibbaist
Bhi cbo dlùth ann an gradh ruinn,
98 a cbaill sinn f ad re !
45
AN A IR ID H .
’N àm èiridh na grèine cur failt’ air <a bheinn
Bu bhoidbeacb an Airidh air braighe Chulchinn,
Na h’uiseagan ’s na smieoraich cho oeolmhor a seinn,
’ S na flùirean a b’ ulluinm le fhàile ga inns’—
Ob, mar a bba, na,r bba sinn òg,
R£ mireag iair an Airidbi le maran is ceòl!
Bba solue air .an Airidb nach ann ’o na ghrian,
Bba ceol anrn ’o ’n uair sin nach cuala mi riamh—
Bha solus anus’ a gbradh agus dan anns’ gacb fiamh,
’ S bhia ùr-bhlathl na hi’oige cur1f onn air an t-sliabh:
Oh, mar a bha, etc.
Na* fiaioe’ tu na oaiistealan, ’s ann asda dheaninn uail,
’ S e bothanan na airidb làn bainnei blàtb na’m buoil’—Na miosaran, na cumanam, na oopanan, ’s na quaich,
’S na caileagan -a g* iteialaich miar dhealan-demancuart!
Oh, miar a bha, etc.
Tba gaire nia Airidb is mais’ na sùilean tlàtb
Cbo ùr ’s nar a b’ abhaist bhi g’ ol a bhainne bhlath
’O laimh na tè a bhi aithne dhomh, ’s a ni® thu cho beò,
’ S cho isoilleir na ma shùileain ’s na bhia i ann ’s a chro !
Oh, miar a bha, etc.
Sibhse tha cho fiosarach am Parlamair na Tir,
Thoiribb dhtuinn na Airidhean, na mullaichean ’na na
frith,
’ S theid mi fhein am urras dhubh, mar dhuine ’s fbaide
chi—
Damnsaidb sinn, is sednnidh sinn, ’G am fada beò an
Righ!
Direach mar a bba, etc.
46
AIR, CUIMHNE.
E. S. M .
.Nia smuainichinn gu’m bi;dh tu falbh
'S an àm a sheallinn na do gnùis,
Cha bhi’dh mo spiorad 'n diugh oho leoint’—
JS ann ehiaioil mi nachi ba bhàsmhor thu !
Cha d; thainig *© maJm inntinn riamh
Gu’n tigadh uair a ishoallinn ort
Gu’n fiamh a ghaire na da shuil,
Na fiamh a ghaioil tort freagradh dhomh.
Na maira tu mar tha thu nis
Le mais’ na beath5 air ughaidh bhàis,
Dheaninn mealliadh air mo thuigs'
9S chi’inn fhathast fiamh do ghair’ !
Am feadh ’s a tha thu ri mo thao*
; S ann leam *s a tha thu an’ a seilbh,—
Ach, och cho faoin ;s tha seilbh na dus
N'ur theich gach buaidh rinn dealbhach thu I
Na’m aonar thig mi dhiachaidh nochd
Gu’n dhùil ri failteachd ’o do ghuth,
'S ma thuigse g9 innse dha mo bhròn
Gu’m bi gach màireach mar an diugh.
An t ’ainm ba trie a bhi ’tu luaidh
Cha’n iarr mi chluinntin tuille’ chaoidh,
’0 7n dh? fhalbhi an guth rinn fonnmhor e,—
O'n dh'fhalbh an guth, ’s o n dh'fhalbh an aoidh.
47
Air t ’aodann mar a dhearcas mi,
Cho eamhach, ciùin, ach Oh, cho fuar !—
Cha mhòr mach teich ma spiorad ;uam
Gu Vionnad naomhs a chum na h'uaigh!
Tha camhanaich na siorruidheachd,
Is ceol na’n Aingil romhad fhein,—
OhJ Spiorad mhaisich, seall air ais,
Is faic mai chabhaig as do dheigh)!
AD H LACADH AN RIDIRE IA IN MOORE.
Translated from the English.
C'ha do bhuiail sinn an drum,a, nia. teiud’an a chraidh
’ Nuai r a ghneas sinn 1© chorp f o dhion ballia,
Cha do loisg sinn an urchar a nochdadh ar baigh
Far na ohuir isinn ar ouraidh fo’n talamh.
Dll’ adhlaic s .nn dorch © ma mheiadhon na li’oidhch’ .
Leis a bheighneid a cLadhach na h,ùrach,,
L© solus fiann gealaich tort dubharach soills’ ,
;S an lochria oho doilleir is mùgach.
Cist© gun fheum cha d’ dhuin sinn ma cheann,
Na anart g©al marbh-phaisg chia d’ shuain sinn *
;S ann shiaio’lt© gur saighdear na chadal a bh’ ann
'Nuair a* phaisg sinn a bhreaoan ma'n cuairt da.
Bu ghamn agus goirid ar ;n urnuigh gu dearbh,
Ma ’n. mhuliad a bh; oirnn bha sinn samhach;
Ach dh' amharaic air aghiaidh (a mhairbh,
Agus smuainich sinn gort air a mhuireach.
B Je ar smuain lainn an cladhach ùr leabaidh an t ’suinn?
Agus reit©ach a chluasag 1© dorran,
Na naimhdean ;is na ©oigrich bhi falbh os a chinn
Agus sinn© fad as air na tonnan.
Labhraidh iad faoin mia na spiorad a theich,
;Sa dhuslach fo ;n casan bi ’s dite;
Ach *s coma. leis sin ma leig©as iad l©is
Anns an uaigh ’s nia chuir Breatunach sint’ © I
49
Cba d’ rinn sinn an obair na. mulad air fad
'Nar thug uairadar rabhaidh gu sgaoilaadh; ;
Agus thuig sinn lo fuaim, gunna mor anns a bhad
Gun robh ar namhad gu coimhoach gia thaomadh.
Gu samhach, nraladach, dh' adhlaic ar Sonn
Air a bhlàr ma- dheireadh a. stiuir e ;
Cha do ghoarr sinn aon litir air leac aig a cheann,
Ach dh' fhag sinn na aonar le chliù E !
50
EACHANN RUADH .
5S e duine diadhaidh cheama th’ann
Eachann Ruadh Pollian na’n Clach
'S e sin a bha na sheaiiiairean,
Eachann Ruadh Pollan -na’n Clach
\S mar a teidt thu n? urras air
Ga ’m ’eil © na dhuin’ urramach,
Seall fhèin a bhais5-a-mhullaich air
Eachann Ruadh Pollan na’n Clach,
Nach cuala tu mar thachair dha,
Eachann Ruadh Pollan na’n Clach
Rheanacbait ’s an dochair dha,
Each ann Ruadh, etc.
An 3a measg na luchd aidichidh
Cha ro duine dh' aithnich e,
5S e thuirt iad ris nach b’ Eachann e,
Eachann Ruadh, etc.
Tha Eachann Ruadh cho iorusol,
Eachann Ruadh, etc.,
Mar eildeir aig a mhinisteir,
Eachann Ruadh, etc.
’ S n’ ar a thig e bhrighinn ruit,
Cha thog e shùillean idir ruit,
Mar fhear bh’idh a siorradh rdud—
Eachann Ruadh, etc.
51
Tha srònag bhoidhach bhiorrach air,
Eachiann Ruiadh Pollan na;n Clach.
’ S i ciheiart cho dearg ri giomach air,
Eachann Ruadh Pollan na7n Clach;
Leis a chirean choilich ad
Shaola tu gu;n goireagh e,
Cho aigeiantach 1© briagaireachd,
Eachann Ruadh, etc.
Na ’m fade’ a t/us .a g; obadr e—
Eachann Ruadh Pollan na’n Clach ;
Curriag dhearg is ribean air,
Eachann Ruadh Pollan na/n Clach ;
Cha ro duine 1a bhuineadh dha
Dh'annsa Ruidhle Thullachan
Air cas-chròm ?ga fudlan
Cur a cheile Pollan ma’n Clach.
52
D O N A L D .
A ir— ff Macleod of D u n v e g a n /’
Oh, th© sorrowful weight
Of this heiarfc-breaking burden of grief!—
How weary and heavy my step
Since I parted from Donald, my chief L
I dally with grief on my pipe,
Beguiling the slow-footed hour—
Son of the stout-hearted sire,
And of chivalrous daring the flower!'
How often thy voice miade me glad,
Or in converse or counsel or song!
Alas, that it now makes me sad,
And I mourn I have lived too long!
But the echoes of Mlona I wake,
Which slumbered for grief at thy loss—
Son of the stout-hearted sire,
My pride, and my glory, and cross !
Ah, where are the heroes of old,
Whose shouts made the battle-field ring ?
And the minstrels who sang in their praise—
Have heroes no longer to sing !
They are gone, iand the mountain© are mute,
The echoes of victory fled—
Son of the stout-hearted sire,
Where now is the fire of the dead I
53
L A U RA.
I have: known a little maiden
Fresh as is the month of May,
With her hair in golden ringlets,
And her eyes— the break of day!
Angels call her gentle Lauria—
Kindired spirit of their own,
For they say she is the fairest
And the sweetest flower known.
Bright and free, she is as merry
As »a linnet on the wing ;
Kind and loving, I have called her
A kind-hearted little thing!
Angels call her gentle Laura—
Kindred spirit of their own,
For they say she is the fairest
And the sweetest flower known.
E. W .
FARE THEE W ELL.
Fare thee wall my dearest angel,
Till this life hath breathed its last,
Fondly will my heart's devotion
Wake the echoes of the past.
Ofteni in the silent moonlight,
When the stars invite to rest,
Will I feel thy gentle image
Living deep within, my breast.
W e have roamed the smiling! valleys
And the lilied banks of Quair,
When the mavis sweetly warbled
And the heather bloom was fair;
And we felt the calm ■unfolding
Of our souls to scene© so bright,
As the fairest blossoms open.
To the glow of morning light.
Ah, the joy of loving f ondly
When thy ismile made nature dear,
And each thing of beauty lingered
For thy winning voice to hear;
Ah, the pain of loving f ondly
When the heart is torn away,
And it hails the moment flying—
“ Thoru art fair, ah, still delay \"
55
Sad and weary, sad and weary
Sing the warblers of the grove,
And my heart is isiad and weary
Leaving thee, my home of love;
Spring noi longer soothe® or channel me
When! the bloom of life is gone,
All that breathes of love and beauty
In thy presence lives alone.
Welcome twilight, welcome slumber,
Welcome slumber sand repose,
When thy spirit round me whispers
As the zephyr round the rose;
Fare thee well, my dearest angel,
Till this life hath breathed its last,
Fondly will my heart's devotion
Wake the echoes of the past!
56
LITTLE M ARY.
On© morning in the garden
When the sun was bright,
All th© pretty flowers
Blooming red and white,
I met 1a little maiden
Smiling lik© th© Spring,
Breathing las the roses,
Lika th© birdies sing !
Ho, my pretty Mary,
Bonnie artless maid,
Fairer than th© daisy
In the summer glade ;
Ho, my pretty Mary
With the merry ring—
I met her in the garden,
Laughing like the Spring.
In the Summer season
Mary loves to roam;
N o w the Winter gloomy
Keeps the miaid iat home.
But th© Spring returning,
And the flowers -are seen,
Bonnie, artless Mary
Will trip it on the green.
Ho, my pretty Mary, etc.
57
THE CROWNING OF OUR KIN G, GEORGE V .
June
22, 1911.
St Georg© for England V’ “ England and St George V*
Methinks I hear the echoes of that peal,
That martial shout reverberate
From Pole to Pole,
As down the ages in its crescent strength
It thunders from a thousand armour-clad,
As erst it spoke prophetic from behind
The iron visors of our ancient knights !
" For England and St Georg©!” —
What heart but thrills at the loud trumpet blast,
As summoning the buried past
To rise again rejuvenate,
Immortal and-imperial,
, glens
Until the welkin rings and answers back,
“ Hail, sovereign prince
Of Britain and the Isles,
Of Arctic shores and endless summer lands!”
And thus we sing with hearts in unison,
Redoubled by the vales and hill© around,
As if the soul of loyalty had found
A tongue in every rock to utter— H ail!
All hail, our George the Fifth,
Of sovereignty bestowed
58
By the Eternal, in whose strength we live,
That Thou be witness to the primal code—
The Law of Righteousness, the Statute Law of God f
Long live the K ing!—
The thunder and the tumult die afar,
And softer strains of music fall
From fort and turret on thb world at peace!
59
TO M ILLICENT, DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND.
SUILRHEIN LAMENTS
Why groanast thou, O Suilbheini, through the night,
As. if a storm was brewing in the West ?
The sky is cloudless, and the stars are bright,
And not a rack is seen upon thy crest.
What ails the©, noble mount, why this unrest ?
And as tha sovereign Eye looked o’©r the plain
And watched its sister mourners all distressed,
Tha answer cama in sobs— ‘ ‘ I do complain
That I havei lost the Nymph of my immortal train V'
And who is she, so> potent in her charms
That forests shed their tears and mountains sigh
If she but hides her face— that it alarms
Like an eclipse all life and melody ?
The ancient monarch murmured in reply—
“ She was tha crowning glory of these hills,
The Naiad of our fountain glittering by,
And of her charms, she had the charm that thrills
Tha laughter-loving lakes and softly purring rills.”
Return, O Nymph, whose name is as a song,
So redolent of music— M i l l i c e n t !—
Return to us, or Siuilbhein will prolong
The mournful story of her woeful plaint!
Her springs reflect thina image without taint
Her founts were Helicon's when thou wiast hare;
And waary women whan in sore distraint
Looked for tha comfort that was seldom! near—
Thau, as a flash from God, brought life and hiappy cheer !
60
IN M EMOBIAM— E . S. M.
1820— 1913.
My life is now behind me, and I move
In converse with the Spirits of the Past,
But chief with thine, my dearest friend .and love,
With whom I journeyed joyous to this last;
And though the path wiais sometimes overcast
With doubts and fears, and ghosts that never came,
Yet we were safely sheltered from the; blast,
Though not in mansions of luxurious fame,
Thrice happy in our humble home* without a name.
0 love of love, how oft thy blessed hands
Have scattered roses on my rugged way,
As made a paradise of barren sands
'Whereon my weary feet did ere while stray;
How oft thy loving eyes restored the day
And poured ia flood of light into my soul!
And now thy parting adds another ray
Of hope to life— that death is not its goal,
That they who live in God are free from its control.
It was a glorious morning when we met
In the proud mansion of a gentle knight,
And the romance of our surroundings set
Our thoughts on jousts, and champions bedight
In ladies’ favour and in armour bright;
And in this tournaments of fancy’s play
1 (donned your favour proudly in your sight,
While in the onset, clearing all the way,
I smote the Chivalry of England, on that day f
61
And then you called me idol and your own,
Though I was not .an idol at the best;
But you were like to Una, ever known
As she who taught a,nd tamed the savage beast—
Savage but brave 'and noble at the least.
But was I worthy of the love' you spent
In taming and subduing my unrest ?
If thou art known as Una, I'm content
To be the beast, subdued by dear love’s hardiment.
Ah, how I treasure every word you said,
As girls do rose-leaves in the sacred Book,
As fragrant fresh to the devoted maid
As when she kissed them by some murmuring brook
Beneath the sunshine of her lover's look ;
So fond do I recall that day in Spring
When on the banks of Quair you firmly took
My hand in thine, while lall the wood® did ring,
Love-laden with a. melody still lingering !
High-bred and gentle, cultured, cheerful, true'—■
Thou hast been .all, companion, wife, and friend;
And thou art gone! Will they f orsake me too—
Just at your grave where all my sorrows blend ?
Ah, no-! the noble, friends we trusted to the end—
The golden links that bound us to the past
Have stood the strain; and naught on earth can rend
These bonds of love in virtue rooted fast,
Until we reach the Isles of full delight at last!
62
This wreath of amaranth I weave for thee,
Whose leaves we gathered in Elysian bowers,,
A pledge and qarnest of immortality,
For you unfading as its fairest flowers—
Bedewed with tears that fall in grateful showers!:
Ah, pity me, thou .angel ever blest,
That this is all the tribute, all the dower
That I can liay upon thy noble breast—
This trophy on the field of thine eternal rest,
/
63
To
GENERAL J. W . STEWART,
Laird of Assynt.
I.
Well bast thou kept the Royal Name® unstained,
The name o f S t e w a r t , dear to Highland hearts!
What pride of sovereignty it once contained,
What tones of chivalry it still imparts
To Scottish song! And thou, O gracious soul,
So dowered with th© virtues of our sires,
That thou hast won the homiage of the whole
Of noble or of*good, whom good inspires.
But how can I in rustic rhyme unfold
The gracious virtues which I read in thee?
If in majestic numbers they were told,
The world would say— ‘ ‘ All this is flattery !''
For whlat reck they of friendship or of love,
Of charity, the fairest of the graces,
Of loyalty to truth, which all approve,
Or gratitude !— the want of which disgraces !
h i.
The love of lucre hath not seared thine heart—
That lust allied to madness and to pride !
The warmer human love— “ the better part ” —
Has been thy genius and celestial guide ;
64
And so thy manhood has been largely growing
To ampler bounds with fortune's flowing tide,
While poor men reap a harvest of thy sowing,
And so partake the life which God hath magnified !
IV -
?Tis not for me to isioi forecast! the' time—
And yet I prophesy that thou shalt live
Embalmed in good men’s hearts, as in this rhyme,
In such clear lineaments as virtues give—
A mianJ of grace, of virtues manifold,
Whose heart is noble ass his hand is; free—
A living record of the antique mould,
And thus I leave thee to posterity!
65
TO RODERICK MACLEOD,
Our Highland Minstrel.
Since thou art diowered with the gift of tongue
To wed our thought to concord of sweet sound,
And in their happy union to acclaim
That Life and Music are of old the same'—
As when the morning stairs together sang,
And all the sons of God shouted f or joy—
Then tell me not my lines are deaf and mute
Whilst thou can fetch a, tone from highest sphere
To make them sing of love or lover’s teiar,
Or glorify our heroes of repute'!
Imperial Shakespeare found ia tongue in trees,
And even sermons in some arid places ;
Whilst you can make such common' things' to please
By singing them in chorus with the Graces:
They sing to me as Sapho' did of old,
Who in her lyrei the tongue of Phaon found,
And made the Lesbian rock her tale of love resound,.
So shall our hills record, as Ruari siang,
The noble music of our mother tongue.
Am I then over-bold
To hail thee as ensphered
Among the genii of immortal song ?
N ay; let us shout and sing !—
And make our belfries ring
In martial chorus with our thundering guns!.
66
To see the Prussian duagon fly
Beyond the limits of ia brighter sky,
Enveloped in ia cloud of savage Huns!—
So may we hail the primal morn’ s return,
What time the morning star® together sang
The death of Discord and the dawn of Song
67
TO OUR BOYS AT THE FRONT:
BOTH
SEA A N D L A N D .
Hail, ye offspring of our Vikings1
—
British, mariners renowned !—
Lordly miens of the Ocean
To its utmost Arctic bound !
Onward, through the storm land tempest,
Sweep the Pirates from the seas !
Cleanse it from the fumes of Potsdam,
And bring back the healthy breeze!
We have warriors yet in Albin,
Noble-hearted men and true,
Heroes worthy of their fathers—
Trafalgar and Waterloo!
Now the Trident is united
With the Orifliame of Gaul,
*‘ Close lairound him, and confound him—
The confounder of us .all V’
Brave and chivalrous in battle
When you counter with the brave,—
Give no quarter to the tyrant,
The aissiasBÌn or his slave!
Let them perish who oppose you—
German thralls of Kaiserhood,
Junkers of the bestial order,
And the Hohenzollern brood.
In the wake of all his actions
You will trace the cloven hoof,—
A blasphemer in religion,
And in morals, the Wer-wolf !
68
Hail, ye warriors of our Empire,
Miglity over land and main,
When you f.acei the savage Teuton,
Think of Belgium and Louvaine [
Think of angels, as Nurse* Ciavell,
In the filthy grasp of H u n !—
And our patriot, Captain Fryatt,
Who had scorned the pirate gun [
Onward, on your glorious mission,
Fearless-.of his frightfulness !—
Cleanse the atmosphere of Europe
Of his bestial loathfulness !
Living on the spoils of pillage
From the princely halls of France*
He defiles their noble' mansions
With his troop of courtezans.
Like the mole he burrows under—
Like the bat he flies above.—
Safe in darkness and in hiding,
Like the reptile he doth move!
You have oft been .asked the question,
What the devil can be done
With the leaders of the Vandals,
Kaiser William and his son ?
When you conquer the Berserker—
Under sea or ground he lurk—
Make a eunuch of the blackguard
For the harem of a Turk !
THE
SPIRITUAL VISION
BY
JOHN
McLEOD
C U LK EIN , STOER
Interne**
PRINTED AT THE “ NORTHERN CHRONICLE” OFFICE
*•
1911
JOHN W. STEW ART,
E sq.
of
DRUMBEG AND VANCOUVER.
M y D e a r M r S te w a rt,
In my retirement here I have wandered up
and down with the Great Spirits of the Past. I have
communed with Hebrew Prophets, with Greek Philo­
sophers, and with Roman Statesmen; and I have learned
that I am only a child.
And now I feel, after the
struggle of life is over, that to be a child of God is the
happiest state for me.
This Book, which I dedicate to you, is partly the
fruit and offspring of my own spiritual wrestling. I had
my night at Peniel, and asked after the ureat Name. I
now return wearied and humbled, and with folded wing,
to lay this olive leaf on God’s Altar, and ask for no
reward but to be blessed of Him.
And such blessing as I pray fr.r myself, I do for you
and your family.
Your sincere friend,
JOHN McLEOD.
C'u&ketn-Stoer,
September 18, 1971.
THE SPIRITUAL VISION.
PROLOGUE.
I
of one who knew what heavy toil
It is to stand alone in single strife
Against a world, omnipotent in guile,
And consecrate to noble ends his life;
Who suffered as a witness to the Truth
In times of falsehood and of hollow forms,
And bore the banner, steadfast from his youth,
Unshaken by the tempest and the storm;
Who grieved for evil in a world of sin,—
For man and woman’s ruin !— bitter woe !—
And felt the burden of their guilt within
His own great heart, with tears of blood that flow
From eyes which see the cause of misery,
But know how hard it is to fight with destiny !
s in g
The vision of his soul flashed through the world,—
He saw the struggle between good and ill—
Evil triumphant, good for ever hurled
Back on herself !— for more of patient will
To suffer !— but agree not to the wrong !
No sooner on his vision smote this sightThan his deep soul was stirred with purpose strong
To smite with fiery hail the moral blight!
And so he raised a cry, which as the wind
First smote the proudest summit of the land—
6
King, queen, and priestling— all who then combined
To trample upon Virtue, hand in hand—
Those he unseated by the consuming blast
Of that celestial fire in which his soul was cast!
And this was Victory !— but oh, the end !—
The mystery of life grew darker yet ;
The world returned to what he found it tend—
To darkness!— and the light of God nigh set!
The la r g e r e x p e cta tio n s o f th e m a n ,
Fell withered in the tempest he had raised,
And mid the wreck of every glorious plan
He stood alone, forsaken and amazed !
Is there no God ?— the darkest doubt of a ll!—
Or if there be, can He be so unjust ?
Behold, like Job, His Majesty, and fall
In self-abasement in thy native dust!
The vastness of that vision healed his mind,
And in its higher sphere the Prophet stood resigned.
In the divine unfolding of that hour
When man awakes to measure his career
With the Eternal Majesty and Power,
How vain the poor results of life appear !
Nor more nor less than as the tiny heaps
Of sandy frailness, built-in childish play
Upon the shore, which, as the builder sleeps,
The all-compelling tide sweeps all away!
But oh, Eternal Powers that cannot die,
In you I find my destiny sublime,—
A sharer in your immortality,
I am as you, beyond the reach of time—
With you I blend in glory and in might,
In tempest or in calm, in darkness or in light!
7
ACT I.
ELIJAH AT CHERITH.
S CE N E / .
The Desert near Horeb at midnight.
Satan a/nd his
host meet in council.
Satan,
Princes and Potentates of all this realm !—
Unto this proud assembly you are called
To foil the purpose of our ancient Foe
In the re-conquest of our heritage.
B eelzebub.
What need we more of counsel or debate ?
Thou hast already marred his chief design,
And quite divorced the human and divine.
Sa ta n .
Hast thou forgot that ancient oracle,
Which prophesies for man in time to win
Immortal joys through travail, pain, and
B eelzebub.
An idle tale! If pain, or endless woe,
Were sure conditions for redeeming man,
Why not redeem the primal rebel race ?
Sa ta n .
We are essential, evil, pure, unmixed,
Lost to the faculty and love of good !
d eath
?
8
B e l ia l .
The love! Man only knows the appetite
Which thralls him to the symbols of his fall—
As witness A star of Accadia,
The Lady of the deep—
■ •(
And Artemus, and Ashtoreth ,
Which have become the idols of his faith !
His sole d iv in it y is t h a t o f s e x .
Satan .
Perchance that old divinity of sex
May be redeemed to higher sanctity,
In virtue of divine maternity.
B eelzebub.
How can a thing of mortal clay be made
An image of the glory we have lost ?
Satan .
That lies beyond my ken, inscrutable;
But what if God Himself, in very truth,
Should deign become a M an, and in that guise
Confront us with a power invincible?
B e l ia l .
How can a beast which in itself unites
The nature of the serpent and the goat
Be raised above the level of the brute ?
Satan .
Art thou not raised, and yet thou art below
The level of the f oulest of mankind ?
There is a virtue in the human soul
Which has affinity with the divine;
And though it is the vice of servitude,
^
9
Yet this h u m ility can be redeemed
To sanctity of life and future bliss.
Tho greater prophets have- discovered it,
And make it the condition of beatitude;
While pride, self-will, and soorn are virtues lost !
B
e l ia l
.
More potent still in soul destroying power
Are female charms and female blandishments.
Satan .
Then teach them to adore the Ashera,
Until they find the rage of lust recoil
In pain incurable, that seeks relief
In pure malignity and bitter hate.
And thou, Beelzebub, thyself a prince,
Make princes thy companions in misrule :
Allure them with ambition, pride of state,—
The slippery stepping stones to regal power,
From which the tyrants stumble into hell.
Thus far the common rout, while I assail
The greater seers of the fallen race,
And turn their claim to be the Sons of God
To instruments of torture and despair !
C horus
of
Sp ir
it s
.
Prince of the World, all hail!—
Thy counsel shall prevail—
The fruit forbidden, thou hast made it free !
And emblems of delight
Will beckon every wight
To drain the golden stream of life’s mad revelry.
10
SCE N E I I .
The Vineyard of Naboth at Jezreel.
Enter Ahab and
Sinadab, the high priest of Baal.
A
hab.
This idol worship profits not the heart.
S in a d a b .
Yet they who worship idols worship God,
And serve Him truly under many names.
A
hab.
Man worships but an image of himself,
Which in his vanity he calls a god.
What boots the name by which a god is known,
As Chemosh, Molech, Amon, and the rest,
If he be cruel, vengeful, pitiless,
Or rioting in virgin blood, as when
The savage Jephtha paid his vow in fu ll!
S in a d a b .
Not so the man who has the secret flame
Which emanates from God ineffable!
For him the Sun is but the glorious veil
Concealing yet revealing the Divine—
The glory visible of the Invisible !
A
hab.
Doth not this Tisbite know the secret flame,
And work great- wonders by its living power ?
11
SlNADAB.
A Gileadite! Seek not the Lord in Gilead !
Remember Jephtha and his savage pledge !
[Enter E l i j a h at a distance.
A
h ab .
H a !— who be he, so ill caparisoned,
Who eyes us like a lion on the watch ?
I know him by his visage and his garb—
His hairy mantle and his fierce aspect!
What brow! what eye !— a tempest wreathed in fire !
SlNADAB.
What wizard wight of magic spells art thou ?
Perchance of Endor, kinsman of that witch,
Who by her charms destroyed the son of Kish !
E l ij a h .
Thou art destroyed by fouler sorcery:
The Witch of Zidon hath bewitched thy heart,
And made thee what thou art— a spirit lost!
SlNADAB.
Go to !— Wouldst thou blaspheme God and the Queen ?
E lija h .
To thee, O son of Omri, am I sent
To warn thee of the downward course you take;
Therefore, repent, O King ! Restore the rites
Which God ordained to make for righteousness;
So may the foul disgrace of thine apostate reign
Be purged ; the blood of slaughtered saints avenged,
And God be glorified in Israel.
12
A
hab
(bewildered.)
If rival gods be as their rival priests,
We are but playthings of their sportive moods !
Here come some others of the priestly tribe,
The curse of Israel as of the world at large !
C h o r u s (Prophets of the Caves.)
O man misled by that most fatal charm—The fascination of a woman's eye !
Art thou indeed the King of Israel,
Struck by the thunder of the Gileadite !
A h a b (dazed by the s i g h t . )
Are these the shadows of the prophets slain ?—
More potent in their disembodied guise
Than legions of them clothed in flesh and blood I
S lN A D A B .
These are the weavers of false creeds—
The workers of sedition and misrule !
A
hab.
They are the followers of the Gileadite,
As vultures follow in the lion’s wake !
Chorus.
-Alas, that kings should ever be opposed
To that alone which justifies their claim !
Unseal his eyes, O Thou all-seeing One,
That he may see Thy Glory, and return
From Error’s devious path and mortal end
Unto the Refuge and the Rock of Israel.
13
E l ij a h .
If thou repent and turn again to Him
Whose Oracle in Zion thou hast spurned,
He will be merciful, and will atone
The blood of saints in wanton orgies shed.
A
hab.
What fealty to Zion do I owe ?
Is not the blessing on Mount Gerezim ?
E l ij a h .
Upon the Mount, but not upon the shrine
Of Baal or of Ashtoreth—
The shame and foul disgrace of Israel.
A
hab.
Am I not sovereign lord of all this realm,
And hold Jerusalem in vassalage,
And shall I now renounce the faith of Irsael
For that of Judah, lately carried off
With all the oracles of David’s shrine
As trophies of the Pharaoh’s victory ?
In Egypt therefore seek your captive gods,
For Zion is no longer their abode !
Ch o r u s .
Alas, my country ! once the sacred home
Of patriot fathers and of pious sons,—
What evil scourge at length usurps thy throne,
14
And lights thy holy places with strange fires !
Return, 0 Lord; how long shall error triumph,
And Gentile queens exalt iniquity !
SlNADAB.
We know the wiles of all this rebel crew,
This offspring of the Hebrew policy—
To make Jerusalem another Babylon,
The seat of a despotic Hierarch,
Who, in the name of some Divinity,
Would claim the sovereignty of all the world f
A
hab.
The priestly craft of Judah may succeed
To hide its treachery beneath the cloak
Of hollow piety and zeal f or God;
But Israel shall never bend the knee
To any Hierach of David’s line!
Therefore begone ! lest sterner justice speaks;
One blast upon this horn will seal your fate!
E l ij a h .
Since faith in thee is dead, and spirit blind,
Thy grosser sense shall have the grosser proof :
There shall be no more rain or tender dew
To nurse the ground; and thou shalt sow in vain,
Till thou hast learned the truth, by thee denied—
That kingly power from piety divorced
Is as the scourge of God to plague the world!
[Exit Elijah; the Chorus following.
15
Ch o rus .
Ah, for the man whose heavy doom is sealed
The path to happiness lies not in good !
Yain are the things, and so they perish,
That cannot profit or deliver.
But God is merciful, and will redeem
The sinner that returns I
Lead me, 0 Lord, in Thy righteous path f
Thou that dwellest between the Cherubims
Shine forth ! Turn us again,
And cause Thy face to shine,
And we shall be saved.
[Exeunt,
S in a d a b .
This man, my lord, is not of common mould :
The vision of the Seer ?s in that eye !
He has been taught the way of spirit life,—
Has climbed the Mount of Vision, and beheld
The secret and the glory of the Most High !
A
hab.
He is a prophet, but of evil chief,
And chief among the rebel Gileadites,
Who plot against us and our sovereignty
In favour of the King of Syria.
S in a d a b .
And yet, my lord, the killing of the man
Oft makes the spirit in him more alive,
When it incarnates in his followers.
:
16
A
hab.
let him live, but live to serve the State,
As others of his tribe are wont to do,
When flattered and advanced in offices.
“ There shall be no more rain !” Dost thou believe \
That nest of hornets, breeding civil broil
In Gilead, must be destroyed ! No rain !—
Can he control the stars, compel the clouds ?
T h en
S in a d a b .
The holy gods alone can dominate
The heralds of the sky which character
The scroll of destiny in mystic signs,
Well read by Magi of Chaldean lore,
Who can foresee but not control events.
A
hab.
Star gazers, sorcerers, wizards, and the rest—
We have a warrant to destroy them a ll!
S in a d a b .
Here comes the minstrels of our noble Queen
To herald us to her high festival.
T he Q u e e n ’ s M
in s t r e l s .
Hail, ethereal shapes of beauty,
Visions of the bright and fair,—
Virgin daughters of Astarte
Of the flowing golden hair !
17
Let the hermit seek a pathway
’Tween extremes of good and ill
Wiser men enjoy the rapture
Of the life of pleasure still.
Hence, away with sullen sorrow,
Drown it in a cup of wine;
Care may wait upon the morrow
While this golden hour is mine.
[Exeunt.
SC E N E I I I .
The Temple of Astarte.
Enter King, Queen, priests,
and nobles of Jezreel.
follow. High festival.
Priestesses and damsels
A n altar with the image
of the goddess, by the side of which the Chief Vestal
stands.
Ch ie f V
estal.
Queen of the silver bow!—
Thy glorious form illumes with holy light
The world adoring thee, as I am now,
In wonder and delight.
Thy round and ample waist
Beneath the snowy billows of thy bosom
Is girdled with a zone of amethyst
Afflame in fadeless blossom.
And thou art ever neàr
To comfort me as mother doth her child;
I feel thy bosom press me, and I hear
Thy voice so sweet and mild.
2
18
Thou art thyself alone,
Supreme among the angel host above,
To whom thou givest strength, as round thy throne
They ever quiring move.
P r ie s t s ' R esponse.
Behold, the virgin goddess knows
The vows recorded at her shrine,
And in the flame, love lighted, shews
Herself all glorious and divine.
Behold, she bends with looks benign,
To list the tale of many woes—
Where love forlorn doth ever pine
For higher life and its repose.
V
estal
Song.
Hark, the mother voice is calling
Through the azure vault of night,
And its silver tones come thrilling
On swift glancing chords of light.
Hark, the mother call of welcome
To the weary and oppressed—
Come, ye children of affliction,
Lay your burden on my breast—
Here- the tree of life is blooming,
And the fruit thereof is blest!
P r ie s t s ’ Song.
Haste, ye virgins of Astarte,
Bring libations to her grove;
19
Sound the timbrel and the viol,
Spurn the code of self-denial
In the ravishment of love.
Ch ie f V
estal.
Star of the sea,
Fountain and spring of light,
I pray to thee
To visit me—
Look down from heaven’s height.
Bejoice, ye maidens, in your heavenly queen,
Who turns the barren into fruitful soil,
And weaves the garment of each earthly scene
With loving labour and unconscious toil.
P r ie s t s .
Behold, how she with orient pearls adorn
Each blade of grass until it smile again;
Her look subdues the rudest face of things
Unto the semblance of celestial joys.
My heart in the light of her look,
As the eye in the light of the Sun,
Lives only to know itself blest—
Sees all in the glory of one!
[Exeunt,
20
S CEN E IV .
The same Temple of A start e.
Belial and Beelzebub
stand near the altar of the goddess.
B e l ia l .
What strange illusions doth the world present
To young and unsophisticated minds !—
Ideal, metaphysical, divine!
Yon’ d particle of caverned rock, the M o on , *
Lifeless and cheerless as the dead sea shore,
Becomes a goddess in this virgin flame !
And that sulphureous mass of fire, the S u n ,— f
The very picture of our drear abode
Of inward horror, darkness, and dismay—
Is unto them a god of glorious life.
B eelzebub.
The apotheosis of the times to come
Shall be as baneful as the present cu lt!
B e l ia l .
’ Tis excellent to be a politician—
To simulate, dissimulate, and like
A prophet-priest, to be sophistical!
A weaver of deceits, thou shalt prevail!
* Astarte.
+ Baal.
21
B eelzebub.
But one I know whose spirit baffles us—
The fiery Gileadite— as erst old Job !
Yet though we cannot bend him to our course,
W© can defeat the purpose of his toil,
And plague the world with Hebrew perfidy !
They sing.
On this wanton air careering,
Haste we to the halls of mirth,
Where the sons of pleasure, rearing
Altars to the Joy of Earth,
Quaff the wine cup to Adonis
And the goddess who alone is
Fount of pleasure at its birth.
[Exeunt.
SC E N E V.
The Brook Cherith.— A cave near the dried-up bed of
tht brook.
Early dawn.
Elijah stands by it in meditation.
E l ij a h .
Erewhile I heard His voice—
Elijah, get thee hence,
A t Cherith hide thyself;
Its waters shalt thou drink,
And couriers of the air shall food provide !
But lo, the brook no more supplies
Its cooling draught;
Nor do the friendly birds
22
A t evening or at morning tide
Remember if Elijah lives or n o !
The land is cursed ! and now returns the curse
Upon myself !— while Ahab and his host
Escape the burden, but enjoy the shame !
[Enter Satan in the guise of an angel.
V o ic e
(o f Satan.)
Yet he and Jezebel shall die like dogs,
Whilst thou, unscathed, shall wear a royal crown !
E l ij a h .
A crown !— a royal crown ?—
V o ic e .
A royal crown !—
The crown of Ahab and of Jezebel!
It is thy nature to be great and masterful;
And theref ore to this end I visit thee—
To give thee sovereign and unbounded power !
Thou hast the means,— command the fiery hail,
The dread avenging minister of God,
And proud Jezreel in ashes shall repent!
E l ij a h .
It were a victory too dearly bought
That would deprive me of all power for good.
Satan.
And yet thou wouldst be great— king, priest and all.
Thy patriotic zeal is not the farce
23
Played by the vulgar demagogue for gain;
That kindling eye of thine- is fit to rule,
If thou wouldst take the world for what it is—
A den of thieves, a nursery of vice !
E l ij a h .
Methinks this Voice ere now assailed mine ears,
And made acquaintance with my solitude,
In which I recognise a purpose high,
And bear affliction as for some good end.
Satan.
Command my power to compass thy design,
And thou shalt wear the purple and the crown.
E l ij a h .
Think not that I am ignorant of s i n —
Or of the wiles that lead the world astray.
Sa ta n .
Of sin ? The high and mighty know it n o t:
It is the child of weakness and despair,
And only thrives in misery and want!
The happy know it n ot; for happiness
Is power supreme to act, and freely live !
Were it not better to be spirit free,
In virtue of unbounded sovereignty,
Than live thus mewed in weakness and in want,
Despised, rejected, hunted unto death ?
E l ij a h .
In that much vaunted freedom from restraint—
The baneful lure of all unstable spirits—
There lies the lowest servitude,
Which holds thee bound to a variety
24
Of evil thought and evil deed,
In one eternal circle void of light,
And in which envy, scorn, like scorpion whips
Lash thee !— unto thyself a slave!
Sa tan .
’Tis misery, not happiness, that speaketh thus !
Make then thy choice—oi David’s royal crown,
Or of the crown of thorns thou wearest now !
Behold this chalice!— brimming nectar wine,
Drawn from the fount essential, pure and bright!—
Mark how it flashes ruby in the cup,
Instinct with life, and cool as frosty Ararat;
This drink, since Cherith fails to slake thy thirst,
And in the visitation of its power
Thou art become a King of Israel!,
E l ij a h
(Takes the cup and dashes it to the ground, whence the
liquid starts into a lurid flame in which the tempter
'vanishes.)
Thy mercies, like thyself, have mortal ends—
The earth itself rejects the chaliced bane !
[Spirits are heard in the flame.
1 st Sp i r i t .
Princo of the World, all hail!—
Let not the Light prevail,
But with thy shadow cover up the day !
2 nd Sp i r i t .
Outstretch thy raven wing,
And blast each living thing,
That grass may cease to grow and rills to play.
25
A ll.
Let Cherith cease to lave his bed—
And ravens croak their curses on the prophet’s head I
E l ij a h .
O Light and Strength of Israel 1—
To Thee I turn my face at every step,
So I may stumble not, or fall away!
In this profound and awful solitude
Where man is furthest, make Thyself most near,
For solitude it is where Thou art not I
Help me to bear the burden of this flesh,
That I with vision purged
May see Thee only as my sole delight.
Father Supreme, thy love is my retreat ;
Beneath Thy wing I shelter from all ill.
(A glory surrounds the Prophet as the sun rises
on the mountains of Gilead, and a song of
Angels is heard.
Elijah
figured in the light.)
becomes
A ngels.
The Heavens open on thy raptured gaze.
And airs of Paradise refresh thy brow !
E l ij a h .
Hail, glorious Light of all my seeing, hail!—
Thou sovereign Beam dispensing life and joy f
A ngel.
The Angels of Comfort return,
Celestial glories appear,
To strengthen and solace in turn
The heart of the Saint and the .Seer.
trans­
26
E l ij a h .
New-lighted Wonder ! in whose glorious face
The world becomes transfigured and amazed !—
Tell me thy name, that I may live in thee,—
In blessedness of spirit, body-free !
A z r ie l
(Angel of light.)
Not here on earth, but in the realms of bliss,
Thou shalt obtain the guerdon of thy toil,
In the fruition of essential joys !
E l ij a h .
Tell me, since thou art in that realm of bliss,
Why here on earth the righteous fare so ill,
While Vice triumphant shews a joyous front ?
A z r ie l .
To make the blest fruition more enjoyed,
Eternal Wisdom in its wondrous depth
Ordained that Virtue should depend on toil,
That he who perseveres unto the end
May see her beauty growing day by day,
Until at last he sees no other joy,
Nor feels within his heart another void.
Therefore return, with increase of God’s love,
And with the burden love alone can bear,
To comfort the afflicted in misrule—
The widowed mother and the orphaned child,
And to restore the lost to life in God ;
And I who am the way of life indeed,
Will give thee strength to bear the heavy yoke.
27
E l ij a h .
In this I recognise thy purpose great,
And bear affliction as for some good end !
A ngels' Chorus.
Hail, Prophet of the Invisible, all h a il!
Thy coming sheds a glory on the world;
The shadows flee, the powers of darkness quail,
And their foul idols from their thrones are hurled.
Thou art the herald of that brighter Star
The faithless prophet* saw as in a trance,
Straining unwilling eyes to see afar
The kingdom thou art chosen to advance.
Companioned with the Spirit of thy Peer,
In beatific vision thou shalt see
The Star of Jacob in His might appear
Transfigured on the Mount of Galilee !
e n d of a c t i
* Balaam.
.
28
ACT II.
ELIJAH AT CARMEL.
SCE N E I.
Enter Widows and Eldert of
th e Plain of Jezreel.
Israel as Chorus.
W
i d o w s .*
Ring out, ye spheres, ring out my mournful tale,
And oh, ye groves, your solemn music lend
To my great grief, in plaintive, sorrowing wail,
For he is dead !— my husband and my friend !
And oh, thou love, the sunshine of my youth,
Now lend thy strength to every note of woe !—
While I in sorrow learn the bitter truth—
The lonely hours this widow'd heart must know !
O Love !— O Sorrow !— wherefore are ye twain
The rival heirs of my bereaved breast!
Where in successive anarchy ye reign,
Each strengthening each in anguish and unrest!
The tone® of bliss which I was wont to hear,
And hear with rapture from his blessed lips,
Are silent now !— where shall I find his peer ?
To me the world is shrouded in eclipse !
* Luke iv. 25.
.
29
For dark are all the scenes where he is not,
And tame are all the sounds without his voice;
Pale grief is now my silent, bitter lot,
Tho’ the vain world should say— rejoice, rejoice
But he is gone to purer light above,
And so I hold it sin thus to complain;
With me he left his great undying love,
And nothing but the holier thoughts remain.
These will I cherish till the bridal song
Of the Eternal Kingdom shall unite
My soul with his, amidst the glorious throng,
Fast by the Throne of Majesty and L igh t!
E ld ers.
Ala^s, Chat wail of misery I hear,
Redoubled by the vales and hills around,
As if the soul of Grief had found
A tongue in every rock to utter— W o e !
Ah, God, what sacrifice can cleanse the land.
And suffer mercy to bestow
A look of pity on this widow’ d band,
And make her living stream again to flow!
Lo, where she stands beside the hated bier
Of her beloved, dying timelessly !—
She pays her tribute' now— a silent tear !—
The gift of misery !
30
Ah, God, what sacrifice can make us clean,
And ope the gate of mercy to the poor,
White famine sits at every door,
And death within!
But who is he that wears the lion mien,
As if from peril he would not recoil ?
It is Elijah !— as may well be seen
By the clear stamp of genius and mental toil I
A rt thou indeed the prophet and the seer ?
E l ij a h .
Go tell the King— Behold Elijah’s here !
Ch orus.
O thou in whom all better habits thrive
In fortune’ s adverse toil and bitter blast!—
The tempest of affliction cannot rive
That heart of thine, in valour rooted fast!
But what avails its virtue with a State
Whose laws are backed by force and subtlety ?
Virtue and valour match not in debate
With shameless vice of lust and luxury !
Therefore begone, and fly the fatal field
Where thousands of thy brethren found a grave;
No need that thou another life shouldst yield
For men whom sacrifices cannot save !
E l ij a h .
The strength of sin prevails when the faint heart
Fears more the evil than it loves the good.
Go ! tell the King, Behold Elijah ’s here !
31
Chorus.
No need to summon him, for here he comes,
And bears no welcome on the royal brow !
Defend, O God, the righ t!— defend the right
A hab.
A rt thou the man that troubleth Israel ?
E l ij a h .
Not I, O King, but thou and Jezebel,
In that ye have forsaken righteousness
And gone a-whoring after Ashtoreth I
A hab.
Go to ! The god of Israel is light,
And by the light I swear to have thy death I
Ch o r u s.
The God of Israel is light indeed,
To kindle spirits and to open eyes ;
But what avails the truth of any creed
If we obey the spirit that denies.
A hab.
Who gave a Tishbite this authority—
To be the censor of the reign of kings ?
32
Ch o r u s.
Who taught Elijah heavenly things
When we were all in error lost ?
Who taught him pilotage when kings
Were tempest tossed ?
’ Twas sorrow forged within his soul
The thoughts that strike like polished shafts,
And purged his heart of sin and dole
With bitter draughts !
Sad nurse of pure and lofty thought!—
Stern priestess of the mysteries !—
Thou hast the gates of knowledge wrought,
And hold'st the keys !
With God he wrestled and prevailed
In watches of the silent night;
When all the world its pleasure hailed,
He hailed the L igh t!
A hab.
A rt thou so boastful in comparisons
As over-peer the wisest of our kings ?—
Th© son of David, who in Zion taught
The worship of our goddess, Ashtoreth!
E l ij a h .
A precedent for sin is easy found,
As w©ll upon th© throne as in th© h u t!
The son of David did as thou hast said,
And therefor© was his kingdom r©nt in twain—■
A prey to civil broil and base usurpers,
As witness Omri’s house and Jezebel!
33
A
hab.
Dost thou blaspheme God and the King ?
E l ij a h .
Thou shalt bear witness to that fatal lie,
In Naboth’s case, the martyr of Jezreel.
Away !— Confront me now with all thy gods,
And thou shalt see the Angel of the Lord
Which fired the sacrifice of Gideon
Heturn again that secret to unfold,
And manifest in fiery utterance
That God alone doth reign in Heaven and Ea-rth.
C horus.
;Tis well, 'tis well,
0 prophet bold,
That sacred fire of old
Will doubt and dispute quell.
A hab.
JTis w ell! I will confront my faith with thine,
TJnto the proof of fire, on yonder mount.
Chorus.
Hail, trumpet tongued, almighty thunderer,
Thine be the fire of God, the fire to blast
The foes of ancient Truth, and sunder her
From the foul lie' in which she has been cast
In ages of despair and darkness vast.
3
21
In the© the prophet and the patriot meet
In one divinely gifted m a n ,
For ever forward in the van
v
To tread the path of fear with conquering feet.
SCEN E 11.
Top of Carmel.
The Prophet stands alone near a
broken down altar.
E l ij a h .
Dumb monument of ancient piety !—
Here stood the altar of the living God,
And here His prophet stood, fire sanctified;
But now the Baal worship of Jezreel,
And the licentious rites of Ashtoreth,
Usurp the holy places, and corrupt
The springs of virtue and the wells of life.
( A spirit in the shape of a Paven perches on a
rock near b y.)
R aven.
In this hubbub of religion,
What is false, or what is true ?—
Priests arrayed against each other !—
Nothing strange, and nothing new!—
Nothing new!
Rogues they are, ’tween me and you !
35
This is god, says one good prophet;
Nay, this is he, another cries !
And what this one deems most sacred,
The other mocks, denies, defies !—
Bless my eyes,
Ye are croakers, in disguise !
Tell us, for we have no college,
Why you differ, men of God ?
Why not leam a universal
Dogma, like our croak and nod,—
Croak and nod !—
Wisely o’er a mystic pod !
E l ij a h .
O bird accursed ! since Noah sent thee forth—
Thou, in the craving of thy filthy maw,
Didst from thy proper mission turn aside
To feed on garbage and on carrion
By some death-ridden and infected shore.
R aven.
Croak !—it was not thus at Cherith,
When we ravens brought thee food;
There it was not spurned as carrion,
But esteemed surpassing good—
Surpassing good,
As the fare of prophet should !
36
Still deserted, friend Elijah,
Still neglected and apart?—
World defying, life despairing,
With the vulture at thine heart!—
A t thine heart—
Common guerdon of thine art!
\Exit.
E l ij a h .
Be near me in the conflict of this hour,
When Satan and his host would have me doubt
Myself and Thee, Thou, my Eternal Life !
(H e prostrates himself upon the altar stones.)
(A Dove perches where the Raven sat.)
D ove.
The Lord our God
Is high and holy,
In heaven and earth
He reigneth solely;
Supreme in power
And majesty—
Inhabiting
Eternity—
He still abides
With contrite men
Who die to sin
To live again;
But now He comes
In fire and rain
37
To purge the sin,
To cleanse the stain !
O cover us,
Celestial Flame,
And hide the sin,
And hide the shame !
[Flies away.
Ahab, Priests of Baal, Musicians, Elders and Nobles
of Israel approach the summit of Carmel.
Chorus
(E ld e r s).
On and on throughout the ages,
Ever learning, never knowing,
Man but fills historic pages
With his errors ever growing;
Wearied, baffled, still contending,
He is worn with toil and grief
In ascending
Altar stairs of vain belief.
E l ij a h .
How long ’ tween two opinions do ye halt ?
Let us build two altars : one f or me,
And one for those four hundred priests of Baal ;
Then let the God who hears and answers prayer
Bear witness to Himself in fire and rain
That He is God the Lord, and none beside.
Chorus.
;Tis well, ’tis well,
O Prophet bold !—
That sacred Fire of old
Will all the dispute quell!
:
38
E l ij a h .
therefore on your god, ye priests of Baal,
And call aloud, lest he be not awake !
C a ll
P r i e s t s or B a a l .
O Thou* in whom the world beholds
Itself, and knows itself divine,
By thee the life of nature moulds
Its forms of infinite design:
O Baal, hear!
Thou god invincible in fight,
For whom a thousand victims die,
Descend with fiery arrows bright
Upon our sacrificial pyre
With our dearest blood bedight,—
Awaiting thy consuming fire—
O Baal, hear!
E l ija h .
They cry aloud, but Baal heareth n ot;
They shed their blood, but Baal recketh not;
He is asleep, and silent as the moon !
C h o r u s ( E l d e r s ).
Eyes they have, but do not see;
Ears they have, but do not hear;
But who’s the Dread Supremacy,
Unknown, though ever near ?
E l ija h .
Stand by His Altar, ye who know him not,
And learn the presence of the E v e r N e a r !
* The Syrian Sun god, Invincible.
39
He prays.
O Thou Eternal One, sole in Thyself,
And of Thyself sole understood,—
Let it be known this day that Thou art He
Whose power and will are one and absolute;
That they who know Thee not may see, believe,
And in believing turn to Thee again !
Arise, O Lord, and make Thy glory manifest!
(W hile the Prophet prays, a flame surrounds the
Altar, consuming the sacrifice.)
Ch o ru s ( E ld e r s).
O my tumultuous heart, break forth in song—
The Lord is G od !
Let earth to heaven the great refrain prolong—
The Lord is G od !
A hab.
Thou only Prophet of the living God,
Shew me the living stream that quenches thirst,
And leaves no haunting shadow to torment
The soul that drains it to satiety !
E l ij a h .
That l o v e which shews itself as clear in right
As the deceit of appetite in wrong !
A hab.
Then teach me so to love what thou hast loved
That I may have possession in thy life.
E l ij a h .
To love the Lord with all thy heart and soul!
1
40
A hab.
I know the grief, but not the joy of love.
E l ij a h .
And therefore art thou lost to love divine,
Since by worse ills thou sought7st thy grief to cure.
Repent! destroy thine idols and those priests
Who lead thee into foul idolatry;
So shalt thou purge thy soul and save thy crown.
A hab.
Then let the clarion and the trumpet sound
The triumph of Elijah, and the knell
Of the four hundred prophets of the Baal!
P r ie s t s of B a a l .
Alas, we are undone !—
The haunting shadow hovers nigh;
Farewell thou glorious Sun,
By thee we lived, in thee we d ie !
Ah, cruel fate !—
To be for ever banished from thy beams,
To wea corruption and with worms to mate,
To sleep with horror, and of hell to dream !
A hab.
How can I slay these men, and love the Lord ?
E l ij a h .
Ah, thou art falling into questionings
Inspired by evil spirits of the deep !
7Tis by such art the Devil oft prevails,
And damns the spirit which he most informs !
41
C h o r u s ( E l d e r s ).
Eternal Justice stands
Between the endless jar of right and wrong,
And with impartial hands
Deals for the merits which to man belong.
She winnows with her fan
The harvest of his sowing,
And on the treasures of the heartless man
She turns the purging blast, for ever blowing.
Ah, woe to them who work iniquity
And feel no holy awe,
And reverence for the majesty
And might of ancient Law !—
To them the grave is but the gate of hell,
Where dreams of diverse horrors ever wake;
Open, ye gates, and let the priests of Bel
Pass to the torments of the fiery lake!
E l ij a h .
But now arise, and haste thee to Jezreel;
(
For lo, the heavens are darkening and the sound
O f yonder shoreland warns thee to make haste.
[Exeunt , Chorus singing.
Ch o ru s.
The sky with sea is blent,
The clouds with thunder rent
Echo the clamour of the bellowing shore;
The billows swelling high
Rise to salute the sky,
And join their loud voices to the general roar.
Rejoice, thou barren Earth, and bloom again,
As thou wert wont ere sin had marred thy face,
42
Ere Tyranny enthroned began to reign,
And Famine lean, and bloody War,
Were yoked together in her car,
To mock at God and curse the human race.
E l ij a h .
Repent! for godly Sorrow is the nurse of joy,
And Grief is oft the guide to heavenly ligh t!
Repent! Restore the worship of the Lord,
Which Zion knew ere yet her glory fled !
The rain returns, and once again returns
The Grace of God to renovate thine heart.
Ch o r u s.
O God and Father of our spirit,
May we grow wiser in Thy sight,
Ascending nearer to Thy Light,
Until Thy kingdom we inherit!
END OF ACT I I .
43
ACT III.
ELIJAH AT HOREB.
S C E N E 1.
A Gave near the top of Horeb , in which the Prophet
sits in despondency.
morning.
Time— near daybreak in the
E l ij a h .
Ah, what am I ? A fire that burns, but leadeth n o t!
Then who can shew Thy people that they err ?
Had not the son of Beor light, yet stood
On Pisgah’s airy top to curse a race
Ordained by Thee to be a people blessed ?
Had he not light who made the golden calf,
And hailed it as the god of Israel ?
Had not the crowned son of David light,
Who measured Wisdom by the fear of God,
Yet dallied with the goddess Ashtoreth ?
And who can shew that I may not relapse
Into the snare of custom, and be found
Among the rabble priests of use and wont ?
Have I a clearer vision, stronger faith,
Than other prophets had who toiled and failed ?
Have I more light than they ?
V o ic e .
More light than they!
44
E l ij a h .
Father Supreme!— do Thou illume my soul—
Come to mine aid, or close mine eyes in peace;
For I am weak, and weary of my life,
Since in the fight defeated and pursued,
I am not better than my fathers were.
V o ic e .
There is a Power Supreme, but not for good \
E l ij a h .
Say on, and do thy w ill; God is not here.*
Satan.
Thou hast mistook thy power and measured it
With me, the mighty ruler of this world,
Whose government thou canst not understand
Since thou art mortal, and canst only see
A fragment of its infinite design.
The evil thou affectest to abhor
Is but the shadow and the foil of Good.
There is a unity of force which holds
This universe of mine in joint action.
E l ij a h .
Say on, and do thy w ill; God is not here!
Satan.
With all thy faith, self-sacrifice, and zeal,
Say, what hast thou effected in this life ?
Another failure added to the list!
Then write it here, where Moses wrote his Law,
And die as he did of a broken heart—
* 1 Kings xix. 11, &c.
J
45
Deserted and alone, unburied, lost!
What cares the world for such a noisy trump
As thou art blowing in unwilling ears ?
Its pleasures are too sweet to be foregone
For visionary trifles of the brain,—
More frequently the fumes of self-regard
Than the inspirings of a healthy mind.
E l ij a h .
Say on, and say— What wouldst thou have me do ?
Satan .
Return to A hab; bend thy pride to him ;
And from this lower round thou shalt ascend
To sit among the nobles of Jezreel.
JTis only failure that makes life a curse,—
Degree and honour are the seals of virtue.
E l ij a h .
Degree and honour are but accidents,
Or baits to lure us from our better self.
The- pleasures of the world are sweet, forsooth !
So was the apple, but the serpent sting
Soon made its pleasure mortal. Yea, say on !
Sa ta n .
The pleasures of the flesh I grant are vulgar,
And have no charm for such a soul as thine;
But glory, fame, renown are attributes
Of spirits tempered in celestial fire.
The noblest heroes of the Hebrew race
Were not content to hide the head in caves,
Or waste their days in fighting heathen gods;
They drew the sword to vindicate their cause,
And formed alliances with crowned heads.
46
M
'I
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J
I
I
J
E l ij a h .
O doubly false is thy pernicious tongue,
Which ever tricks in specious eloquence
The deep damnation of thy fell intent!
It is thine art to be sophistical—
To trim a lie in fair seductive phrase,
And make confusion in the soul of man
By tempting him to sin for love of virtue!
If it may gratify thy hate to know,
Then hear the last that I shall answer thee—
I am as great a sinner as thou art,
But I am saved !—-and thou for ever damned !
(Here the mountain shakes, and Satan disappears
in a terrible whirlwind.)
E l ij a h .
I
If thou beest he who claimed a sovereignty
That night at Cherith when I vanquished thee,
Let all thine elements cry havoc now !
Scatter the hills, set fire to heaven and earth,
Dash rocks to pieces, smite' the mountains flat,
Pluck up the world, freighted with human woe,
And if thou canst—for thou art sovereign power !.—
Hurl it reeking into the nether deep !
Where is thy thunder, Devil, and thy fire T
Thine has the greater torment; but in me
There burns a flame' that could annihilate
The most rebellious spirit of the deep.
A ruler thou !— a sovereign potentate !—
Yet canst not paralyse the feeblest knee
That bends in humble prayer to the Most High !
(The awful storm of wind and the shaking of the
mountain increase.)
J
47
V o ic e of t h e T e m p e s t .
The tempest breaks th© rocks, the fragments fly
In lurid meteors through the mirky sky;
Wild gusts of wind upon each other leap,
And toss the fiery foam from deep to deep.
E l ij a h
( at the mouth of the cave).
O living W onder!— Thou that shalt endure
Unchangeable amid all change of worlds,
Be near me in the darkness of this hour,
When I am tossed upon an empty void,
Sundered from Thee, my Befuge and my Joy !
V o ic e of t h e T e m p e s t .
The shattered mountains vomit fire and flame,
And Sinai trembles to her utmost frame;
Strange fiery orbs start from their spheres on high,
And-red destruction sweeps along the sky;
The primal elements let loose again,—
Chaos returns— and Satan rules amain !
E l ij a h .
How like the storm that raged within my breast—
Loud, terrible— conflicting, mutinous !
O God, my Refuge, and my Joy for ever,
I f in the wondrous depths of Thy design
Thou hast afflicted me for some good end,
Still lead me when the purpose of my life
Is dark, and from my reach of thought cut off.
Truly I am as feeble in Thy sight
As frailest thing that shelters in the rock
Or hides itself in covert from the storm.
(The storm dies away as day breaks, and angelr
minister to him.)
48
1 st A n g el .
Through the gleaming realms of azure
Voices whisper, echoes fly,
Rising, falling, flowing softly
In celestial harmony.
2 nd A n g e l .
The angels of comf ort return
On glad and on passionate wing,
And on the mild zephyrs of dawn
Ambrosial fragrance they fling.
With plumage unruffled by storm,
Around thèe rejoicing they sing ;
Through the earthquake, the wind, and the fire,
Celestial music they bring.
3 rd A n g e l.
Rise in triumph, faithful hearted,
Thou hast won the victory;
Thou shalt wear its crowning glory
With the Christ on Calvary.
(Azriel descends as from the rising sun.)
A
z r ie l .
What dost thou here, Elijah ? Speak,
But gaze not on this blaze of Majesty,
For it would smite thy vision with amaze,
And dispossess thy spirit of itself.
E
l ija h .
Oh ! what am I, O Lord, a mortal man,
That I should hear Thy voice in tones so mil l
As to transcend all fullness of delight!
I have been jealous for the Lord of Hosts,
49
Because that Israel have forsaken Thee,
Thrown down Thine altars,
And slain Thy prophets with the sword ;
And I am here alone—
And they seek my life to take it away.
A
z r ie l .
The Strength of Israel is ever near :
Weak in thyself, in Him thou art most strong.
JTis not in scenes of triumph over crowds,
Such as made Ahab tremble on the mount.
Thy life is measured and thy labour shewn,
But in the hearts of some seven thousand saints
Now left in Israel, whom thou hast taught
That God dwelleth with the pure in heart.
E
l ija h .
Oh, prime enlightener, if thou hast deigned
To sanctify my labour to mankind—
A
z r ie l .
Yet not redeemed are they, as thou wouldst have,
By manifest supernal agency
As might amaze- but not compel belief;
But by the silent teaching of the truth
That makes for meekness and humility.
E
l ija h .
Do not the crowned heads of Israel stand
Between the people and the truth of God ?
A
z r ie l .
Nay, not so much as those- in humbler sphere,
Who in their blindness know not what they want.
I f power and will were equally combined,
4
50
The nobler virtues might be f ound in kings;
But inasmuch as there is fear of change,
They yield in error to the common cry
Which ever is for that which lasteth not.
But since thou art most favoured among me::,
Say, what wouldst thou to better man’s estate,,
And thou shalt have a vision of the end.
E l ija h .
Thou only knowest the far reaching end
And ultimate design of each event,
While I can only see the instant means,
Which to unwisdom may appear the best.
A
z r ie l .
Yet, name a man among the Gileadites
Whose virtue marks him for King Ahab’s crown.
E l ija h .
Jehu, the son of Nimshi, bears the mark.
A
z r ie l .
And who is worthy of the Syrian crown ?
E l ija h .
Unless the sudden change from mean estate
Should mar the faith and promises of youth,
Let Hazael be King of Syria.
A
z r ie l .
’ Tis well: theses two shall be anointed kings ;
But mark the end ! The star of sovereignty
Will shed its own malignant influence
Athwart the lives of those usurping it,
51
Until the crimes they once abhorred in thought
Shall be their most familiar acts in power.
The veil of Time is ren t!— what dost thou see ?
E
l ij a h
(has a vision of the Future).
Oh, cover mo, and hide it from my sight!—
It is enough to make the mountain groan,
And flinty rocks dissolve in bitter tears.
And yet, beyond the agony and woe,
Th© tumult, and th© carnage, and the blood,
Th© rising glory of a perfect Sun
Subdues the horror of the darker gloom;
For in the healing virtues of that beam
I se© th© growth of lif© regenerate—
The ripening fruit of love and industry
In cities, temples, palaces, and thrones,
Beneath th e standard of— T he P r in c e o f P e a c e
A z r ie l.
f
4
Look northward towards Zion, and beyond,
Far as th© vision is vouchsafed to thee,
And mark what God has don© for man’s chief good
E
l ija h .
In Zion’s vales I s©e a thousand homes
From which ascend as from a group of stars
Th© radiant glory of a pious life ;
And still beyond these vales, high on a hill,
I se© the semblance of a royal youth—Nailed to a cross !— whose fourfold arms ilium©
The heights, and depths, and latitudes of spac©!
And from His brow, pierced with a cnown of thorns
Light emanates, incredible how fa ir !—
52
While drops of blood, outstarting from His wounds,
Burst into roses on the frowning thorn !
And some there fall into the wondrous flood
Of living flame around, and thence return
In showers of rubies, pure beyond all speech—
A z r ie l .
Each potent to redeem a spirit lost,
And be a ransom for a fallen world.
Behold the M an !— the first and last of Kings !
In Him concentrate every human woe,
Which He returns in that amazing Light
Of perfect virtue*—perfect love and faith,
Which all beholding Him will imitate
And grow in likeness to the thing they love,
Until the sons of Adam be restored
To higher dignities than they have lost.
Behold the Man !— in Him thou hast been found.
Therefore return to labour and to toil,
And in thy sense of failure or defeat,
Let it suffice to cheer thee on the way
That Love and Justice' sit at God’s right hand,
A nd in the semblance of this perfect M an.
(Azriel disappears, and angelic voices are heard
in the distance.)
1st A n g e l .
Child of light, it is thy mission
To reveal the truth thou knowest,
And to kindle holy vision
In the world to which thou goest—
As the prophet of the ages,
Throned above their chosen sages.
53
2 nd A
ng el .
Sow, and thou shalt reap thy sowing
Seven thousand fold times seven ;
Plant, and thou shalt see it growing
From thy calm abode in Heaven,—
Thou art sent, and He who sends thee
Knows the season, and attends thee.
C h orus.
When the direful Archangel of Death
With his terrors swept over thy head,
Thy faith was rooted in Love,
Though lowly and rude was thy bed;
When the blast of his terrible wing
Smote the mountain of Horeb amain,
The death-dealing shaft of the Foe
Smote the heart of the Prophet in vain f
The horror of darkness around,
And the sound of the trumpet on high.
The rock-splitting tempest and flame,
And the earthquake loud thundering
Have left thee exalted in Faith
In the Name thou hast borne in the strife—
A Name to be mentioned with fear
And with love, as the life of thy life !
The fairest and sweetest of flowers
Companions the rude frowning thorn.
And the warbler of tenderest note
To the night he bewaileth the- morn ;
And the heart in which love built his nest,
His eyrie the tempest to scorn,
Is rocked in the breath of the- blast,
And in the high tempest forlorn.
54
Alone thou hast conquered the foe,
Alone thou hast suffered the cost,
Alone thou hast trusted in God
When His face in the darkness was lost;
One spirit like thine will atone
In its strength for its love for mankind,
When altars and victims will fail
To heal the deep wound of the mind !
SCEN E 11.
A hall in the Palace of Samaria. Priests of Astarte —
Tamal Ishtol, Beth — carousing.
I sh tol.
No doubt Elijali is a man of God.
T am al.
And so was Naboth, but he had blasphemed.
I sh tol.
But Naboth was a fool not to exchange.
B eth .
These Hebrew prophets are a stubborn race;
Death frights them not, nor does the desert wild,
Nor does the frown of kings subdue their pride.
T am al.
The Queen has genius to rebuke the proud,
And will destroy these prophets, root and branch.
I sh tol.
What say you to a song, ye men of Belial ?
55
T am al .
A song, a song !— the fair Zidonian maid !—
The Star of Zidon rules our destiny !
J
My love is like' the Eastern star,
Bright herald angel of the morn,
Although her glances beam afar,
My heart from her can ne’er be torn.
Chorus— Then fill your cups with glowing wine,
And pledge my love who lives afar;
Though other maids may be divine,
I love but her or near or far.
Oh, she is fairer than the star
That now adorns the brow of night;
And in her charms my heart- enthralled
Is rapt in wonder and delight.
Her cheek is glowing in the tide
Of passion’s own celestial hue;
And love is radiant in her e}^e
As sunlight in the morning dew.
I yield in rapture to the charms
Of vestal fires that ever play
Upon the roses of her lips,
As in the East the break of d a y !
Ah, gentle maiden, list my lays,
And smile upon me from afar,
Until the light of other days
Shall shine upon me as a star.
E
’ nter Her aid.
56
H erald.
The Queen commands your presence at her high
festival.
[Exit*
P r ie s t s
(following).
While my blood this body warms,
I will revel in her charms;
Rosy lips and loving arms
Will make a priest divine, boys !
[Exeunt .
SCE N E I I I .
The Temple of Baal and Ashtoreth.
Enter Priests
Vestals, and Minstrels; Ahab , Jezebel, Kng of
Judah, Nobles of J ezreel, &c.
V
estal
Song.
Star of the Sea,
Lead me aright,
Thou art to me
Love and delight;
Trusting in thee,
Angel of light,
I fear not life’s stormy ocean.
Come in the twilight charm,
Come when the heart is warm,—
Come when my spirit is rapt in devotion.
Heaven is around me then
When thy smile thrills again
Through the sweet pulses of life and of motion.
Queen of the healing art,
Come to my yearning heart,—
Come like a summer calm over the ocean.
57
A
hab.
Friends, counsellors, and nobles of Jezreel,.
We have proclaimed this solemn festival
In honour of our brother, King of Zion,
Who is allied with us against our f oes
Alik© in Syria or in Gilead.
Ther© still remains the arch-conspirator—
A proud, rebellious prophet, who denies
Our faith and sovereignty— our rights divine \
J ezebel,
This prophet hath blasphemed God and the King,
And th©refor© by the Law h© ought to di©.
[Enter Messengers.
How now ? Found ye that man of Gilead ?
M essen ger.
Most gracious Majesty, for ©ver liv©!—
For forty days w© have been on his trail,
But failed to track th© lion to his lair.
Of all the friendly Arabs w© enquired,
Some saw him here, som© ther©, as if th©re were
Not on© Elijah, but a host of th©m.
Z in a d a b .
H© is in session with th© heavenly host,
And knows th© seasons when to com© and go t
M essen ger.
’ Tis said h© hides at Ramoth Gilead,
And stirs rebellion and proclaims a King !
K
in g of
J u d a h (aside).
* Our secret plot is known !
We are betrayed f
58
A
A King !
hab.
What King ?
M essenger.
The captain of their host—
Q ueen.
Jehu, the son of Nimshi, is the man !—
A bloody man, in league with Syria!
Why stand we here ? Let not a Gileadite
Escape the arm of justice and revenge !
Could I but wield a sword, full many a head
Would drop into the bowels of the earth
That now encumber it with treachery !
A
hab.
Most noble Queen, my royal Jezebel,
Thou hast the genius to rebuke the proud,
Or gild with roseate hues dark sorrow’s cloud !
No more shall I with flesh and blood consult
But with the voice that speaks from sceptred thrones,
And with the argument of blood and iron !
J ezebel.
’ Tis said, my lord, that wine and woman’ s lips
Have lustier relish tasted after blood !—
And this I vow on your return in triumph.
A
hab.
What says our brother Judah to this hazard ?
Will he unite his mighty arm with mine
To strike destruction in that den of thieves,
That home of rebels, Ramoth Gilead ?
59
J udah.
Lot us consult the prophets at the gate.
A
hab.
The prophets ? Nay, these prophets are in league
With all the enemies of Israel.
And yet, to please my lord, we shall enquire,
And mark how they may champion our cause.
(W ith trumpets and martial music they are led to
the gate of Samaria.)
V
estal
S ong.
Oh, praise our virgin queen,
Ye vestals of Jezreel,
As in her light serene
Her voiceless spells ye feel.
She fructifies the earth
With gracious dews distilling,
And smiles on every birth
Of life in beauty thrilling.
She spins the thread of life
From age to age enduring,
Composing all the strife
In bonds of love alluring.
SCE N E I V .
A n open space before the gate of Samaria— the Kings of
Israel and Judah enthroned in state; Nobles, Elders,
Priests, &c.
A
hab.
Call hither all the prophets you can find,
Whether of Judah or of Israel;
60
And chief of Baal, the Invincible,
Whose ancient oracle on Gerisim
Confirms our claim on Ramoth Gilead.
[Enter Prophets as Ghorui.
C h orus.
Hail, royal son of Omri, conqueror King !—■
Behold these emblems* of thy m ight!—
* Horns of iron.
With these thou shalt prevail,
And push the Syrians;
With these thou shalt prevail,
And rescue Ramoth Gilead
From Jehu’ s grasp—
From the false tyrant’s grasp !
And Jehu shall be hurled
From t^wer and battlement
As food for vultures and of hungry dogs !—
Go up ! thy horn is high exalted and prevails !
A
hab.
Both heaven and earth now champion our cause.
By this we both shall win eternal fame,
And pluck the laurel from the Syrian brow.
K
in g of
J udah.
Is there n o t here a prophet of the L o r d ,
Of whom we may enquire ?
A
hab.
A prophet ?— Yea,
A prophet of disaster to my House!
K
in g of
Let not the King say so.
J udah.
61
A
hab.
Then call him her© !
J ezebel.
The prophet fostered by the Gileadite ?
Let him be slain, or die in gyves of shame !
A
hab.
Then let him speak and seal his mortal doom !
[Enter Micaiah.
What says Micaiah, prophet of the Lord !—
Shall we go up to Ramoth Gilead
To smite the Syrians, or shall we now forbear ?
I charge you, speak the truth !
M
ic a ia h .
*‘ Go up and prosper ! for thou shalt prevail!5’—
The lying spirit that hath spoken thus
Will lead thee blindly to thine utter ruin !
For as in Aphek thou didst spare a king
Whom God appointed to destruction,
So shalt thou reap of disobedience
And be destroyed of Syria in turn.
For now I see in vision clear
The mighty host of Israel
Wide scattered o ’er the hills
Like sheep without a shepherd,
Pursued and worried by the Syrian dogs,
While King and Queen are mangled by their fangs
A
hab.
Have I not said he is mine enemy ?
Take him away ! and fetter him in gyves
Till I return victorious in peace.
62
For Ahab shall go up and challenge all the ill
That gods and prophets can accumulate!
For Ahab in his three score years and ten,
Or more or less, no matter which, 'tis one—
Shall cram the womb of Time with deeds so terrible
That he shall live again and speak in them
For ever fresh and young, for ever King !
Hail, monumental records of my destiny,
Strike heaven in the face, until the gods
Shall trumpet their applause and answer back,
‘ ‘ Behold a man become like one of us !9’
J ezebel.
Farewell, my noble lord, till you return,
And in the blood-dyed garments of our victory !
[Exeunt.
(Flourish of trumpets, horns, and the rattle of
armour, as preludes of battle.)
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