The Lady of the Lake Part 21

The Monarch drank, that happy hour, 775 The sweetest, holiest draught of Power-- When it can say, with G.o.dlike voice, Arise, sad Virtue, and rejoice!

Yet would not James the general eye On Nature's raptures long should pry; 780 He stepped between--"Nay, Douglas, nay, Steal not my proselyte away!

The riddle 'tis my right to read, That brought this happy chance to speed.

--Yes, Ellen, when disguised I stray 785 In life's more low but happier way, 'Tis under name which veils my power, Nor falsely veils--for Stirling's tower Of yore the name of Snowdoun claims, And Normans call me James Fitz-James. 790 Thus watch I o'er insulted laws, Thus learn to right the injured cause."

Then, in a tone apart and low-- "Ah, little traitress! none must know What idle dream, what lighter thought, 795 What vanity full dearly bought, Joined to thine eye's dark witchcraft, drew My spell-bound steps to Benvenue, In dangerous hour, and all but gave Thy Monarch's life to mountain glaive!"-- 800 Aloud he spoke, "Thou still dost hold That little talisman of gold, Pledge of my faith, Fitz-James's ring-- What seeks fair Ellen of the King?"

XXIX

Full well the conscious maiden guessed 805 He probed the weakness of her breast; But, with that consciousness, there came A lightening of her fears for Graeme, And more she deemed the Monarch's ire Kindled 'gainst him, who, for her sire 810 Rebellious broadsword boldly drew; And, to her generous feeling true, She craved the grace of Roderick Dhu.

"Forbear thy suit--the King of kings Alone can stay life's parting wings. 815 I know his heart, I know his hand, Have shared his cheer, and proved his brand.

My fairest earldom would I give To bid Clan-Alpine's Chieftain live!-- Hast thou no other boon to crave? 820 No other captive friend to save?"

Blus.h.i.+ng, she turned her from the King, And to the Douglas gave the ring, As if she wished her sire to speak The suit that stained her glowing cheek. 825 "Nay, then, my pledge has lost its force, And stubborn justice holds her course.

Malcolm, come forth!"--and, at the word, Down kneeled the Graeme to Scotland's lord.

"For thee, rash youth, no suppliant sues, 830 From thee may Vengeance claim her dues, Who, nurtured underneath our smile, Hast paid our care by treacherous wile, And sought, amid thy faithful clan, A refuge for an outlawed man, 835 Dishonoring thus thy loyal name.

Fetters and warder for the Graeme!"

His chain of gold the King unstrung, The links o'er Malcolm's neck he flung, Then gently drew the glittering band, 840 And laid the clasp on Ellen's hand.

Harp of the North, farewell! The hills grow dark, On purple peaks a deeper shade descending; In twilight copse the glowworm lights her spark, The deer, half seen, are to the covert wending. 845 Resume thy wizard elm! the fountain lending, And the wild breeze, thy wilder minstrelsy; Thy slumbers sweet with Nature's vespers blending, With distant echo from the fold and lea, And herdboy's evening pipe, and hum of housing bee. 850

Yet, once again, farewell, thou Minstrel harp!

Yet, once again, forgive my feeble sway, And little reck I of the censure sharp May idly cavil at an idle lay.

Much have I owed thy strains on life's long way, 855 Through secret woes the world has never known, When on the weary night dawned wearier day, And bitterer was the grief devoured alone.

That I o'erlived such woes, Enchantress! is thine own.

Hark! as my lingering footsteps slow retire, 860 Some Spirit of the Air has waked thy string!

'Tis now a seraph bold, with touch of fire, 'Tis now the brush of Fairy's frolic wing.

Receding now, the dying numbers ring Fainter and fainter down the rugged dell, 865 And now the mountain breezes scarcely bring A wandering witch-note of the distant spell-- And now, 'tis silent all!--Enchantress, fare thee well!

NOTES

CANTO FIRST

2. =witch-elm that shades Saint Fillan's spring.= The well or spring of St. Fillan is on the summit of a hill near Loch Earn, some miles northeast of the scene of the poem. The reason why Scott places the "Harp of the North" here is that St. Fillan was the favorite saint of Robert Bruce, and a relic of the saint had been borne in a shrine by a warlike abbot at the battle of Bannockburn. The word "witch" (more properly spelled "wych") is connected with "wicker" and means "bending,"

"drooping."

10. =Caledon.= Caledonia, poetic name for Scotland.

29. =Monan's rill.= Scott takes the liberty of a.s.signing a "rill" to this Scottish martyr of the fourth century on his own authority, unless his editors have been at fault in failing to discover the stream indicated.

31. =Glenartney's.= Glen Artney or Valley of the Artney. The Artney is a small river northeast of the main scene of the poem.

33. =Benvoirlich.= "Ben" is Scottish for mountain. Benvoirlich is near the western end of Glenartney.

53. =Uam-Var.= A mountain between Glenartney and the Braes of Doune. The name signifies "great den," and is derived from a rocky enclosure on the mountain-side, believed to have been used in primitive times as a toil or trap for deer. As told in Stanza IV a giant was fabled to have inhabited this den.

71. =linn.= This word means either "waterfall" or "steep ravine." The latter is probably the meaning here.

89. =Menteith.= A village and district southeast of the line of lakes--Loch Katrine, Loch Achray, and Loch Vennachar--about which the main action of the poem moves.

93. =Lochard.= Loch Ard, a small lake south of Loch Katrine.

=Aberfoyle.= A village east of Loch Ard.

95. =Loch-Achray.= See note on 89.

97. =Benvenue.= A mountain on the south bank of Loch Katrine.

103. =Cambusmore.= An estate owned by Scott's friends, the Buchanans, on the border of the Braes of Doune.

105. =Benledi.= A majestic mountain shutting in the horizon to the north of Loch Vennachar.

106. =Bochastle's heath.= The plain between Loch Vennachar and the river Teith.

112. =Brigg of Turk.= A romantic bridge, still in existence, between Loch Vennachar and Loch Achray.

120. =dogs of black Saint Hubert's breed.= A breed of dogs, usually black in color, very keen of scent and powerful in build, were kept by the abbots of St. Hubert in commemoration of their patron saint, who was a hunter.

138. =whinyard.= Obsolete term for _sword_.

145. =Trossachs.= A wild and beautiful defile between Loch Katrine and Loch Achray. The word signifies "rough or bristled country."

166. =Woe worth the chase.= "Woe worth" is an exclamation, equivalent to "alack!"

178. =Round and around the sounds were cast.= Notice the mimicry of the echo in the vowel sounds of the line.

196. =tower ... on s.h.i.+nar's plain.= The Tower of Babel.

208. =dewdrops sheen.= What part of speech is _sheen_? Is this use of the word obsolete in prose?

227. =frequent flung.= "Frequent" is used in the original Latin sense (Lat. _frequens_) of "crowded together," "numerous."

256. =Unless he climb, with footing nice.= Scott says: "Until the present road was made through the romantic pa.s.s I have presumptuously attempted to describe, there was no mode of issuing out of the defile called the Trossachs, excepting by a sort of ladder, composed of the branches and roots of trees." What is the meaning of "nice" here? What other meanings has the word had?

313. =Highland plunderers.= The clans inhabiting the region about Loch Katrine were in the habit of making incursions into the neighboring Lowlands to plunder and lay waste the country. Their warlike habits were fostered by the rugged and almost inaccessible character of the country, which prevented the Lowlanders from retaliating upon them, and enabled them also to resist the royal authority.

363. =snood.= A ribbon worn by Scotch la.s.sies and upon marriage replaced by the matron's "curch" or cap. =plaid.= A rectangular shawl-like garment made of the checkered cloth called tartan.

438. =couch was pulled.= Freshly pulled heather was the most luxurious bedding known to the Highlander.

440. =ptarmigan and heath-c.o.c.k.= These birds are a species of grouse, the one red, the other black.

460. =on the visioned future bent.= The gift of second-sight was universally believed in at this period in the Highlands.

504. =retreat in dangerous hour.= "The Celtic chieftains, whose lives were continually exposed to peril, had usually, in the most retired spot of their domain, some place of retreat for the hour of necessity ... a tower, a cavern, or a rustic hut." (Scott's note in edition of 1830.)