The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PROLOGUE TO MISS BAILLIE'S PLAY, OF THE FAMILY LEGEND.1 'Tis sweet to hear expiring Summer's sigh, Through forests tinged with russet, wail and die; 'Tis sweet and sad the latest notes to hear Of distant music, dying on the ear; But far more sadly sweet, on foreign strand, We list the legends of our native land, Link'd as they come with every tender tie, Memorials dear of youth and infancy. Chief, thy wild tales, romantic Caledon, Wake keen remembrance in each hardy son. i [Miss Baillie's Family Legend was produced with considerable success on the Edinburgh stage in the winter of 1809-10. This prologue was spoken on that occasion by the Author's friend, Mr. Daniel Terry.] Whether on India's burning coasts he toil, Or till Arcadia's winter-fetter'd soil, He hears with throbbing heart and moisten'd eyes, And, as he hears, what dear illusions rise! It opens on his soul his native dell, The woods wild waving, and the water's swell; Tradition's theme, the tower that threats the plain, The mossy cairn that hides the hero slain: The cot beneath whose simple porch were told, By gray-hair'd patriarch, the tales of old; The infant group that hush'd their sports the while, And the dear maid who listen'd with a smile. The wanderer, while the vision warms his brain, Is denizen of Scotland once again. Are such keen feelings to the crowd confined, And sleep they in the Poet's gifted mind ? Oh no! For She, within whose mighty page Each tyrant Passion shows his woe and rage, Has felt the wizard influence they inspire, And to your own traditions tuned her lyre. Yourselves shall judge?whoe'er has raised the sail By Mull's dark coast, has heard this evening's tale. The plaided boatman, resting on his oar, Points to the fatal rock amid th...