'Tis said, that Berenice's hair In stars adorns the vault of heaven; But they would ne'er permit thee there, Thou wouldst so far outshine the seven. For did those eyes as planets roll, Thy sister-lights would scarce appear: E'en suns, which systems now control, Would twinkle dimly through their sphere. TO WOMAN. WOMAN! experience might have told me Oh Memory! thou choicest blessing, 'Woman, thy vows are traced in sand.** *The last line is almost a literal translation from a Spanish proverb. TO M. S. G. WHEN I dream that you love me, you'll surely forgive, Extend not your anger to sleep; For in visions alone your affection can live,- Then, Morpheus! envelope my faculties fast, Should the dream of to-night but resemble the last, They tell us, that slumber, the sister of death, To fate how I long to resign my frail breath, Ah! frown not, sweet Lady, unbend your soft brow, If I sin in my dream, I atone for it now, Though in visions, sweet Lady, perhaps you may smile, Oh! think not my penance deficient; When dreams of your presence my slumbers beguile, To awake will be torture sufficient. SONG. WHEN I roved a young Highlander o'er the dark heath, And climb'd thy deep summit, oh! Morven of snow;* To gaze on the torrent that thunder'd beneath, Or the mist of the tempest that gather'd below,t *Morven, a lofty mountain in Aberdeenshire: Gormal of snow,' is an expression frequently to be found in Ossian. This will not appear extraordinary to those who have been Untutor❜d by science, a stranger to fear, And rude as the rocks where my infancy grew, No feeling, save one, to my bosom was dear, Need I say, my sweet Mary, 'twas center'd in you? Yet, it could not be love, for I knew not the name,What passion can dwell in the heart of a child? But still I perceive an emotion the same As I felt, when a boy, on the crag-cover'd wild: One image alone on my bosom impress'd, I loved my bleak regions, nor panted for new; And few were my wants, for my wishes were bless'd, And pure were my thoughts, for my soul was with you. I arose with the dawn, with my dog as my guide, And warm to the skies my devotions arose, As the last of my race, I must wither alone, And delight but in days I have witness'd before: accustomed to the mountains; it is by no means uncommon on attaining the top of Ben-e-vis, Ben-y-bourd, &c. to perceive between the summit and the valley clouds pouring down rain, and occasionally accompanied by lightning, while the spectator literally looks down upon the storm, perfectly secure from its effects. Breasting the lofty mountain.-Shakspeare. ↑ The Dee is a beautiful river, which rises near Mar Lodge and falls into the sea at New Aberdeen. Ah! splendour has raised, but embitter'd my lot, More dear were the scenes which my infancy knew ; Though my hopes may have fail'd, yet they are not forgot, Though cold is my heart, still it lingers with you. When I see some dark hill point its crest to the sky, I think of the rocks that o'ershadow Colbleen ;* When I see the soft blue of a love-speaking eye, I think of those eyes that endear'd the rude scene, When, haply, some light-waving locks I behold, Yet the day may arrive, when the mountains once more Shall rise to my sight, in their mantles of snow: But while these soar above me, unchanged as be fore, Will Mary be there to receive me? ah no! Adieu! then, ye hills, where my childhood was bred, Thou sweet flowing Dee, to thy waters adieu! No home in the forest shall shelter my head, Ah! Mary, what home could be mine but with you? * Colbleen is a mountain near the verge of the Highlands, not far from the ruins of Dee Castle. ΤΟ OH! yes, I will own we were dear to each other, The friendships of childhood, though fleeting, are true; The love which you felt, was the love of a brother, The wonted delights of our childhood, retrace; When pride steels the bosom, the heart is unbending, And what would be justice appears a disgrace. However, dear S, for I still must esteem you, The few whom I love I can never upbraid, The chance which has lost, may in future redeem you, Repentance will cancel the vow you have made. I will not complain, and though chill'd is affection, With me no corroding resentment shall live: My bosom is calm'd by the simple reflection, That both may be wrong, and that both should forgive. You knew that my soul, that my heart, my existence, If danger demanded, were wholly your own; You knew me unalter'd by years or by distance, Devoted to love and to friendship alone. |