My sprightly neighbor! gone before When from thy cheerful eyes a ray A sweet fore-warning? CHARLES LAMB.1 WINTER. A WIDOW bird sate mourning for her Love Upon a wintry bough; The frozen wind crept on above, The freezing stream below. There was no leaf upon the forest bare, No flower upon the ground, And little motion in the air Except the mill-wheel's sound. PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY. 1 CHARLES LAMB, born in London in 1775, was educated at Christ's Hospital, and in 1792 obtained a situation in the East India house, which he held until 1825, when he retired on a pension. His life was devoted to the guardianship of his sister, a woman of much talent, who assisted him in his literary work but who was subject to fits of insanity. The hard monotony of an accountant's life was varied and relieved by excursions into various fields of literature. The best of Lamb's works are the famous Essays of Elia, abounding in humor and clever criticism of character and manners. Lamb was also a most charming companion, very witty, and famous as a story teller. He died 'n 1834. TO THOMAS MOORE. My boat is on the shore, And my bark is on the sea; Here's a sigh to those who love me, Though the ocean roar around me, Were 't the last drop in the well, Ere my fainting spirit fell, 'Tis to thee that I would drink. With that water, as this wine, The libation I would pour Should be peace with thine and mine, And a health to thee, Tom Moore. LORD BYRON. BONNY DUNDEE.1 To the Lords of Convention, 't was Claver'se who spoke, "Ere the King's crown shall fall there are crowns to be broke ; So let each cavalier who loves honor and me Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can, 1 John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, was born about the year 1650. He was distinguished by his military talents and dashing exploits, but was a man of hard and cruel temper. He served in the Dutch army, and returned to Scotland in 1677, where he engaged in the work of suppressing the Covenanters. When James II. fled, Dundee espoused his cause against William of Orange. He was in Edinburgh, not having yet declared himself, and complained to the Convention then sitting there, that he was in danger of assassination by the Covenanters. The Duke of Hamilton, anxious to be rid of him, treated him with contempt. Dundee thereupon left the Convention in a rage, and, gathering some fifty horsemen, rode through the city, passing by the Grassmarket, where executions took place previous to 1784. He stopped at the castle and had a conference with the Duke of Gordon, but could not persuade that nobleman to join him. Meantime the Whig followers of Hamilton and Sir John Dalrymple, from the western counties, poured into the streets. Dundee, with his troopers, leaving the castle, dashed through the crowd, got out of the city unopposed, and made his way to the Highlands, where he raised the clans. With these forces he returned and defeated the English at Killiefrankie, where he fell in the moment of victory. This ballad describes his departure from Edinburgh, and the next poem narates the circumstances of his victory and death. Dundee he is mounted, he rides up the street, The bells are rung backward, the drums they are beat; But the Provost, douce man, said, "Just e'en let him be, The gude town is weel quit of that Deil of Dundee." As he rode down the sanctified bends of the Bow, But the young plants of grace they look'd couthie and slee, Thinking, luck to thy bonnet, thou Bonny Dundee ! With sour - featured Whigs the Grassmarket was cramm'd, As if half the West had set tryst to be hang'd, There was spite in each look, there was fear in each ee, As they watch'd for the bonnets of Bonny Dundee. These cowls of Kilmarnock had spits and had spears, And lang-hafted gullies to kill Cavaliers ; But they shrunk to close-heads and the Causeway was free, At the toss of the bonnet of Bonny Dundee. He spurr'd to the foot of the proud Castle rock, And with the gay Gordon he gallantly spoke; "Let Mons Meg and her marrows speak twa words of three, For the love of the bonnet of Bonny Dundee.” The Gordon demands of him which way he goes "There are hills beyond Pentland and lands beyond Forth, If there's Lords in the Lowlands, there's Chiefs in the North; There are wild Duniewassals three thousand times three, Will cry hoigh! for the bonnet of Bonny Dundee. "There's brass on the target of barken'd bull-hide, There's steel in the scabbard that dangles beside; The brass shall be burnished, the steel shall flash free At a toss of the bonnet of Bonny Dundee. "Away to the hills, to the caves, to the rocks - He waved his proud hand, and the trumpets were blown, The kettle-drums clash'd, and the horsemen rode on, Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can, The Doom of Derorgoil. |