ROSABELLE

Seemed all on fire within, around, Deep sacristy and altar's pale; Shone every pillar foliage-bound,

And glimmered all the dead men's mail.40 Blazed battlement and pinnet high,

Blazed every rose-carved buttress fairSo still they blaze, when fate is nigh The lordly line of high Saint Clair.

There are twenty of Roslin's barons bold 45 Lie buried within that proud chapelle; Each one the holy vault doth hold

But the sea holds lovely Rosabelle.

And each Saint Clair was buried there, With candle, with book, and with knell; But the sea-caves rung, and the wild winds sung

The dirge of lovely Rosabelle.

10

At Iol more deep the mead did drain;
High on the beach his galleys drew,
And feasted all his pirate crew;
Then in his low and pine-built hall,
Where shields and axes decked the wall,
They gorged upon the half-dressed steer;
Caroused in seas of sable beer;
While round, in brutal jest, were thrown
The half-gnawed rib and marrow-bone; 15
Or listened all, in grim delight,
While Scalds yelled out the joys of fight.
Then forth in frenzy would they hie,
While wildly-loose their red locks fly;
And, dancing round the blazing pile,
They make such barbarous mirth the while,

20

38. pale, inclosure. 39. foliage-bound. The foliage was carved round each pillar. 41. pinnet, pinnacle. 42. rose-carved. The rose was carved because of the name Roslin, though the name meant a waterfall on a promontory.

Christmas in the Olden Time. 7. Iol (yule), the Danish word for Christmas. mead, a fermented beverage made of water, honey, and malt. 17. Scalds, Norse poets or bards.

And brought blithe Christmas back again
With all its hospitable train.
Domestic and religious rite
Gave honor to the holy night:

On Christmas eve the bells were rung; 30
On Christmas eve the mass was sung;
That only night, in all the year,
Saw the stoled priest the chalice rear.
The damsel donned her kirtle sheen;
The hall was dressed with holly green;
Forth to the wood did merrymen go,
To gather in the mistletoe.
Then opened wide the baron's hall
To vassal, tenant, serf, and all;
Power laid his rod of rule aside;

And Ceremony doffed her pride.
The heir, with roses in his shoes,
That night might village partner choose;
The lord, underogating, share

The vulgar game of "post and pair,"
All hailed with uncontrolled delight,
And general voice, the happy night
That to the cottage, as the crown,
Brought tidings of salvation down.

35

40

45

"Why weep ye by the tide, ladie? Why weep ye by the tide?

I'll wed ye to my youngest son,
And ye sall be his bride.
And ye sall be his bride, ladie,

Sae comely to be seen"-
But aye she loot the tears down fa'
For Jock of Hazeldean.

"Now let this willfu' grief be done,
And dry that cheek so pale;
Young Frank is chief of Errington
And lord of Langley-dale;
His step is first in peaceful ha',
His sword in battle keen"-
But aye she loot the tears down fa'
For Jock of Hazeldean.

60

"A chain of gold ye sall not lack, Nor braid to bind your hair;

Crested with bays and rosemary.
Well can the green-garbed ranger tell
How, when, and where the monster fell;
What dogs before his death he tore,
And all the baiting of the boar.
The wassail round, in good brown bowls,
Garnished with ribbons, blithely trowls. 65
There the huge sirloin reeked; hard by
Plum-porridge stood, and Christmas pie;
Nor failed old Scotland to produce,

23. Odin, the supreme deity of the ancient Scandinavians. 84. kirtle sheen, bright skirt. 44. underogating, without losing anything in esteem. 45. post and pair, an old game of cards. 55. No mark. In feudal times the nobles occupied a raised platform at one end of the hall, while their followers ate at a lower table. 65. trowls, passes round the table.

Nor mettled hound, nor managed hawk,
Nor palfrey fresh and fair;
And you, the foremost o' them a',

Shall ride our forest queen”—
But aye she loot the tears down fa'
For Jock of Hazeldean.

10

15

20

74. lists, likes. mumming, merrymaking in dis guise, a remnant of the early mystery plays. 78. dight, decked. 82. broached, opened the cask of.

Jock of Hazeldean. 7. loot, let. 13. ha', hall. 19. managed, trained.

Rosabelle. This ballad is taken from the sixth canto of Scott's The Lay of the Last Minstrel. Some student should volunteer to read the whole Lay, rehearse the story briefly, and indicate the exact circumstances under which this ballad is sung. In this connection he might point out other famous passages or read them to the class; for example, Deloraine's night ride, the preparations in Branksome Hall to repel the besiegers, the coming of Watt Tinlinn to Branksome, or the celebrated description of Melrose Abbey by moonlight.

Christmas in the Olden Time. This passage is taken from the introduction to the sixth canto of Marmion. Some student should volunteer to make a report similar to that suggested for The Lay of the Last Minstrel.

Jock of Hazeldean. The first stanza of this song is ancient. Compare the whole poem with "A Red, Red Rose" and "Auld Lang Syne," which Burns based on ancient songs.

REVIEW

1. Compare "Rosabelle" with "Tam O' Shanter." Which is more eerie? Romantic? Human? Humorous?

2. What romantic features do you find in the three poems by Scott? Can you find any explanation of why he was in his day more popular than Wordsworth or Coleridge? Why is Wordsworth now considered the greater poet?

3. In the passage from Marmion, what phrases remind you of poetic diction in the age of Pope? In the three poems, what particularly vivid or picturesque phrases do you find? Is Scott's diction as simple and poetic as Wordsworth's? Quote from both poets to prove.

Further Reading

1. Besides The Lay of the Last Minstrel and Marmion, the student should reread The Lady of the Lake (in Book One of this series). The report should deal with the coming of Roderick Dhu and the fight between Fitz-James and Roderick. How does the poet's feeling for nature differ in this poem from that of Wordsworth in "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey"?

2. An alert and ambitious class should also provide for reports on Scott's prose romances. One set may deal with the Scotch novels: Guy Mannering, Old Mortality, Rob Roy, and The Heart of Midlothian. Three English novels, Ivanhoe, Kenilworth, and Woodstock, may be grouped with The Talisman and Quentin Durward. How are his prose romances like his metrical romances? How are they different? What did Scott love in medieval life?

3. Some of the class should by all means read selections from Lockhart's Life of Scott. The report should bring out the character of Scott. It may contain a comparison of Lockhart's Scott with Boswell's Life of Johnson.