Glenkindie

We set for him the guest's high chair,
And spread the naperie:

Our Dame herself would serve for him,
And I for Rafe, perdie!

But down he sat on a low, low stool,
And thrust his long legs out,

And leaned his back to the high chair,
And turned his harp about.

He turned it round, he stroked the strings,
He touched each tirling-pin,

He put his mouth to the sounding-board
And breathed his breath therein.

And Rafe sat over against his face,

And looked at him wistfullie:

I almost grat ere he began,
They were so sad to see.

The very first stroke he strack that day,
We all came crowding near;

And the second stroke he strack that day,
We all were smit with fear.

The third stroke that he strack that day,
Full fain we were to cry;

The fourth stroke that he strack that day,
We thought that we would die.

No tongue can tell how sweet it was,

How far, and yet how near,

We saw the saints in Paradise,

And bairnies on their bier.

And our sweet Dame saw her good lord

She told me privilie

She saw him as she saw him last,

On his ship upon the sea.

2641

Anon he laid his little harp by,

He shut his wondrous eyes;

We stood a long time like dumb things,
Stood in a dumb surprise.

Then all at once we left that trance,
And shouted where we stood;

We clasped each other's hands and vowed
We would be wise and good.

Soon he rose up and Rafe rose too,

He drank wine and broke bread;

He clasped his hands with our trembling Dame,
But never a word he said.

They went, Alack and lack-a-day!
They went the way they came.

I followed them all down the floor,
And oh but I had drouth

To touch his cheek, to touch his hand,
To kiss Rafe's velvet mouth!

But I knew such was not for me.

They went straight from the door;

We saw them fade within the mist,
And never saw them more.

William Bell Scott (1811-1890]

"HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS FROM GHENT TO AIX"

[16-]

I SPRANG to the stirrup, and Joris, and he;

I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three;

"Good speed!" cried the watch, as the gate-bolts undrew;

"Speed!" echoed the wall to us galloping through;

Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest,

And into the midnight we galloped abreast.

"How They Brought the Good News" 2643

Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace
Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place;
I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight,
Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right,
Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,
Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.

'Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near
Lokeren, the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear;
At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see;
At Düffeld, 'twas morning as plain as could be;

And from Mechelm church-steeple we heard the half-chime,
So Joris broke silence with, "Yet there is time!"

At Aershot, up leaped of a sudden the sun,
And against him the cattle stood black every one,
To stare through the mist at us galloping past,
And I saw my stout galloper Roland at last,
With resolute shoulders, each butting away
The haze, as some bluff river headland its spray:

And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent back
For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;
And one eye's black intelligence,—ever that glance
O'er its white edge at me, his own master, askance!
And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye and anon
His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on.

By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris "Stay spur!
Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault's not in her,
We'll remember at Aix"-for one heard the quick wheeze
Of her chest, saw the stretched neck and staggering knees,

And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,

As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank.

So, we were left galloping, Joris and I,

Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky;

The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh,

'Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like chaff; Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white,

And "Gallop," gasped Joris, "for Aix is in sight!

"How they'll greet us!"-and all in a moment his roan
Rolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a stone;
And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight
Of the news which alcne could save Aix from her fate,
With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim,
And with circles of red for his eye-sockets' rim.

Then I cast loose my buffcoat, each holster let fall,
Shook off both my jack-boots, let go belt and all,
Stood up in the stirrup, leaned, patted his ear,

Called my Roland his pet-name, my horse without peer; Clapped my hands, laughed and sang, any noise, bad or good,

Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and stood.

And all I remember is,—friends flocking round

As I sat with his head 'twixt my knees on the ground;
And no voice but was praising this Roland of mine,
As I poured down his throat our last measure of wine,
Which (the burgesses voted by common consent)
Was no more than his due who brought good news from
Ghent.

Robert Browning [1812-1889]

THE OLD SCOTTISH CAVALIER

COME listen to another song,

Should make your heart beat high,

Bring crimson to your forehead,

And the luster to your eye;→

It is the song of the olden time,
Of days long since gone by,
And of a Baron stout and bold

As e'er wore sword on thigh!

Like a brave old Scottish cavalier,
All of the olden time!

He kept his castle in the north,

Hard by the thundering Spey;

And a thousand vassals dwelt around,
All of his kindred they.

The Old Scottish Cavalier

2645

And not a man of all that clan

Had ever ceased to pray

For the Royal race they loved so well,
Though exiled far away

From the steadfast Scottish cavaliers,
All of the olden time!

His father drew the righteous sword
For Scotland and her claims,
Among the loyal gentlemen

And chiefs of ancient names,
Who swore to fight or fall beneath
The standard of King James,

And died at Killiecrankie Pass
With the glory of the Græmes;

Like a true old Scottish cavalier
All of the olden time!

He never owned the foreign rule,
No master he obeyed,

But kept his clan in peace at home,
From foray and from raid;

And when they asked him for his oath,
He touched his glittering blade,
And pointed to his bonnet blue,
That bore the white cockade:
Like a leal old Scottish cavalier,
All of the olden time!

At length the news ran through the land-
THE PRINCE had come again!
That night the fiery cross was sped

O'er mountain and through glen;

And our old Baron rose in might,

Like a lion from his den,

And rode away across the hills

To Charlie and his men,

With the valiant Scottish cavaliers,

All of the olden time!