LESSON VII.

Yarrow Visited.

(SEPTEMBER, 1814.)

ac-cor'-dant, in harmony en-wreath'-ed, entwined, en

AND is this Yarrow ?-this the stream

Of which my fancy cherished

So faithfully a waking dream?

An image that hath perished!
Oh that some minstrel's harp were near,
To utter notes of gladness,

And chase this silence from the air,

That fills my heart with sadness!

Yet why?—a silvery current flows
With uncontrolled meanderings;
Nor have these eyes by greener hills
Been soothed, in all my wanderings.
And, through her depths, Saint Mary's Lake
Is visibly delighted;

For not a feature of those hills

Is in the mirror slighted.

A blue sky bends o'er Yarrow Vale,
Save where that pearly whiteness
Is round the rising sun diffused,
A tender hazy brightness;
Mild dawn of promise! that excludes
All profitless dejection;

Though not unwilling here to admit
A pensive recollection.

Where was it that the famous flower
Of Yarrow Vale lay bleeding?

His bed perchance was yon smooth mound
On which the herd is feeding:
And haply from this crystal pool,
Now peaceful as the morning,
The water-wraith ascended thrice,
And gave his doleful warning.

Delicious is the lay that sings

The haunts of happy lovers,
The path that leads them to the grove,
The leafy grove that covers:

And Pity sanctifies the Verse

That paints, by strength of sorrow,

The unconquerable strength of love;
Bear witness, rueful Yarrow!

But thou, that didst appear so fair

To fond imagination,

Dost rival in the light of day

Her delicate creation :

Meek loveliness is round thee spread,
A softness still and holy;

The grace of forest charms decayed,
And pastoral melancholy.

That region left, the vale unfolds
Rich groves of lofty stature,

With Yarrow winding through the pomp

Of cultivated nature;

And, rising from those lofty groves,

Behold a Ruin hoary!

The hattered front of Newark's towers,
Renowned in Border story.

Fair scenes for childhood's opening bloom,
For sportive youth to stray in;
For manhood to enjoy his strength;
And age to wear away in!

Yon cottage seems a bower of bliss,
A covert for protection

Of tender thoughts, that nestle there-
The brood of chaste affection!

How sweet on this autumnal day,
The wild wood fruits to gather,
And on my True love's forehead plant
A crest of blooming heather!
And what if I enwreathed my own!
"Twere no offence to reason;

The sober Hills thus deck their brows
To meet the wintry season.

I see-but not by sight alone,
Loved Yarrow, have I won thee;
A ray of fancy still survives-
Her sunshine plays upon thee!
Thy ever youthful waters keep
A course of lively pleasure;
And gladsome notes my lips can breathe,
Accordant to the measure.

The vapours linger round the Heights,
They melt-and soon must vanish;
One hour is theirs, no more is mine-
Sad thought! which I would banish,
But that I know, where'er I go,
Thy genuine image, Yarrow !
Will dwell with me-to heighten joy,
And cheer my mind in sorrow.

WORDSWORTH.

Yarrow. The most classic stream in Scotland, famous in song and ballad and Border minstrelsy. It is in Selkirkshire, and forms a beautiful lake, called the Loch of the 'Lowes, which discharges its waters into St. Mary's Loch. Issuing from the latter, the river, after a course of about sixteen miles through the ancient district of Ettrick Forest, joins its waters to those of the Ettrick two miles above Selkirk. The Ettrick is a tributary of the Tweed. Meanderings. This word is said to be derived from the Meander, a winding river of Phrygia, in Asia Minor, which, like the Forth at Stirling, or Cæsar's Arar, twists and bends in so many directions that it is almost impossible to tell in what direction it flows. Hence the word

came to be applied to the windings of any river. Many proper nouns have come in this way to be regarded as

common nouns.

St. Mary's Lake.-A beautiful loch in Selkirkshire, formed by the Yarrow. The surrounding district is marked by round-topped hills, clothed with grass to their summits. Hence the allusion to the "greener hills.”

The flower of Yarrow vale lay bleeding.-An allusion to the various poems connected with this stream, foremost among which is "The Braes of Yarrow," by William Hamilton of Bangour.

Newark's Towers.-This is a massive square tower, now ruinous, surrounded by an outward wall defended by round flanking turrets. It is most beautifully situated, about three miles from Selkirk, on the Yarrow.

One hour is theirs, no more is mine.-This comparison of life or time to a vapour is very common.

EXERCISES.

1. Explain all the allusions in this poem.

2. Describe the scenery of the district through which the Yarrow flows. It is partly pastoral and partly agricultural. Prove this from the poem.

3. Where is St. Mary's Lake? Newark's Towers?

4. Explain these phrases—(a) A silvery current flows with uncontrolled meandering; (b) Not a feature of those hills is in the mirror slighted; (c) Pity sanctifies the verse that paints the unconquerable strength of love; (d) The pomp of cultivated nature; (e) The vale unfolds rich groves of lofty stature.

5. Show the exact force of the following epithets-silvery current; pearly whiteness; tender hazy brightness; pensive recollection; crystal pool; meek loveliness; ruin hoary; blooming heather; sober hills.

6. Analyse these words into their component parts-gladness, uncontrolled, dejection, recollection, perchance, doleful, unconquerable, melancholy, manhood.

7. Write the meaning of the last stanza in your own words.