Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers and Other Poems — John Shaqi
Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers and Other PoemsAytoun, William Edmondstoune
History
Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers and Other Poems
Aytoun, William Edmondstoune
Scotland -- History -- Poetry
three of his knights, and many of his companions, were slain along with
their master. On the succeeding day, the body and the casket were both
found on the field, and by his surviving friends conveyed to Scotland.
The heart of Bruce was deposited at Melrose, and the body of the 'Good
Sir James'--the name by which he is affectionately remembered by his
countrymen--was consigned to the cemetery of his fathers in the parish
church of Douglas."
A nobler death on the field of battle is not recorded in the annals of
chivalry. In memory of this expedition, the Douglases have ever since
carried the armorial bearings of the Bloody Heart surmounted by the
Crown; and a similar distinction is borne by another family. Sir Simon
of Lee, a distinguished companion of Douglas, was the person on whom,
after the fall of his leader, the custody of the heart devolved. Hence
the name of Lockhart, and their effigy, the Heart within a Fetterlock.
THE HEART OF THE BRUCE
It was upon an April morn,
While yet the frost lay hoar,
We heard Lord James's bugle-horn
Sound by the rocky shore.
Then down we went, a hundred knights,
All in our dark array,
And flung our armour in the ships
That rode within the bay.
We spoke not as the shore grew less,
But gazed in silence back,
Where the long billows swept away
The foam behind our track.
And aye the purple hues decay'd
Upon the fading hill,
And but one heart in all that ship
Was tranquil, cold, and still.
The good Lord Douglas walk'd the deck,
And oh, his brow was wan!
Unlike the flush it used to wear
When in the battle van.--
"Come hither, come hither, my trusty knight,
Sir Simon of the Lee;
There is a freit lies near my soul
I fain would tell to thee.
"Thou know'st the words King Robert spoke
Upon his dying day,
How he bade me take his noble heart
And carry it far away;
"And lay it in the holy soil
Where once the Saviour trod,
Since he might not bear the blessed Cross,
Nor strike one blow for God.
"Last night as in my bed I lay,
I dream'd a dreary dream:--
Methought I saw a Pilgrim stand
In the moonlight's quivering beam.
"His robe was of the azure dye,
Snow-white his scatter'd hairs,
And even such a cross he bore
As good Saint Andrew bears.
"'Why go you forth, Lord James,' he said,
'With spear and belted brand?
Why do you take its dearest pledge
From this our Scottish land?
"'The sultry breeze of Galilee
Creeps through its groves of palm,
The olives on the Holy Mount
Stand glittering in the calm.
"'But 'tis not there that Scotland's heart
Shall rest by God's decree,
Till the great angel calls the dead
To rise from earth and sea!
"'Lord James of Douglas, mark my rede!
That heart shall pass once more
In fiery fight against the foe,
As it was wont of yore.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account