Strong is the horse upon his speed; Strong in pursuit the rapid glede, Which makes at once his game: Strong the tall ostrich on the ground; Strong through the turbulent profound Shoots Xiphias to his aim. Strong is the lion--like a coal His eyeball,--like a bastion’s mole His chest against the foes: Strong the gier-eagle on his sail; Strong against tide th’ enormous whale Emerges as he goes. But stronger still, in earth and air, And in the sea, the man of prayer, And far beneath the tide: And in the seat to faith assigned, Where ask is have, where seek is find, Where knock is open wide. Precious the penitential tear; And precious is the sigh sincere, Acceptable to God: And precious are the winning flowers, In gladsome Israel’s feast of bowers Bound on the hallow’d sod. Glorious the sun in mid career; Glorious th’ assembled fires appear; Glorious the comet’s train: Glorious the trumpet and alarm; Glorious the Almighty’s stretch’d-out arm; Glorious th’ enraptured main: glede] kite. Xiphias] sword-fish. Glorious the northern lights astream; Glorious the song, when God’s the theme; Glorious the thunder’s roar: Glorious Hosanna from the den; Glorious the catholic Amen; Glorious the martyr’s gore: Glorious--more glorious--is the crown Of Him that brought salvation down, By meekness call’d thy Son: Thou that stupendous truth believed;-- And now the matchless deed’s achieved, Determined, dared, and done! JANE ELLIOT 1727-1805 _466._ _A Lament for Flodden_ I’ve heard them lilting at our ewe-milking, Lasses a’ lilting before dawn o’ day; But now they are moaning on ilka green loaning-- The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede away. At bughts, in the morning, nae blythe lads are scorning. Lasses are lonely and dowie and wae; Nae daffing, nae gabbing, but sighing and sabbing, Ilk ane lifts her leglin and hies her away. In hairst, at the shearing, nae youths now are jeering, Bandsters are lyart, and runkled, and gray: At fair or at preaching, nae wooing, nae fleeching-- The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede away. _466._ loaning] lane, field-track. wede] weeded. bughts] sheep-folds. daffing] joking. leglin] milk-pail. hairst] harvest. bandsters] binders. lyart] gray-haired. runkled] wrinkled. fleeching] coaxing. At e’en, in the gloaming, nae swankies are roaming ’Bout stacks wi’ the lasses at bogle to play; But ilk ane sits eerie, lamenting her dearie-- The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede away. Dool and wae for the order sent our lads to the Border! The English, for ance, by guile wan the day; The Flowers of the Forest, that fought aye the foremost, The prime of our land, lie cauld in the clay.