Classic Poem

Shepherd's Tale, The: a Fragment

A FRAGMENT

And ne'er but once, my son, he says,
Was yon sad cavern trod,
In persecution's iron days
When the land was left by God.

From Bewlie bog with slaughter red
A wanderer hither drew,
And oft he stopt and turned his head,
As by fits the night wind blew;

For trampling round by Cheviot edge
Were heard the troopers keen,
And frequent from the Whitelaw ridge
The death-shot flashed between.

The moonbeams through the misty shower
On yon dark cavern fell;
Through the cloudy night the snow gleamed white,
Which sunbeam ne'er could quell.

" Yon cavern dark is rough and rude,
And cold its jaws of snow;
But more rough and rude are the men of blood
That hunt my life below!

" Yon spell-bound den, as the aged tell,
Was hewn by demon's hands;
But I had lourd melle with the fiends of hell
Than with Clavers and his band."

He heard the deep-mouthed bloodhound bark,
He heard the horses neigh,
He plunged him in the cavern dark,
And downward sped his way.

Now faintly down the winding path
Came the cry of the faulting hound,
And the muttered oath of balked wrath
Was lost in hollow sound.

He threw him on the flinted floor,
And held his breath for fear;
He rose and bitter cursed his foes,
As the sounds died on his ear.

" O, bare thine arm, thou battling Lord,
For Scotland's wandering band;
Dash from the oppressor's grasp the sword,
And sweep him from the land!

" Forget not thou thy people's groans
From dark Dunnotter's tower,
Mixed with the sea-fowl's shrilly moans
And ocean's bursting roar!

" O, in fell Clavers' hour of pride,
Even in his mightiest day,
As bold he strides through conquest's tide,
O, stretch him on the clay!

" His widow and his little ones,
O, may their tower of trust
Remove its strong foundation stones,
And crush them in the dust!"

" Sweet prayers to me," a voice replied,
" Thrice welcome, guest of mine!"
And glimmering on the cavern side
A light was seen to shine.

An aged man in amice brown
Stood by the wanderer's side,
By powerful charm a dead man's arm
The torch's light supplied.

From each stiff finger stretched upright
Arose a ghastly flame,
That waved not in the blast of night
Which through the cavern came.

O, deadly blue was that taper's hue
That flamed the cavern o'er,
But more deadly blue was the ghastly hue
Of his eyes who the taper bore.

He laid on his head a hand like lead,
As heavy, pale, and cold —
" Vengeance be thine, thou guest of mine,
If thy heart be firm and bold.

" But if faint thy heart, and caitiff fear
Thy recreant sinews know,
The mountain erne thy heart shall tear,
Thy nerves the hooded crow."

The wanderer raised him undismayed:
" My soul, by dangers steeled,
Is stubborn as my Border blade,
Which never knew to yield.

" And if thy power can speed the hour
Of vengeance on my foes,
Theirs be the fate from bridge and gate
To feed the hooded crows."

The Brownie looked him in the face,
And his color fled with speed —
" I fear me," quoth he, " uneath it will be
To match thy word and deed.

" In ancient days when English bands
Sore ravaged Scotland fair,
The sword and shield of Scottish land
Was valiant Halbert Kerr.

" A warlock loved the warrior well,
Sir Michael Scott by name,
And he sought for his sake a spell to make,
Should the Southern foemen tame.

" " Look thou, " he said, " from Cessford head
As the July sun sinks low,
And when glimmering white on Cheviot's height
Thou shalt spy a wreath of snow,
The spell is complete which shall bring to thy feet
The haughty Saxon foe. "

" For many a year wrought the wizard here
In Cheviot's bosom low,
Till the spell was complete and in July's heat
Appeared December's snow;
But Cessford's Halbert never came
The wondrous cause to know.

" For years before in Bowden aisle
The warrior's bones had lain,
And after short while by female guile
Sir Michael Scott was slain.

" But me and my brethren in this cell
His mighty charms retain, —
And he that can quell the powerful spell
Shall o'er broad Scotland reign."

He led him through an iron door
And up a winding stair,
And in wild amaze did the wanderer gaze
On the sight which opened there.

Through the gloomy night flashed ruddy light,
A thousand torches glow;
The cave rose high, like the vaulted sky,
O'er stalls in double row.

In every stall of that endless hall
Stood a steed in barding bright;
At the foot of each steed, all armed save the head,
Lay stretched a stalwart knight.

In each mailed hand was a naked brand;
As they lay on the black bull's hide,
Each visage stern did upwards turn
With eyeballs fixed and wide.

A launcegay strong, full twelve ells long,
By every warrior hung;
At each pommel there for battle yare
A Jedwood axe was slung.

The casque hung near each cavalier;
The plumes waved mournfully
At every tread which the wanderer made
Through the hall of gramarye.

The ruddy beam of the torches' gleam,
That glared the warriors on,
Reflected light from armor bright,
In noontide splendor shone.

And onward seen in lustre sheen,
Still lengthening on the sight,
Through the boundless hall stood steeds in stall,
And by each lay a sable knight.

Still as the dead lay each horseman dread,
And moved nor limb nor tongue;
Each steed stood stiff as an earthfast cliff,
Nor hoof nor bridle rang.

No sounds through all the spacious hall
The deadly still divide,
Save where echoes aloof from the vaulted roof
To the wanderer's step replied.

At length before his wondering eyes,
On an iron column borne,
Of antique shape and giant size
Appeared a sword and horn.

" Now choose thee here," quoth his leader,
" Thy venturous fortune try;
Thy woe and weal, thy boot and bale,
In yon brand and bugle lie."

To the fatal brand he mounted his hand,
But his soul did quiver and quail;
The life-blood did start to his shuddering heart,
And left him wan and pale.

The brand he forsook, and the horn he took
To 'say a gentle sound;
But so wild a blast from the bugle brast
That the Cheviot rocked around.

From Forth to Tees, from seas to seas,
The awful bugle rung;
On Carlisle wall and Berwick withal
To arms the warders sprung.

With clank and clang the cavern rang,
The steeds did stamp and neigh;
And loud was the yell as each warrior fell
Sterte up with whoop and cry.

" Woe, woe," they cried, " thou caitiff coward,
That ever thou wert born!
Why drew ye not the knightly sword
Before ye blew the horn?"

The morning on the mountain shone
And on the bloody ground,
Hurled from the cave with shivered bone,
The mangled wretch was found.

And still beneath the cavern dread
Among the glidders gray,
A shapeless stone with lichens spread
Marks where the wanderer lay.English