Silent and slow she moves along the main,
Behind, her maids attend, a modest train!
Observe her as she moves with native state,
And gather all their motions from her gait.
Thus through Idalia's balm-distilling grove,
Majestic moves the smiling queen of love:
Her hair flows down her snowy neck behind,
Her purple mantle floats upon the wind;
The Graces move along, a blooming train!
And borrow all the gestures of their queen.
Thus steal the lovely maids their tardy way
Along the silent border of the sea.
Slow-curling waves advance upon the main,
And often threat the shore, and oft abstain.
A woody mound, which reared aloft its head,
Threw trembling shadows o'er a narrow mead:
From a black rock crystalline waters leap,
Arch as they fall, and through the valley creep,
Chide with the murmuring pebbles as they pass,
Or hum their purling journey through the grass.
Pleased with the scene the wand'ring virgins stood;
The main below, above the lofty wood.
Their eyes they sate with the transporting scene,
And, sitting, press the fair-enamel'd green;
Enjoy with innocence the growing day,
And steal with harmless talk the time away.
Meantime fierce Corbred, who preferred in vain.
His suit to Agnes, fairest of the train,
Who fled from Tweed to shun his hated arms,
Entrusting fair Culena with her charms;
Saw the disdainful nymph remote from aid,
And bent his lustful eyes upon the maid.
He rushed with headlong ruffians from the wood,
And seized the fair: the virgins shriek aloud.
For help, for help, the struggling virgin cries,
And as she shrieks, aloud the wood replies.、
Alpin alone, (his men were sent before),
Stalked on his thoughtful way along the shore.
The distant plaint assailed the hero's ear,
He drew his sword, and rushed to save the fair.
Before the chief the dastard Corbred fled,
And to her brave preserver left the maid.
Prostrate on earth the lovely virgin lay,
Her roses fade, and all her charms decay:
In humid rest her bending eye-lids close;
With slow returns her bosom fell and rose:
At length returning life her bosom warms,
Glows in her cheeks, and lights up all her charms.
Thus, when invading clouds the moon assail,
The landscape fails, and fades the shining vale;
But soon as Cynthia rushes on the sight,
Reviving fields are silvered o'er with light.
Th' affrighted fair the gallant warrior leads,
To join, upon the sand, the flying maids.
They crowd their cautious steps along the sea,
Quake at each breath, and tremble on their way;
Their tim'rous breasts unsettled from surprise,
To every side they dart their careful eyes.
Thus, on the heathy wild the hunted deer
Start at each blast, together crowd through fear,
Tremble and look about, before, behind,
Then stretch along, and leave the mountain-wind.
The gallant youth presents the rescued fair,
Confirms their trembling breasts, removes their care;
The gen'rous story from herself they hear,
And drink his praises with a greedy ear;
Steal on the youth their eyes, as Agnes spoke,
And pour their flutt'ring souls at every look.
But fair Culena feels a keener dart;
It pierced her breast, and sunk into her heart:
She hears attentive, views, admires, and loves,
Her
eye o'er all the man with pleasure roves.
With painful joy she feels the flame increase,
Her pride denies it, but her eyes confess :
She starts, and blushing turns her eye aside,
But love steps in, and steals a look from pride.
Thus fair Culena struggles up the stream,
And 'tempts in vain to quench the rising flame.
At length, with blushing cheek and bending look,
Th' imperial maid the warrior thus bespoke:
"O gen'rous chief! for thus your deeds would say,
How shall our gratitude thy kindness pay?
Indulph shall hear, and Indulph shall reward;
Such gen'rous actions claim a king's regard.”
She said; and thus the chief: " Imperial maid,
More than the debt thy approbation paid.
In this I did not strive with gallant men,
Or drive disordered squadrons from the plain;
But frighted from his prey a sensual slave;
The gloomy sons of guilt are never brave.
Whoe'er would seize on a defenceless tair,
Would shun the sword, and fly amain from war."
He said, and stalked away with manly state;
Grandeur, with awe commixed, informed his gait.
His pond'rous mail reflects the trembling day,
And all his armour rings along the way.
The royal maid observes him as he flies,
In silence stands, and from her bosom sighs,
For all the man dissolved at once to love.
Within the high-arched hall the nobles sat,
And formed in council the reviving state;
For instant peace solicitous prepare,
And raise a bulwark 'gainst the future war.
No high-flown zeal the patriot hurled along,
No secret gold engaged the speaker's tongue;
No jarring seeds are by a tyrant sown,
Nor cunning senate undermines the throne.
To public good their public thoughts repair,
And Caledonia is the gen'ral care.
No orator in pompous phrases shines,
Or veils with public weal his base designs.
Truth stood conspicuous, undisguised by art;
They spoke the homely language of the heart.
Arrived the gallant warrior of the night;
They hear with eager joy the gloomy fight.
His conduct, courage, and compassion raise,
And every voice is forward in his praise.
The great Dumbar his awful stature rears,
His temples whitened with the snow of years.
On the brave youth he bends his solemn look,
Then, turning round, thus to the nobles spoke:
"Beneath the royal banner, Scots afar
Had urged on Humber's banks the foreign war;
My father dead, though young I took the shield,
The king commands a chief to clear the wood,
And I the dang'rous service claim aloud.
I went, expelled the foes, and killed their lord,
And ever since have worn his shining sword.
I now retire from war, in age to rest;
Take it, brave youth, for you can wield it best."
He said, and reached the sword. The youth replied,
Shooting the heavy blade athwart his side:
My lord, with gratitude this sword I take,
Esteem the present for the giver's sake.
It still may find the way it oft explored,
And glut with hostile blood its second lord;
To bloody honour hew its wasteful path,
A faithful sickle in the fields of death."
He thus. With placid mein great Indulph rose,
And spoke : "Thus always meet our Albion's foes;
With foreign blood your native arms adorn,
And boldly fight for ages yet unborn.
For us, my lords, fought all our godlike sires;
The debt we owe to them our race requires:
Though future arms our country should enslave,
She shall acquit our ashes in the grave;
Posterity degen'rate, as they groan,
Shall bless their sires, and call their woes their own.
Let us, my lords, each virtuous spark inspire,
And where we find it, blow it to a fire.
Thy service, gallant Alpin, in this war,
Shall both be Indulph's and the senate's care.
Meantime, with manly sports and exercise,
Let us from bus'ness turn the mental eyes:
The mind relaxed acquires a double force,
And with new vigour finishes the course."
He added not: the godlike chiefs obey;
All rise at once; great Indulph leads the way.
The palace here, and there a virid mound,
Confine a flow'ry spot of grassy ground.
The under-rock, emerging through the green,
Chequers with hoary knobs the various scene.
Thither repair the chiefs and sceptered king,
And bend upon the plain the hollow ring.
Obedient servants from the palace bear
The horny bow, the helm, the shining spear,
The mail, the corslet, and the brazen shield;
And throw the ringing weight upon the field.
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