CANTO I. (The youth I sing, who, to himself…)

The youth I sing, who, to himself unknown, Lost to the world and CALEDONIA's throne, Sprung o'er his mountains to the arms of Fame, And, wing'd by Fate, his sire's avenger, came; That knowledge learn'd, so long deny'd by fate, And found that blood, as merit, made him great.

The aged chieftain on the bier is laid, And grac'd with all the honours of the dead; The youthful warriors, as the corse they bear, Droop the sad head, and shed the gen'rous tear. For Abria's shore, Tay's winding banks they leave, And bring the Hero to his father's grave.

His filial tears the godlike ALPIN sheds, And tow'rds the foe his gallant warriors leads. The chief along his silent journey wound, And fix'd his rainy eyes upon the ground; Behind advanc'd his followers sad and slow, In all the dark solemnity of woe. Mean time fierce SCANDINAVIA's hostile pow'r, Its squadrons spread along the murm'ring shore; Prepar'd, at once, the city to invade, And conquer CALEDONIA in her head. His camp, for night, the royal SUENO forms, Resolv'd with morn to use his Danish arms.

Now in the ocean sunk the flaming day, And streak'd the ruddy west with setting ray; Around great INDULPH, in the senate sat The noble Chiefs of CALEDONIA's, state. In mental scales they either forces weigh, And act, before, the labours of the day; Arrange in thought their CALEDONIA's might, And bend their little army to the fight.

Thus they consult. Brave ALPIN's martial gait, Approach'd the portals of the dome of state; Resolv'd to offer to his king and lord, The gen'rous service of his trusty sword.

Th' unusual sight the gallant chief admires, The bending arches and the lofty spires. On either side the gate, in order stand The antient Kings of CALEDONIA's land. The marble lives, they breathe within the stone, And still, as once, the royal warriors frown.

The FERGUS's are seen above the gate; This first created, that restor'd the state. In warlike pomp, the awful forms appear, And, bending, threaten from the stone the spear; While to their side young ALEION seems to rise, And on her fathers turns her smiling eyes.

And next appears GREGORIUS' awful name, HIBERNIA's conqu'ror for a gen'rous fame. Incass'd in arms, the royal Hero stands, And gives his captive all his conquer'd lands. The filial heart of hapless ALPIN's son, In marble melts and beats within the stone. Revenge still sparkles in the Hero's eye; Around the PICTS, a nameless slaughter, lye.

The youthful warrior thus reviews, with joy, The godlike series of his ancestry. The godlike forms the drooping HERO cheer, And keen ambition half believes the seer: Eager he shoots into the spacious gate; His eye commands, without his followers wait.

No frowning spear-man guards the awful door; No borrow'd terror arms the hand of pow'r: No cringing bands of sycophants appear, To send false echoes to the monarch's ear. Merit's sost voice, oppression's mournful groan, Advanc'd, unstiffl'd, to th' attentive throne.

The Hero, ent'ring, took his solemn stand Among the gallant warriors of the land. His manly port, the staring chiefs admire; And half-heard whispers blow the soldier's fire. A while his form engag'd the monarch's eyes, At length he raised the music of his voice.

"Whence is the youth? I see fierce DENMARK warms Each gen'rous breast, and fires 'em into arms. A face once known is in that youth exprest, And mends a dying image in my breast."

He said: And thus the Youth; "'midst rocks afar, I heard of DENMARK, and of SUENO's war. My country's safety in my bosom rose; For CALEDONIA's sons should meet her foes. We ought not meanly wait the storm at home, But rush afar, and break it 'ere it come. Few are my foll'wers, but these few are true; We come to serve our country, fame, and you!"

He said: The king retorts; "thy form, thy mind, Declare the scion of a gen'rous kind; With SCOTIA's foes maintain the stern debate, And spring from valour to the arms of state. Whoe'er would raise his house in ALBION, shou'd Lay the foundation in her en'mies' blood."

Then to the Chiefs: "Supporters of my throne, Your sires brought oft the Roman Eagles down. Yourselves, my lords, have caus'd the haughty DANE, To curse the land, he try'd so oft in vain. Norvegian firs oft brought them o'er the waves, For ALBION's crown; but ALBION gave'em graves. Be still the same, exert yourselves like men, And of th' invaders wash our rocks again. Tho' few our numbers, these, in arms grown old, In ALBION's and in INDULPH's cause are bold. The brave man looks not, when the clarion sounds, To hostile numbers, but his country's wounds; Bold to the last and dauntless he'll go on, At once his country's soldier and her son."

The monarch thus his royal mind exprest; The patriot kindling in each gen'rous breast. Each chieftain's mind with pleasure goes before, Already mingling with the battle's roar. In thought each Hero sweeps the bloody plain, And deals, in fancy, death upon the DANE.

DUMBAR arose, the brave remains of wars, Silver'd with years, o'er-run with honest scars; Great in the senate, in the field renown'd; The senior stood: attention hung arround.

He thus: "Fierce DENMARK all the North commands, And belches numbers on our neighb'ring lands, England's subdu'd, the Saxons are o'ercome, And meanly own a Danish lord at home. Scarce now a blast from SCANDINAVIA roars, But wafts a hostile squadron to our shores. One fleet destroy'd, another crowns the waves, The sons seem anxious for their father's graves: Thus war returns in an eternal round, Battles on baules press, and wound on wound. Our numbers thinn'd, our godlike warriors dead, Pale CALEDONIA hangs her sickly head; We must be wise, be frugal of our store, Add art to arms, and caution to our pow'r. Beneath the sable mantle of the night, Rush on the foe, and, latent, urge the fight. Conduct with few may foil this mighty pow'r, And DENMARK shun th' inhospitable shore."

The senior spoke: a gen'ral voice approves; To arm his kindred-bands each chief removes. Night from the east the drousy world invades, And clothes the warriors in her dusky shades: The vassal-throng advance, a manly cloud, And with their sable ranks the chieftains shroud. Each chief, now here, now there, in armour shines, Waves thro' the ranks, and draws the lengthen'd lines.

Thus, on a night when rattling tempests war, Thro' broken clouds appears a blazing star; Now veils its head, now rushes on the sight, And shoots a livid horror thro' the night.

The full form'd columns, in the midnight hour, Begin their silent journey tow'rds the shore: Thro' ev'ry rank the chiefs inciting roam, And rouzing whispers hiss along the gloom.

A rising hill, whose night-invelop'd brow Hung o'er th' incamped squadrons of the foe, Shoots to the deep its ooze immantled arm, And, steadfast, struggles with the raging storm; Here ends the moving host its winding road: And here condenses, like a sable cloud, Which long was gath'ring-on the mountain's brow, Then broke in thunder on the vales below.

Again the chiefs, in midnight council met, Before the king maintain the calm debate: This waits the equal contest of the day, That rushes, headlong, to the nightly fray.

At length young ALPIN stood, and thus begun, "Great king, supporter of our antient throne! Brought up in mountains, and from councils far, I am a novice in the art of war; Yet hear this thought.—Within the womb of night, Confirm the troops, and arm the youth for fight; While softly-treading to yon' camp I go, And mark the disposition of the foe: Or, wakeful, arm they for the dismal fight, Or, wrapt within the lethargy of night, Are left abandon'd to our SCOTTISH sword, By sleep's soft hand, in fatal chains secur'd. If DENMARK sleeps in night's infolding arms, Expect your spy to point out latent storms; But, they in arms, too long delay'd my speed, Then place the faithful scout among the dead."

A gen'ral voice th' exploring thought approves, And ev'ry wish with youthful ALPIN moves.

The Hero slides along the gloom of night, The camp-fires send afar their gleaming light; Athwart his side the trusty sabre flies, The various plaid hangs, plaited, down his thighs: The crested helm waves, awful, on his head; His manly trunk the mail and corslet shade: The pond'rous spear supports his dusky way; The waving steel reflects the stellar way.

Arriv'd, the dauntless youth solemnly slow, Observant, mov'd along the silent foe. Some 'brac'd in arms the midnight vigil keep, Some o'er the livid camp-fires nod to sleep: The feeding courser to the stake is bound, The prostrate horseman stretch'd along the ground: Extended here the brawny footman lay, And, dosing, wore the lazy night away. The watchman there, by sleep's soft hand o'erpower'd, Starts at the blast, and half unsheaths his sword. Th' exploring youth, thro' night's involving cloud, Circling the foe, their disposition view'd. At length the Hero's dusky journey ends, Where HACO feasted with his Danish friends; HACO, by more than SUENO's blood, was great; The promis'd monarch of the triple state. The Scandinavian camp the youth secur'd With watchful troops, and not unfaithful sword.

Two oaks, from earth by headlong tempests torn, Supply the fire, and in the circle burn; Around with social talk the feast they share, And drown in bowls the CALEDONIAN war: O'erpower'd, at length, by slumber's silken hand, They press the beach, and cow'r upon the strand.

A gallant deed the Mountain-youth design'd, And nurs'd a growing action in his mind. Awful the chief advanc'd: his armour bright Reflects the fire and shines along the night. Hov'ring he stood above the sleeping-band, And shone, an awful column, o'er the strand.

Thus, osten to the midnight traveller, The stalking figures of the dead appear: Silent the spectre tow'rs before the sight, And shines, an awful image, thro' the night. At length the giant phantom hovers o'er Some grave unhallow'd, stain'd with murder'd gore.

Thus ALPIN stood: He exiles to the dead Six-warrior-youths; the trembling remnant fled; Young HACO starts, unsheaths his shining sword, And views his friends in iron-chains secur'd. He rushes, headlong, on the daring foe; The godlike ALPIN renders blow for blow. Their clatt'ring swords on either armour fell; Fire flashes round, as steel contends with steel. Young ALPIN's sword on HACO's helmet broke, And to the ground the stagg'ring warrior took. Leaning on his broad shield the hero bends; ALPIN, aloft in air, his sword suspends: His arm up-rais'd, he downward bends his brow, But scorn'd to take advantage of the-foe.

Young HACO from his hand the weapon threw, And from his flaming breast these accents drew. "Bravest of men! who cou'd thro' night come on, Who durst attack, and foil an host alone. I see the man high on the warrior plac'd, Both mend each other in your noble breast. Accept, brave man, the friendship of a Dane, Who hates the Scot, but yet can love the man." He said: while thus the Scot; "with joy, I find The man so pow'rful in an en'my's mind; Your forces fled, amidst night's dark alarms, You both cou'd stand, and use your gallant arms: Such valiant deeds thy dauntless soul confess, That I the warrior, tho' the Dane, embrace."

His brawny arms he round the Hero flung; As they embrace the clashing corslets rung.

The Dane resumes: "With the sun's rising beam, We may, in fields of death, contend for fame; Receive this shield, that, midst to-morrow's storms, HACO may, grateful, shun his well-known arms."

He said, and gave the gold-enamel'd round; While, as he reach'd, the studded thongs resound. The amicable colloquy they end, And each a foe, clasp'd in his arms a friend. This to the camp his dusky journey bends; While that to ALBION's chiefs the hill ascends.

Th' exploring journey, all, with pleasure, hear, And own the valiant scout their noble care.

Dissolv'd the council, the attack declin'd, Each with the gift of sleep indulg'd his mind; And 'midst his kindred-bands, supinely laid, Each softly slumber'd on a mossy bed.

His mind to soft repose young ALPIN bends, And seeks the humble circle of his friends: Reelining on a rock the Hero lies, And gradual slumbers steal upon his eyes. Still to his mind the DANISH camp arose, Hung on his dreams, and hagg'd his calm repose; Once more he mix'd with HACO in the sight And urg'd, impending, on the DANISH flight