THE VISION.

THE VISION .

DUAN FIRST . Duan , a term of Ossian's for the different divisions of a digressive Poem . See his Cath-Loda , Vol , 2. of M'Pherson's Translation . THE sun had clos'd the winter-day , The Curlers quat their roaring play , And hunger'd Maukin taen her way To kail-yards green , While faithless snaws ilk step betray Whare she has been . The Thresher's weary flingin-tree , The lee-lang day had tir'd me ; And when the Day had clos'd his e'e , Far i' the West , Ben i' the Spence , right pensivelie , I gaed to rest . There , lanely , by the ingle-cheek , I sat and ey'd the spewing reek , That fill'd , wi' hoast-provoking smeek , The auld , clay biggin ; And heard the restless rattons squeak About the riggin . All in this mottie , misty clime , I backward mus'd on wasted time , How I had spent my youthfu' prime , An' done nae-thing , But stringing blethers up in rhyme For fools to sing . Had I to guid advice but harket , I might , by this , hae led a market , Or strutted in a Bank and clarket My Cash-Account ; While here , half-mad , half-fed , half-sarket , Is a' th' amount . I started , mutt'ring blockhead ! coof ! And heav'd on high my wauket loof , To swear by a' yon starry roof , Or some rash aith , That I , henceforth , would be rhyme-proof Till my last breath — When click ! the string the snick did draw ; And jee ! the door gaed to the wa' ; And by my ingle-lowe I saw , Now bleezan bright , A tight , outlandish Hizzie , braw , Come full in fight . Ye need na doubt , I held my whisht ; The infant aith , half-form'd , was crusht ; I glowr'd as eerie's I'd been dusht , In some wild glen ; When sweet , like modest Worth , she blusht , And stepped ben . Green , slender , leaf-clad Holly-boughs Were twisted , gracefu' , round her brows , I took her for some SCOTTISH MUSE , By that same token ; And come to stop those reckless vows , Would soon been broken . A " hare-brain'd , sentimental trace " Was strongly marked in her face ; A wildly-witty , rustic grace Shone full upon her ; Her eye , ev'n turn'd on empty space , Beam'd keen with Honor . Down flow'd her robe , a tartan sheen , Till half a leg was scrimply seen ; And such a leg ! my BESS , I ween , Could only peer it ; Sae straught , sae taper , tight and clean , Nane else came near it . Her Mantle large , of greenish hue , My gazing wonder chiefly drew ; Deep lights and shades , bold-mingling , threw A lustre grand ; And seem'd , to my astonish'd view , A well-known Land . Here , rivers in the sea were lost ; There , mountains to the skies were tost : Here , tumbling billows mark'd the coast , With surging foam ; There , distant shone , Art's lofty boast , The lordly dome . Here , DOON pour'd down his far-fetch'd floods ; There , well-fed IRWINE stately thuds : Auld , hermit AIRE staw thro' his woods , On to the shore ; And many a lesser torrent scuds , With seeming roar . Low , in a sandy valley spread , An ancient BOROUGH rear'd her head ; Still , as in Scottish Story read , She boasts a Race , To ev'ry nobler virtue bred , And polish'd grace .

DUAN SECOND . With musing-deep , astonish'd stare , I view'd the heavenly-seeming Fair ; A whisp'ring throb did witness bear Of kindred sweet , When with an elder Sister's air She did me greet . ' All hail ! my own inspired Bard ! ' In me thy native Muse regard ! ' Nor longer mourn thy fate is hard , ' Thus poorly low ! ' I come to give thee such reward , ' As we bestow . ' Know , the great Genius of this Land , ' Has many a light , aerial band , ' Who , all beneath his high command , ' Harmoniously , ' As Arts or Arms they understand , ' Their labors ply . ' They SCOTIA'S Race among them share ; ' Some fire the Sodger on to dare ; ' Some rouse the Patriot up to bare ' Corruption's heart : ' Some teach the Bard , a darling care , ' The tuneful Art . ' 'Mong swelling floods of reeking gore , ' They ardent , kindling spirits pour ; ' Or , mid the venal Senate's roar , ' They , sightless , stand , ' To mend the honest Patriot-lore , ' And grace the hand . ' Hence , FULLARTON , the brave and young ; ' Hence , DEMPSTER'S truth-prevailing tongue ; ' Hence , sweet harmonious BEATTIE sung ' His " Minstrel lays ; " ' Or tore , with noble ardour stung , ' The Sceptic's bays . ' To lower Orders are assign'd , ' The humbler ranks of Human-kind , ' The rustic Bard , the lab'ring Hind , ' The Artisan ; ' All chuse , as , various they're inclin'd , ' The various man . ' When yellow waves the heavy grain , ' The threat'ning Storm , some , strongly , rein ; ' Some teach to meliorate the plain , ' With tillage-skill ; ' And some instruct the Shepherd-train , ' Blythe o'er the hill . ' Some hint the Lover's harmless wile ; ' Some grace the Maiden's artless smile ; ' Some soothe the Lab'rer's weary toil , ' For humble gains , ' And make his cottage-scenes beguile ' His cares and pains . ' Some , bounded to a district-space , ' Explore at large Man's infant race , ' To mark the embryotic trace , ' Of rustic Bard ; ' And careful note each op'ning grace , ' A guide and guard . ' Of these am I — COILA my name ; ' And this district as mine I claim , ' Where once the Campbell's , chiefs of fame , ' Held ruling pow'r : ' I mark'd thy embryo-tuneful flame , ' Thy natal hour . ' With future hope , I oft would gaze , ' Fond , on thy little , early ways , ' Thy rudely-caroll'd , chiming phrase , ' In uncouth rhymes , ' Fir'd at the simple , artless lays ' Of other times . ' I saw thee seek the sounding shore , ' Delighted with the dashing roar ; ' Or when the North his fleecy store ' Drove thro' the sky , ' I saw grim Nature's visage hoar , ' Struck thy young eye . ' Or when the deep-green-mantl'd Earth , ' Warm-cherish'd ev'ry floweret's birth , ' And joy and music pouring forth , ' In ev'ry grove , ' I saw thee eye the gen'ral mirth ' With boundless love . ' When ripen'd fields , and azure skies , ' Call'd forth the Reaper's rustling noise , ' I saw thee leave their ev'ning joys , ' And lonely stalk , ' To vent thy bosom's swelling rise , ' In pensive walk . ' When youthful Love , warm-blushing , strong , ' Keen-shivering shot thy nerves along , ' Those accents , grateful to thy tongue , ' Th' adored Name , ' I taught thee how to pour in song , ' To soothe thy flame . ' I saw thy pulse's maddening play , ' Wild-send thee Pleasure's devious way , ' Misled by Fancy's meteor-ray , ' By Passion driven ; ' But yet the light that led astray , ' Was light from Heaven . ' I taught thy manners-painting strains , ' The loves , the ways of simple swains , ' Till now , o'er all my wide domains , ' Thy fame extends ; ' And some , the pride of Coila's plains , ' Become thy friends . ' Thou canst not learn , nor I can show , ' To paint with Thomson's landscape-glow ; ' Or wake the bosom-melting throe , ' With Shenstone's art ; ' Or pour , with Gray , the moving flow , ' Warm on the heart . ' Yet all beneath th'unrivall'd Rose , ' The lowly Daisy sweetly blows ; ' Tho' large the forest's Monarch throws ' His army shade , ' Yet green the juicy Hawthorn grows , ' Adown the glade . ' Then never murmur nor repine ' Strive in thy humble sphere to shine ; ' And trust me , not Potosi's mine , ' Nor Kings regard , ' Can give a bliss o'ermatching thine , ' A rustic Bard ' To give my counsels all in one , ' Thy tuneful flame still careful fan ; ' Preserve the dignity of Man , ' With Soul erect ; ' And trust , the UNIVERSAL PLAN ' Will all protect . ' And wear thou this ' — She solemn said , And bound the Holly round my head : The polish'd leaves , and berries red , Did rustling play ; And , like a passing thought , she fled , In light away .