The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth
Chapter 259 : Child of loud-throated War! the mountain Stream Roars in thy hearing; but thy hour of

Child of loud-throated War! the mountain Stream Roars in thy hearing; but thy hour of rest Is come, and thou art silent in thy age; Save when the wind sweeps by and sounds are caught Ambiguous, neither wholly thine nor theirs. 5 Oh! there is life that breathes not; Powers there are That touch each other to the quick in modes Which the gross world no sense hath to perceive, No soul to dream of. What art Thou, from care Cast off--abandoned by thy rugged Sire, 10 Nor by soft Peace adopted; though, in place And in dimension, such that thou might'st seem But a mere footstool to yon sovereign Lord, Huge Cruachan, (a thing that meaner hills Might crush, nor know that it had suffered harm;) 15 Yet he, not loth, in favour of thy claims To reverence, suspends his own; submitting All that the G.o.d of Nature hath conferred, All that he holds [1] in common with the stars, To the memorial majesty of Time 20 Impersonated in thy calm decay!

Take, then, thy seat, Vicegerent unreproved!

Now, while a farewell gleam of evening light Is fondly lingering on thy shattered front, Do thou, in turn, be paramount; and rule 25 Over the pomp and beauty of a scene Whose mountains, torrents, lake, and woods, unite To pay thee homage; and with these are joined, In willing admiration and respect, Two Hearts, which in thy presence might be called 30 Youthful as Spring.--Shade of departed Power, Skeleton of unfleshed humanity, The chronicle were welcome that should call Into the compa.s.s of distinct regard The toils and struggles of thy infant years! [2] 35 Yon foaming flood seems motionless as ice; Its dizzy turbulence eludes the eye, Frozen by distance; so, majestic Pile, To the perception of this Age, appear Thy fierce beginnings, softened and subdued 40 And quieted in character--the strife, The pride, the fury uncontrollable, Lost on the aerial heights of the Crusades!" [B]

VARIANTS ON THE TEXT

[Variant 1:

1837.

... has ... 1827.]

[Variant 2:

1845.

... of thy infancy! 1827.]

FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT

[Footnote A: The clause within brackets was added in 1837.--Ed.]

[Footnote B: The Tradition is, that the Castle was built by a Lady during the absence of her Lord in Palestine.--W. W. 1827.]

From the following pa.s.sage in Dorothy Wordsworth's 'Recollections' of their Tour, it will be seen that the poet altered the text considerably in making his quotation in 1827: August 31, 1803.

"When we had ascended half-way up the hill, directed by the man, I took a nearer foot-path, and at the top came in view of a most impressive scene, a ruined castle on an island almost in the middle of the last compartment of the lake, backed by a mountain cove, down which came a roaring stream. The castle occupied every foot of the island that was visible to us, appearing to rise out of the water; mists rested upon the mountain side, with spots of suns.h.i.+ne between; there was a mild desolation in the low grounds, a solemn grandeur in the mountains, and the castle was wild, yet stately, not dismantled of its turrets, nor the walls broken down, though completely in ruin.

After having stood some minutes I joined William on the highroad, and both wis.h.i.+ng to stay longer near this place, we requested the man to drive his little boy on to Dalmally, about two miles further, and leave the car at the inn. He told us the ruin was called Kilchurn Castle, that it belonged to Lord Breadalbane, and had been built by one of the ladies of that family for her defence, during her lord's absence at the Crusades; for which purpose she levied a tax of seven years' rent upon her tenants; he said that from that side of the lake it did not appear, in very dry weather, to stand upon an island, but that it was possible to go over to it without being wet-shod. We were very lucky in seeing it after a great flood; for its enchanting effect was chiefly owing to its situation in the lake, a decayed palace rising out of the plain of waters! I have called it a palace, for such feeling it gave me, though having been built as a place of defence, a castle or fortress. We turned again and reascended the hill, and sate a long time in the middle of it looking on the castle, and the huge mountain cove opposite, and William, addressing himself to the ruin, poured out these verses."

Compare Wordsworth's description of this ruin in his 'Guide through the District of the Lakes'.--Ed.

ROB ROY'S GRAVE

Composed between 1803 and 1805.--Published 1807

The History of Rob Roy is sufficiently known; his Grave is near the head of Loch Ketterine, in one of those small Pin-fold-like Burial-grounds, of neglected and desolate appearance, which the Traveller meets with in the Highlands of Scotland.--W. W. 1807.

[I have since been told that I was misinformed as to the burial-place of Rob Roy. If so, I may plead in excuse that I wrote on apparently good authority, namely, that of a well educated Lady who lived at the head of the Lake, within a mile or less of the point indicated as containing the remains of One so famous in the neighbourhood.--I. F.]

In the copy of 'Rob Roy's Grave', transcribed in Dorothy Wordsworth's 'Recollections' of the Tour in Scotland of 1803, there are several important variations of text, which occur in none of the printed editions of the poem. These are indicated (to distinguish them from other readings) by the initials D. W.--Ed.

One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection" in 1815 and 1820.--Ed.

A famous man is Robin Hood, The English ballad-singer's joy!

And Scotland has a thief as good, An outlaw of as daring mood;

She has her brave ROB ROY! [1] 5 Then clear the weeds from off his Grave, And let us chant a pa.s.sing stave, In honour of that Hero [2] brave!

Heaven gave Rob Roy a dauntless [3] heart And wondrous length and strength of arm: [A] 10 Nor craved he more to quell his foes, Or keep his friends from harm.

Yet was Rob Roy as _wise_ as brave; Forgive me if the phrase be strong;-- A Poet worthy of Rob Roy 15 Must scorn a timid song.

Say, then, that he was wise as brave; As wise in thought as bold in deed: For in the principles of things _He_ sought his moral creed. [4] 20

Said generous Rob, "What need of books?

Burn all the statutes and their shelves: They stir us up against our kind; And worse, against ourselves.

"We have a pa.s.sion--make a law, 25 Too false to guide us or control!

And for the law itself we fight In bitterness of soul.

"And, puzzled, blinded thus, we lose Distinctions that are plain and few: 30 These find I graven on my heart: _That_ tells me what to do.

"The creatures see of flood and field, And those that travel on the wind!

With them no strife can last; they live 35 In peace, and peace of mind.

"For why?--because the good old rule Sufficeth them, the simple plan, That they should take, who have the power, And they should keep who can. 40

"A lesson that [5] is quickly learned, A signal this which all can see!

Thus nothing here provokes the strong To wanton [6] cruelty.

"All freakishness [7] of mind is checked; 45 He tamed, who foolishly aspires; While to the measure of his might [8]

Each fas.h.i.+ons his desires. [9]

"All kinds, and creatures, stand and fall By strength of prowess or of wit: 50 'Tis G.o.d's appointment who must sway, And who is to submit.