But cold, successive noontide blasts
May lay its beauties low.
Fair on Isabella's morn

The sun propitious smil'd;
But, long ere noon, succeeding clouds
Succeeding hopes beguil❜d.

Fate oft tears the bosom chords
That Nature finest strung:
So Isabella's heart was form'd,
And so that heart was wrung.

Dread Omnipotence alone

Can heal the wound he gave;
Can point the brimful grief-worn eyes
To scenes beyond the grave.
Virtue's blossoms there shall blow,
And fear no with'ring blast,
There Isabella's spotless worth
Shall happy be at last.

ELEGY ON

CAPTAIN MATTHEW HENDERSON,

A Gentleman who held the Patent for his Honours immediately from Almighty God!

But now his radiant course is run,
For Matthew's course was bright:
His soul was like the glorious sun,
A matchless, heavenly light!

O DEATH! thou tyrant fell and bloody!
The muckle Devil wi' a woodie"

Haurl thee hame to his black smiddie,

O'er hurcheonx hides,

And like stock-fish come o'er his studdiey

u A halter.

Wi' thy auld sides!

w Smithy.

Hedgehog.

y An anvil.-An allusion is here had to the beating of dried stock-fish, to make them tender.

He's gane! he 's gane! he 's frae us torn,
The ae best fellow e'er was born!

Thee, Matthew, Nature's sel' shall mourn
By wood and wild,

Where, haply, Pity strays forlorn,

Frae man exil'd.

Ye hills, near neebors o' the starns,
That proudly cock your cresting cairns !a
Ye cliffs, the haunts of sailing yearns,b
Where Echo slumbers!

Come join, ye Nature's sturdiest bairns,c
My wailing numbers!

Mourn ilka grove the cushatd kens!
Ye haz'lly shaws and briery dens !
Ye burnies, wimplin' down your glens,
Wi' todlin's din,

Or foaming strang, wi' hasty stens,h
Frae linn to linn !!

Mourn, little harebells owre the lee;
Ye stately foxgloves fair to see;
Ye woodbines hanging bonnilie,

In scented bow'rs;

Ye roses on your thorny tree,

The first o' flow'rs!

At dawn, when ev'ry grassy blade
Droops with a diamond at his head,

At ev'n, when beans their fragrance shed
I' th' rustling gale,
whiddin' thro' the glade,
Come, join my wail!

Ye maukins,

z Stars.

a A heap of stones piled up in the form of a cone. b Eagles-they are here called sailing yearns,' in all sion to their flying without that motion of the wings which is common to most other birds. c Children. d The dove, or wood-pigeon.

Rivulets.

To rear as a horse.

f Meandering.
i A water-fall.
Running as a hare.

g Wimpling.

k flares

Mourn, ye wee songsters o' the wood;
Ye grouse that crap the heather bud;
Ye curlews calling thro' a clud;m

Ye whistling plover;

And mourn, ye whirring" paitrick brood;
He's gane for ever!

Mourn, sooty coots, and speckled teals,
Ye fisher herons, watching eels;
Ye duck and drake, wi' airy wheels
Circling the lake;

Ye bitterns, till the quagmire reels,
Rairo for his sake!

Mourn, clam'ring craiks,P at close o' day,
'Mang fields o' flow'ring clover gay!
And when ye wing your annual way
Frae our cauld shore,

Tell thae far warlds, wha lies in clay,
Wham we deplore.

Ye howlets, frae your ivy bow'r,
In some auld tree, or eldritch tow'r,
What time the moon, wi' silent glow'r,

Sets

up her horn,
Wail thro' the weary midnight hour
Till waukrifet morn!

O rivers, forests, hills, and plains!
Oft have ye heard my cautie" strains :
But now, what else for me remains
But tales of woe;
And frae my een the drapping rains
Maun ever flow!

Mourn, Spring, thou darling of the year!
Ilk" cowslip cup shall kep* a tear:

m Cloud.

n The noise made by the wings of a covey of partridges.

To roar.

p Birds called in England landrails, in Scotland corn-craiks.

s Ghastly. w Each.

Catch.

g Those. The waking hour. น Cheertul.

Thou, Simmer, while each corny spear
Shoots up his head,

Thy gay, green, flow'ry tresses shear,
For him that's dead!

Thou, Autumn, wi' thy yellow hair,
In grief thy sallow mantle tear!
Thou, Winter, hurling thro' the air
The roaring blast,

Wide o'er the naked world declare

The worth we 've lost!

Mourn him, thou Sun, great source of light!
Mourn, empress of the silent night!
And you, ye twinkling starnies bright,
My Matthew mourn!
1 or thro' your orbs he 's taeny his flight,
Ne'er to return.

O Henderson! the man! the brother!
And art thou gone, and gone for ever?
And hast thou cross'd that unknown river,
Life's dreary bound?
Like thee, where shall I find another,
The world around?

Go to your sculptur'd tombs, ye great,
In a' the tinsel trash o' state!

But by thy honest turf I'll wait,

Thou man of worth!

And weep the ae best fellow's fate
E'er lay in earth.

ЕРІТАРН.

STOP, passenger! my story 's brief;
And truth I shall relate, man;

I tell nae common tale o' grief,
For Matthew was a great man.
Taken.

If thou uncommon merit hast,

Yet spurn'd at Fortune's door, man;

A look of pity hither cast,

For Matthew was a poor man.

If thou a noble sodger art,

That passest by this grave, man, There moulders here a gallant heart, For Matthew was a brave man.

If thou on men, their works and ways,
Canst throw uncommon light, man;
Here lies wha weel had won thy praise,
For Matthew was a bright man.

If thou at friendship's sacred ca',"
Wada life itself resign, man;
Thy sympathetic tear maun fa',b
For Matthew was a kind man.

If thou art staunch without a stain,
Like the unchanging blue, man;
This was a kinsman o' thy ain,

For Matthew was a true man.

If thou hast wit, and fun, and fire,
And ne'er guid wine did fear, man;
This was thy billie, dam and sire,
For Matthew was a queer man.

If onie whiggish, whingin'd sot,
To blame poor Matthew dare, man;
May doole and sorrow be his lot,
For Matthew was a rare man

2 Call.
c Brother.

a Would.

d Fretful.

b Fall. e Lamentation.