Poems on Several Occasions from 1793 to 1816/To the Duke of Hamilton, the Petition of his House of Kinneil, on the Timber being ordered to be cut down
TO THE
DUKE OF HAMILTON,
THE PETITION OF HIS HOUSE OF KINNEIL, ON THE TIMBER BEING ORDERED TO BE CUT DOWN.
Recall, O Hamilton! the harsh command,
Nor deal destruction from thy princely band;
Let not mine ancient groves and forests tall,
Beneath the unrelenting woodman fall;
Let not stern Warrender thy bosom steel,
But spare the verdant honours of Kinneil.
Nor deal destruction from thy princely band;
Let not mine ancient groves and forests tall,
Beneath the unrelenting woodman fall;
Let not stern Warrender thy bosom steel,
But spare the verdant honours of Kinneil.
And here the fabling Muse might sing to Thee
Of beauteous nymphs, who dwell in every tree,
Of Fauns, of Dryads, and of Sylvan Gods,
Leaving the shelter of their loved abodes,
And lives enshrined which with their plants are o'er,
And Echo's sweet responses heard no more.
But dreams like these no longer must intrude,
By Fancy figured in some sportive mood;
For when such near—such real ills surprise,
Severer thoughts, and darker prospects rise.
Of beauteous nymphs, who dwell in every tree,
Of Fauns, of Dryads, and of Sylvan Gods,
Leaving the shelter of their loved abodes,
And lives enshrined which with their plants are o'er,
And Echo's sweet responses heard no more.
But dreams like these no longer must intrude,
By Fancy figured in some sportive mood;
For when such near—such real ills surprise,
Severer thoughts, and darker prospects rise.
Shall nought defend me when the tempest lowers,
But every blast besiege my battered towers?
Shall Eurus whistle bleak around my walls,
And Boreas riot in my festive halls?
These halls, alas! which thou hast never seen,
Where Regal Arran ruled for Scotia's Queen;
While she, unconscious of impending fate,
And free from all the cumbrous cares of state,
Led the gay dance, or joined the choral strain,
Youth, Love, and Pleasure sporting in her train.
But every blast besiege my battered towers?
Shall Eurus whistle bleak around my walls,
And Boreas riot in my festive halls?
These halls, alas! which thou hast never seen,
Where Regal Arran ruled for Scotia's Queen;
While she, unconscious of impending fate,
And free from all the cumbrous cares of state,
Led the gay dance, or joined the choral strain,
Youth, Love, and Pleasure sporting in her train.
My threatened ills, O Hamilton! avert,
Let not vile lucre tempt thy generous heart;
Forbid the dire, the desolating stroke,
Spare the broad Sycamore and Royal Oak,
The giant Ash, smooth Beech, and spreading Lime,
The Walnut fragrant from Iberia's clime,
Mine ancient Holly, and the Larix new,
The silver Birch and melancholy Yew,
The Poplar pale that quivers in the wind,
And the dark Alder, precious for its rind,
The Willow, emblem of departed joy,
The Hazel copse, that hides the truant boy,
The Chestnut rare, the Elm's umbrageous size,
And the trim Pine aspiring to the skies:—
Long may they grace my turrets and my plains,
Charm every eye, and heal my poet's pains.
Let not vile lucre tempt thy generous heart;
Forbid the dire, the desolating stroke,
Spare the broad Sycamore and Royal Oak,
The giant Ash, smooth Beech, and spreading Lime,
The Walnut fragrant from Iberia's clime,
Mine ancient Holly, and the Larix new,
The silver Birch and melancholy Yew,
The Poplar pale that quivers in the wind,
And the dark Alder, precious for its rind,
The Willow, emblem of departed joy,
The Hazel copse, that hides the truant boy,
The Chestnut rare, the Elm's umbrageous size,
And the trim Pine aspiring to the skies:—
Long may they grace my turrets and my plains,
Charm every eye, and heal my poet's pains.