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Leyden, John, 1775-1811

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Leyden, John, 1775-1811 V > ! m ~t y v - k V V A ( ) / *£=£* c r- THE POETICAL REMAINS OF THE LATE DR. JOHN LEYDEN, WITH MEMOIRS OF HIS LIFE, BY The Rev. JAMES MORTON. LONDON: Printed by Strahan and Spottiswoode, Printers- Street, FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN; AND A. CONSTABLE AND CO. EDINBURGH. 1819. CONTENTS. The Life of the Author Page 1 Ode to Phantasy. Written in 1796 1 On parting with a Friend on a Journey. Written in 1797. 12 On an Old Man dying Friendless. Written in 1798 13 VVrittenat St. Andrew's, in 1798 14 To Ruin. Written in 1798 15 Melancholy. Written in 1798 16 To the Yew. Written in 1799 17 Ode, addressed to Mr. Geo. Dyer, on Scottish Scenery and Manners. Written in 1799 18 Love. Written in 1800 22 Written in the Isle of Sky, in 1800 23 To the setting Sun. Written in the Isle of Iona, in 1800. 24? Serenity of Childhood 25 The Memory of the Past 26 Macgregor. Written in Glenorchy, near the Scene of the Massacre of the Macgregors 27 a 3 - VI The Elfin King Page 29 Scottish Music, an Ode 40 Ode on visiting Flodden 46 Lord Soulis 52 The Cout of Keeldar 73 The Mermaid 91 On the Sabbath Morning 114 Ode, to the Scenes of Infancy. Written in 1801 115 Spring, an Ode. Written while recovering from Sickness 120 Ode to the Evening Star 124 Greenland Elegy. A Father on the Death of his Son.. 126 The Wail of Alzira. A Negro Song 128 Epistle to a Lady, from a Dancing Bear. Sent to Lady after , dancing with her in 1801 130 The Fan. Addressed to a Lady in 1802 136 Headach. To a Lady. Written in 1802 138 To Aurelia. Written in 1802 140 Sonnet. Written at Woodhouselee in 1802 141 Elegy on a Friend killed in the West Indies 142 Dirge on a young Boy 14,g The Celtic Paradise, or Green Isle of the Western Waves 147 A Love Tale. A Fragment 152 of a Song Telinga Dancing Girl. Addressed to an European Gentleman, in the Company of some European Ladies? ^ 1803 155 • • * « - • * » • i A • • • • • r « * Vll The Battle of Assaye. Written in 1803 Page 156 Ode on Leaving Velore. Written m 1804 159 Ode to an Indian Gold Coin. Written in Cherical, Malabar. 163 Address to my Malay Krees. Written while pursued by a French Privateer off Sumatra 166 Christmas in Penang. Written in 1804- 168 Dirge of the departed Year. To Olivia. Written in 18o6. 170 Verses written at the Island of Sagur, in the Mouth of the Ganges, in 1807 174 Verses on the death of Nelson 177 To Mr. James Purvis 180 Ode on the Battle of Corunna. Written in 1809 183 " Portugueze Hymn. To the Virgin Mary, The Star of the Sea." Written at Sea, onboard the Ship Santo Antonio 188 Finland Song. Addressed by a Mother to her Child 192 Elegiac Ode at the return of the Parentalia, or Feast of the Dead. Imitated from Ausonius 193 The Saul Tree. From Bayer's Latin version of the Chinese 196 From Owen's Latin Epigrams 197 Epitaph, from the Latin 198 The Dream, from the Latin of J. Lcoch. Addressed to DrummondofHawthornden 199 The Cretan Warrior, from Hybrids Crctensis 205 ENGLISH VI 11 Ode to Virtue, imitated from the Greek of Aristotle (Written on the death of General Frazer, kiHed at the Battle of Deeg) Page 206 On seeing an Eagle perched on the tomhstoneof Aristomenes, the Palafox of Messene 208 To a Young Lady. From the Greek of Ibycus 209 From Mnesimachus. Speech of one the ancient Grecian Bobadils 210 From Tyrtaeus 211 Ditto 214 On the Death of Marsyas, the Phrygian Poet, who is said to have been flayed alive by Apollo, after a fruitless contest with his flute against the lyre of the God. From the Greek 218 Madagascar Song. From Parny's Chansons Madecasses 221 From the Italian of Tasso 223 From the Italian of Menzini 224 Dirge on Guillen Peraza, Governor of the Canaries, who fell in attempting the conquest of the Island Palma, soon after the year 1418. From the Spanish 225 To Camoens. From the Portugueze of De Matos 227 Sonnet, from the Same 228 Ode to Jehovah. From the Hebrew of Moses 229 The Monody of Tograi. From the Arabic 233 To the Courier Dove. From the Arabic 240 On a Negro marrying an Arab Woman. From the Arabic of Nabega 241 IX The Arab Warrior. From the Arabic Page 24-2 From the Arabic of Tabdt Shirrar, on revenging the blood of his uncle, who had been murdered by the Chief of the Tribe of Huddeil 244 Timur's War Song. From the Persic of All Yezdi 24-8 Ode. From the Persic of Khakeni 24-9 Ode. From the Persic of Hafez 251 From the Persian of Hatefi 253 Sonnet. Imitated from the Persic of Sadi 254* The Renunciation of Poetry. From the Persic of Awwari 255 On Spring. From the Persic of Jlash'/d 257 From the Persic of Rudeki 259 The Return after Absence. From the same 261 On Mahmud's War-steed. From the Persic of Unsari 263 Impromptu, on Mahmud's cutting off the tresses of his Mistress Ayaz, one day in a passion. From the same 265 To Night. From the same 266 In ridicule of Astrology. From the Persic of Catehi 267 Lament for Rama. From the Bengali 268 Verses written after being at Sea for the first time, by Emir Muhammed Peishaweri, an Anglian. From the Pushto 270 The Fight of Praya. A Malay Dirge 274« The Dirge of Tippoo Sultan. From the Canara 277 On the death of Tippoo Sultan. From the Hindustani 286 Scenes of Infancy 295 ERRATA. Page xxv. line 7. for country, read county. lvi. & lvii. for Portuguese, r. Portugueze. lxxxiii. 14, for Almightly, r. Almighty. 62, 21, for sure, r. fure. 180. Note, for The Dean is a handsome seat in the neighbour- hood, read Denholm Dean is a deep woody glen, or dell, watered by the rivulet mentioned in page vii. bounded on either side by steep banks and rocks overhung with various foliage, and offer- ing to the view numerous picturesque scenes ofromantic beauty. MEMOIRS OF DR. LEYDEN Dr. John Leyden, the subject of the following short Memoir, was born on the 8th day of Sep- tember, 177-5, at Denholm, a village on the banks of the Teviot, in the parish of Cavers, and county of Roxburgh. He was the eldest child of John and Isabella Leyden, who had, besides him, three sons and two daughters. The maiden name of his mother was Scott. The fore- fathers of botli his parents had, for several gene- rations, been farmers on the estates of the ancient family of Douglas of Cavers. About a year after his birth his parents re- moved to Henlawshiel, a lonely cottage, about three miles from Denholm, on the farm of Nether 11 * Tofts, which was then held by Mr. Andrew Blythe, his mother's uncle. Here they lived for sixteen years, during which his father was employed, first as shepherd, and afterwards in the whole business of the farm * his managing ; relation having had the misfortune to lose his sight. The cottage, which was of very simple construction, was situated in a wild pastoral spot, near the foot of Ruberslaw, on the verge of the heath which stretches down from the sides of that majestic hill. The simplicity of the in- terior corresponded with that of its outward appearance. But the kind affections, cheerful content, intelligence, and piety that dwelt be- neath its lowly roof, made it such a scene as poets have imagined in their descriptions of the innocence and happiness of rural life. Leyden was taught to read by his grand- mother, who, after her husband's death, re- sided in the family of her son. Under the care of this venerable and affectionate instructress his progress was rapid. That insatiable desire of knowledge, which afterwards formed so remark- able a feature in his character, soon began to shew itself. The historical passages of the Bible * See Note [A.] Ill first his attention and it caught j was not long before he made himself familiarly acquainted with every event recorded in the Old and New Testaments. One or two popular works on next fell into his Scottish history hands ; and he read with enthusiasm the history of the heroic deeds of Wallace and Bruce, and of the brave resistance of his countrymen to the ecclesiastical tyranny of the last kings of the house of Stuart. After he had read all the books in his father's possession, the shelves of the neighbouring pea- sants were laid under contribution, and, amongst other works which thev furnished him with, he was greatly delighted to find the Arabian Nights Entertainments, Sir David Lindsay's Poetical Works, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Chapman's Translation of Homer. At nine years of age he was sent to the parish school of Kirktown, about two miles from Hen- lawshiel. He continued at this school nearly three years, learning writing and arithmetic, and the rudiments of Latin but his grammar ; progress during this period was interrupted by two very long vacations, occasioned by the death of one, and the removal of another schoolmaster, a 2 IV * to a more eligible situation. During these intervals he often assisted his father in tending his flock, and sometimes supplied his place when occasion called him away. His parents had too much discernment not to perceive that their son was gifted by nature with extraordinary talents, and rightly appreciating this valuable distinction, they strove to pro- cure him the best means of improvement in their power.
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