The Lady of the Lake: Canto 1 (excerpt)

Sir Walter Scott 1771 (College Wynd, Edinburgh) – 1832 (Abbotsford, Roxburghshire)



SONG

   Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er,
      Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking:
  Dream of battled fields no more,
      Days of danger, nights of waking.
  In our isle's enchanted hall,
      Hands unseen thy couch are strewing,
  Fairy strains of music fall,
      Every sense in slumber dewing.
  Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er,
  Dream of fighting fields no more:
  Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
  Morn of toil, nor night of waking.

  No rude sound shall reach thine ear,
      Armour's clang, or war-steed champing,
  Trump nor pibroch summon here
      Mustering clan, or squadron tramping.
  Yet the lark's shrill fife may come
      At the day-break from the fallow,
  And the bittern sound his drum,
      Booming from the sedgy shallow.
  Ruder sounds shall none be near,
  Guards nor warders challenge here,
  Here's no war-steed's neigh and champing,
  Shouting clans or squadrons stamping....

  Huntsman, rest! thy chase is done,
      While our slumbrous spells assail ye,
  Dream not, with the rising sun,
      Bugles here shall sound reveillé.
  Sleep! the deer is in his den;
      Sleep! thy hounds are by thee lying;
  Sleep! nor dream in yonder glen,
      How thy gallant steed lay dying.
  Huntsman, rest; thy chase is done,
  Think not of the rising sun,
  For at dawning to assail ye,
  Here no bugles sound reveillé.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:06 min read
68

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABcbdbdbAcBb ebebfgfgxebb HihdjbjbHhid
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,337
Words 213
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 12, 12, 12

Sir Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian. more…

All Sir Walter Scott poems | Sir Walter Scott Books

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