Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 15 August 1871, page 5


" SCOTT. CENTENARY," 16TH AUGUST, 1874.

" Land of the mountain and the flood," I Whose northern tempests fiercely brood,

Round lonely cases, where wild white seas, Surge foaming round the Hebrides !Land of the purple heathery hills,

Of countless snow-fed lakes and rills, Of rolling mists and wild red deer, And hardy Highland mountaineer,

Land of the Gael within whose bound

" From, old-sits Freedom mountain crowded "One hundred years ago ! this day !

The Bard, who chose thee for his Day

"Was born, and cradled in that North, , "Whose wild free charms, he chanted forth

Great Scott !

Bard of the Claymore and the Dirk, Of Holyrood, and Holy Kirk,

Of Red Cross Knight, and Cateran,

Of Lowland Laird, and Highland Clan,

Of Southern " Keep " and Northern " Hold" Of " Emir " bright with " barbaric gold." Of knightly faith, and traitor's shame, Of Moorish maid and Christian dame, "Whose verse in martial music flows,

Whilst thoughts as glowing gem thy prose. Thine, the great gift to thrill the heart With passion, where no vice has part; And, 'midst emotions mingling rush,

Call up no thought that brings a blush, Enthralling heart, and soul, and brainWhen shall we see thy like again ?

Great Scott !

Bard of our youth, and for mid-ago, Our solace in fiction's page:

Fiction, so like to fact, that real Life seems to image thy ideal

And world-worn heart, and wearied brain, Lulled by thy art awhile from pain, Forget the present"s toil and fears Re-living in Chivalry's years.

The thy " Last Minstrels" opening Days To Dauntless Harold," won thy " bays" Of poet's time, yet from them rose A grief ner growth of nobler prose,

"Which circling round thy deathless name, Crowns thy first hundred years of fame ! Free gift for all-throughout all Time Genius knows neither age nor clime ! No land can claim the poet's birthFor Bards belong to all the earth ;

And England's lay or Scotland's song Alike to all mankind belong.

Gael, Celt, and Saxon proudly claim To share thy century of fame;

And I, "aSouthron," hopeful see, Thro' dim vast centuries yet to be,

The glowing thoughts that from theo sprung, "Wherever spreads the British tongue,

Still charm, or soothe, in smiles, or tears, Its offspring, in both Hemispheres !

And pure in prose, romance, and rhyme, ' Scott's name a " household word " thro' Time.

----- KA"