The Poem
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| A famous man is Robin Hood, The English ballad-singer's joy! And Scotland has a thief as good, An outlaw of as daring mood; She has her brave Rob Roy! Then clear the weeds from off his Grave, And let us chant a passing stave, In honour of that Hero brave! Heaven gave Rob Roy a dauntless heart And wondrous length and strength of arm: Nor craved he more to quell his foes, Or keep his friends from harm. Yet was Rob Roy as wise as brave; Forgive me if the phrase be strong;— A Poet worthy of Rob Roy Must scorn a timid song. Say, then, that he was wise as brave; As wise in thought as bold in deed: For in the principles of things He sought his moral creed. Said generous Rob, "What need of books? Burn all the statutes and their shelves: They stir us up against our kind; And worse, against ourselves. "We have a passion—make a law, Too false to guide us or control! And for the law itself we fight In bitterness of soul. "And, puzzled, blinded thus, we lose Distinctions that are plain and few: These find I graven on my heart: That tells me what to do. "The creatures see of flood and field, And those that travel on the wind! With them no strife can last; they live In peace, and peace of mind. "For why?—because the good old rule Sufficeth them, the simple plan, That they should take, who have the power, And they should keep who can. "A lesson that is quickly learned, A signal this which all can see! Thus nothing here provokes the strong To wanton cruelty. "All freakishness of mind is checked; He tamed, who foolishly aspires; While to the measure of his might Each fashions his desires. "All kinds, and creatures, stand and fall By strength of prowess or of wit: 'Tis God's appointment who must sway, And who is to submit. "Since, then, the rule of right is plain, And longest life is but a day; To have my ends, maintain my rights, I'll take the shortest way." And thus among these rocks he lived, Through summer heat and winter snow: The Eagle, he was lord above, And Rob was lord below. So was it—would, at least, have been But through untowardness of fate; For Polity was then too strong— He came an age too late; Or shall we say an age too soon? For, were the bold Man living now, How might he flourish in his pride, With buds on every bough! Then rents and factors, rights of chase, Sheriffs, and lairds and their domains, Would all have seemed but paltry things, Not worth a moment's pains. Rob Roy had never lingered here, To these few meagre Vales confined; But thought how wide the world, the times How fairly to his mind! And to his Sword he would have said, "Do Thou my sovereign will enact From land to land through half the earth! Judge thou of law and fact! "'Tis fit that we should do our part, Becoming, that mankind should learn That we are not to be surpassed In fatherly concern. "Of old things all are over old, Of good things none are good enough:— We'll show that we can help to frame A world of other stuff. "I, too, will have my kings that take From me the sign of life and death: Kingdoms shall shift about, like clouds, Obedient to my breath." And, if the word had been fulfilled, As might have been, then, thought of joy! France would have had her present Boast, And we our own Rob Roy! Oh! say not so; compare them not; I would not wrong thee, Champion brave! Would wrong thee nowhere; least of all Here standing by thy grave. For Thou, although with some wild thoughts Wild Chieftain of a savage Clan! Hadst this to boast of; thou didst love The liberty of man. And, had it been thy lot to live With us who now behold the light, Thou would'st have nobly stirred thyself, And battled for the Right. For thou wert still the poor man's stay, The poor man's heart, the poor man's hand; And all the oppressed, who wanted strength, Had thine at their command. Bear witness many a pensive sigh Of thoughtful Herdsman when he strays Alone upon Loch Veol's heights, And by Loch Lomond's braes! And, far and near, through vale and hill, Are faces that attest the same; The proud heart flashing through the eyes, At sound of Rob Roy's name. [Note] [Contents 1803] [Main Contents] | [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] | [A] | 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 |
| 1807 | |
| And Scotland boasts of one as good, She has her own Rob Roy. | 1803. D.W. |
And Scotland boasts of one as good,
She has her own Rob Roy.
| 1807 | |
| ... Outlaw ... | 1803. D.W. |
... Outlaw ...
| 1807 | |
| ... daring ... | 1803. D.W. |
... daring ...
Stanzas 3 and 4 are thus combined by D. W., and also in a printed (not published) version, given in a copy of the 1807 edition.
| 1807 | |
|
Yet Robin was as wise as brave,
As wise in thought as bold in deed,
For in the principles of things
He sought his moral creed.
| 1827 | |
| ... which ... | 1807 |
... which ...
| 1807 | |
| ... tyrannous ... | 1803. D. W. |
... tyrannous ...
| 1807 | |
| And freakishness ... | 1803. D. W. |
And freakishness ...
| 1807 | |
| ... their ... | MS. |
... their ...
| 1807 | |
| All fashion their desires. | 1803. D. W. |
All fashion their desires.
| 1815 | |
| "Since then," said Robin, "right is plain, | 1807 |
"Since then," said Robin, "right is plain,
| 1827 | |
| Through summer's heat and winter's snow: | 1807 |
Through summer's heat and winter's snow:
| 1807 | |
| The Rents and Land-marks, Rights of Chase, Sheriffs and Factors, Lairds and Thanes, | 1803. D. W. |
| Sheriffs and Factors, rights of chase, Their Lairds, and their domains, | MS. |
The Rents and Land-marks, Rights of Chase,
Sheriffs and Factors, Lairds and Thanes,
Sheriffs and Factors, rights of chase,
Their Lairds, and their domains,
| 1827 | |
| ... our brave ... | 1807 |
... our brave ...
| 1815 | |
| For Robin was ... | 1807 |
For Robin was ...
| 1815 | |
| Had Robin's to command. | 1807 |
Had Robin's to command.
| 1827 | |
| Kindling with instantaneous joy | 1803. D.W. |
| And kindle, like a fire new stirr'd, | 1807 |
Kindling with instantaneous joy
And kindle, like a fire new stirr'd,
The people of the neighbourhood of Loch Ketterine, in order to prove the extraordinary length of their Hero's arm, tell you that "he could garter his Tartan Stockings below the knee when standing upright." According to their account he was a tremendous Swordsman; after having sought all occasions of proving his prowess, he was never conquered but once, and this not till he was an Old Man.—W. W. 1807.
Note:
In Dorothy Wordsworth's Recollections of the Scotch Tour the following occurs:
"August 27, 1803.—We mentioned Rob Roy, and the eyes of all glistened; even the lady of the house, who was very diffident, and no great talker, exclaimed, 'He was a good man, Rob Roy! he had been dead only about eighty years, had lived in the next farm, which belonged to him, and there his bones were laid.' He was a famous swordsman. Having an arm much longer than other men, he had a greater command with his sword. As a proof of the length of his arm, they told us that he could garter his tartan stockings below the knee without stooping, and added a dozen different stories of single combats, which he had fought, all in perfect good humour, merely to prove his prowess. I daresay they had stories of this kind which would hardly have been exhausted in the long evenings of a whole December week, Rob Roy being as famous here as even Robin Hood was in the forest of Sherwood; he also robbed from the rich, giving to the poor, and defending them from oppression. They tell of his confining the factor of the Duke of Montrose in one of the islands of Loch Ketterine, after having taken his money from him—the Duke's rents—in open day, while they were sitting at table. He was a formidable enemy of the Duke, but being a small laird against a greater, was overcome at last, and forced to resign all his lands on the Braes of Loch Lomond, including the caves which we visited, on account of the money he had taken from the Duke and could not repay."
September 12:
"Descended into Glengyle, above Loch Ketterine, and passed through Mr. Macfarlane's grounds, that is, through the whole of the glen, where there was now no house left but his. We stopped at his door to inquire after the family, though with little hope of finding them at home, having seen a large company at work in a hay-field, whom we conjectured to be his whole household, as it proved, except a servant-maid who answered our enquiries. We had sent the ferryman forward from the head of the glen to bring the boat round from the place where he left it to the other side of the lake. Passed the same farm-house we had such good reason to remember, and went up to the burying-ground that stood so sweetly near the water-side. The ferryman had told us that Rob Roy's grave was there, so we could not pass on without going up to the spot. There were several tombstones, but the inscriptions were either worn-out or unintelligible to us, and the place choked up with nettles and brambles. You will remember the description I have given of the spot. I have nothing here to add, except the following poem which it suggested to William."
Rob Roy was buried at the Kirkton of Balquhidder, near the outlet of Loch Voil in Perthshire. There are three sculptured stones in the rude burial-place of the Macgregors, at the eastern end of the old church. The one with the long claymore marks the resting-place of Rob Roy's wife; the one opposite on the other side is the tomb of his eldest son; and the central stone, more elaborately carved, marks the grave of the hero himself.—Ed.
[Contents 1803]
[Main Contents]