Book II

Reclined upon a coral bed,
With oceans rolling o'er his head,
With beauty slumbering on his breast,
Our wondering hero lies at rest.
The swinging sun, far, far away,
Poured through the sea his silver ray,
And shed the softest shade of light ;
'Twas neither noontide blaze nor night.

No swelling surge, nor floating foam,
Approached that calm and peaceful home !
So soft the undulation played,
'Twas like the eve in twilight shade ;
It only heaved, with gentle flow,
The scarf from Venus' breast of snow ;
Her gown that floated fair and dry.
The lily texture of the sky,
It scarcely waved from side to side,
So slight, so gentle, was the tide.

Sweet Venus slept, or seemed to sleep,
Calm in the bosom of the deep ;
Her cheek reclined on Russell's arm,
That cheek so rosy, pure, and warm !
She sighed ! — she oped her eyes so blue,
On Russell's face of manly hue ;
Her arm was careless o'er him flung ;
His name played slightly on her tongue.
For why should it mysterious seem
The Queen of Love of love should dream ?
Brave Russell's heart was like to melt !
True love he ne'er before had felt.
Love, pure as purest cryst'lization,
The sweetest, fondest, admiration-
Russ lay and viewed, with curious eye.
The little fishes wandering by :
He saw the sprat the ocean bore ;
The herring ply her scarlet oar ;
All hovered round their ample room
To gaze on beauty's bonniest bloom.
All looks of joy and pleasure cast,
And made obeisance as they past.

They rose, they wandered, hand in hand,
O'er wreathed beds of silver sand ;
Saw sheets of glossy amber shine,
Pure as the topaz of the mine ;
And rows of pearl, reflecting gay
The sunbeam through the watery way ;
Saw bones of men, that long had lain
Calm in the bosom of the main ;
So long that coral round them grew,
And sullen gems of dusky hue ;
On samphire beds they soundly slept,
And green sea-holly o'er them wept.

Russ met the maidens of the sea,
And joined their gleesome revelry :
In golden vase his bulk they bathed,
And softest down-cloth round him swathed ;
Combed his brown locks with diamond comb,
And led him through their crystal dome,
Where stars of heaven, the sun and moon,
Seemed blazing in the grand saloon.
Then sung the music of the sea,
A wild and simple melody,
So sweet, that sea-nymphs round them danced,
And wondering fishes fell entranced ;
Even lovely Venus heaved a sigh,
While tears stood trembling in her eye.

Wild pleasure Russell's bosom shook,
'Twas more than human heart could brook ;
A lay of heaven the song did seem,
Or vision of a morning dream.
He could not longer bear its charms,
But clasped the sea-maid in his arms,
Caressed her fondly on his knee,
Hung on her lips in ectasy.

O'er dazzling gems their course they keep,
To view the fountains of the deep ;
Those mighty springs that rise so low,
And never, never cease to flow,
That ocean with her brine supply,
Ne'er seen before by human eye.
They rushed so fierce, and swelled so high,
The top Russ scarcely could descry,
But thought the boil was full as great
As Ruber's-law, or Arthur's-seat.

Two giants stood on either side,
With naked arms, and shovels wide,
With horrid eyes, and aspects dun,
Dashing in salt, tun after tun.

He saw these salt-works of the sea,
Contrived and built most curiously ;
With kettle, which kept boiling still,
As large as any Highland hill.
What boiled that vat Russ could not tell,
But feared it was the fire of hell.

Russ was a fisher good and keen ,
At many a bout on Tweed had been,
And still he kept an eager eye
On every large one swagging bye,
Not all his lovely guide could say,
Could keep him from so great a prey.

Once, as she wandered pensive on,
She turned, and saw that Russ was gone ;
Shouted his name, and walking back,
She found him hasting on her track:
Below one arm he held a seal,
In the other hand a monstrous eel.

No frown was on her lovely brow,
But yet she looked, Russ wist not how ;
So sly that look, so arch her smile,
He feared her, yet he loved the while.
Around his neck her arm she threw,
Soft rolled her eyes, so mild and blue !
" My love," said she, " what's this I see ?
O haste, and set the prisoners free."

Russ blushed, obeyed, gave her his arm-
All was forgot ! — it was no harm. —
So gentleness will ever sway,
And mankind its behests obey ;
While sour regret, or angry scowl,
Must adverse make the generous soul.

Dwells there a heart in manly breast
Can baulk a lady's kind request ?
Ah, never ! He that can deny
When beauty pleads with speaking eye,
Let never Muse his sorrows weep,
Nor beauty in his bosom sleep.

These glowing shoals delight no more ;
She fixed our hero as before,
And up the green wave 'gan to fly ,
Swift as the arrow cleaves the sky ;
And, near the sea-beat shore of May,
Sprung from the sea to upper day.

They past Edina's hills of dew,
And spires that bored the welkin blue ;
O'er thundering Devon veering hung ;
A rainbow arch o'er the Ochils flung ;
The western border of the sky
Was fringed with folds of purple dye,
And just as sunk the evening sun
Beyond Glen-Orchy's mountains dun,
They lighted on a lonely lea,
Beneath Breadalbane's greenwood tree.

Obsequious to their lovely Queen,
Of vernal birch and willow green
The wood-nymphs there had formed a bower,
Twisted with every forest flower.
And in that bower there was a bed,
With silken sheets so well down spread,
While round its posts were seen to twine
The gelder-rose and eglantine.

Before that bed a table stood,
Wove of the twigs from Highland wood,
Where viands rich in goblets shine,
And golden flasks of purple wine.
Russ seldom wondered, no, not he,
At what he wont to hear or see ;
But this sweet lady's wondrous skill,
Who thus had every thing at will :
Who travelled, without fear or pain,
The hidden channels of the main ;
Could climb the air so light and boon ;
So merrily ring the silver moon ;
Or scoop the bending sky amain,
And frill above the glowing wain ;
Her might, her power, her condescension,
Were all above his comprehension.
Yet well assured, nor guile, nor pride,
Beneath so sweet a guise could hide,
Bold he resolved , by night or day,
To venture where she led the way.

A bower so sweet, a dame so fair,
So soft, so pleasing every air,
Might well the stoutest heart have foiled,
Where love had burned, and passion boiled,
And for one night a supper spoiled.
Not so with Russ, his thirst was great,
He ate so long, he drank so late,
That wearied Venus wished to lie,
And to the green bed turned her eye.

O wine ! what canst thou not perform !
The proudest heart thy fumes can storm !
Before thy power have vanished duty !
Pride, native worth, and blooming beauty !
The plaints of conscience thou canst hush,
Reave from the cheek the burning blush ;
With passions wild the soul inflame,
And arm the tongue with words of shame :
Oh, that the tree where grape first grew,
Had never drunk the vernal dew !

Russ sat so long, and drank so deep,
Reckless of beauty's needful sleep,
That, loud as note of bugle-horn,
Or gander's trumpet of the morn,.

He bawled the catch of boisterous glee,
Hurtful to grace and modesty.
Within one fist he kept, in glow,
Sweet Venus' bonny hand of snow ;
The other waved in air aloft,
Or sunk adown to measure soft.
But no approving look, nor smile,
Beamed on her lovely face the while !
Oh fye ! that man to modest love
Should e'er so rude a recreant prove !
He looked around, his flower was gone,
And Russ was forced to sleep alone.

Short was the night, the silence deep,
Soft was the bed, and sound his sleep j
And morn had shed her brightest beams,
Ere Russ awoke from wondrous dreams.

" Prepare thee, Russ," fair Venus said,
" Prepare thee for the infernal shade;
Ere eve, before thine eyes I'll show
The wonders of the world below,
Where lanes of fire for ever burn ,
And souls in woe eternal mourn."

Russ scanned his thoughts with proper care,
What way he should himself prepare ;
The fire was upmost in his mind,
And fire he knew to thirst inclined :
He drank one pint, to cool his tongue,
And two large flasks at 's belt he slung,
Filled with the pure and purple wine,
From vintage of Elysian vine.

" Lead on," said Russ — " though dark the way,
Hid from the glorious eye of day,
If flaming fire and smouldering smoke
Do not thy servant fairly choke ;
Lead on, sweet Madam, thou shalt see
How firmly he'll abide by thee."

Short way they went, ere Venus stood
Still in a lonely hazel wood ;
And pointing to an ivyed rock,
Whence issued slender sleys of smoke,
Bade Russ observe a little door,
By which their way they should explore.

" That road," said she, " is strait and drear,
But none from Scotland 's half so near.
'Twill save the ferry over Styx,
A golden gift — a thousand tricks ;
And, without question, bribe, or riddle,
Well enter hell just in the middle.

" Have you not heard within this bound,
How earthquakes rock the groaning ground ?
How lakes and rivers rolling high
Retreat, and leave their channels dry ?
Old Satan then — that savage cruel,
Gets in his new supplies of fuel,
And flings it on with hand unsparing,
Roasting his inmates past all bearing,
Which shakes this lower vault of hell,
For here the world is but a shell.
My wonder would have very small been
If great M'Nab and proud Breadalbane,
With all their silver lakes and fountains,
Their waving woods and hoary mountains,
Their towers and plains of purple heather,
Had sunk all plump in hell together."
" Perhaps," said Russ, " should this befall them,
Their lakes might serve them most of all then."

Fair Venus stooped ; the ivy shed,
Then thrusting in her beauteous head,
Called out to Russ to follow nigh,
Then vanished from his gazing eye.
Russ thrust his head and shoulders in,
Then stuck as fast as sutor's pin ;
For the wine flasks, where was his trust in,
He could not leave, nor pull, nor thrust in ;
Then loud he roared down from the dingle,
With voice that made all hell to jingle,
" I cannot come should I be cowed for't ;
Lord, do you think a man's a mo wd wort ?"

Russ heard a voice so sweet before him,
Its tones were like to overpower him,
And sore he dreaded she was gone,
While moving forward there was none.
Then, with a force nought could gainsay,
He pulled himself back to the day,
Flung all imped'ments to the wind,
And swung his flasks on straight behind.
" Now, friends," said he, " I have you hollow,
Where I can go you needs must follow."
Then, like a valiant pioneer,
His downward course he straight did steer,
Holding his way in darksome furrow,
Beneath the Highland hills to burrow,
And seek, through floods of fire and scathe,
The knowledge of a world beneath.

It chanced that on their downward way
They crossed the channels of Loch Tay,
A scene that Russ took great delight in,
It was so cool and so inviting ;
And more than that, the view so goodly
Made his heart pant and play full proudly ;
For there were rocks, and trees, and shades,
And kilted hinds, and Highland maids
Swinging above him, lightsome hearted,
Quite unconcerned, though all inverted :
It was such sport, from out the deep
To see the girls hang on the steep,
Fresh as rock-roses of the even,
With crowns on earth and heels to heaven !
And tall Ben-Lawers, that mighty hill,
To every wave kept nodding still,
Bending his poll of grizzly green
As if he bade these dames good-e'en.
Russ laughed till both his sides were shaking
Kenmore and Comrie both were quaking !
Their inmates fled with maniac capers,
And put an earthquake in the papers.

Then there were trouts went scudding by,
Viewing bold Russ with jealous eye ;
And gaping pike that made him shudder ;
And salmon with the silver rudder ;
Charr busied in profound researches,
And eels, and hurkle-backed perches.
Ha ! how sly Russell's- heart was beating
To have them catched and fried for eating ;
For little knew he what was doing,
Or how they fared, where he was going.

Again they left the beams of day,
And downward on their devious way
They bored along, through mines of brimstone,
Of copper, and of glorious limestone,
So calculated for manure
Through all the Merse and Lammermuir.
But all the way our bold bog-trotter
Met no one but a gloomy otter.
That in these hollow caves his birth takes,
And shakes his ears, and raises earthquakes ;
And that vile otter many a year
Has kept those quaking bounds in fear.

At length Russ heard some humming noises,
Far onward, like a thousand voices ;
And as he near and nearer drew,
The voices loud and louder grew ;
And, as he thought, they all were snarling,
Ranting and roaring, drinking, quarrelling :
" Come then," thinks Russ, " that's not amiss ;
I like a stirring place like this."

With that Dame Venus oped a door,
And straight there issued such a roar
Of howls, and moans, and voices mingled,
That Russell's ears they jarred and jingled.

He started, and inquired what this was ?
Said he, " 'Tis sure a Berwick Christmas,
At which the motley countless throng
Sing all at once, each his own song ;
And when they talk, 'tis such a blether !
They speak so loud, and all together."

But here my second stroke I'll draw,
Before I tell what Russel saw ;
For it must strike each one's conception,
That of that place the full description,
Where are so many volunteer folk,
With crabbed, quizzical, and queer folk,
Rude, railing, recreant, and wrong folk,
Must take a whole book and a long book.

My Muse, so full of mirthful moods,
Delights in lengthened interludes ;
But ere she can review the legions
Throughout the red infernal regions,
'Twill make her sigh and look about her,
And hasten back to John the Sutor,
With whom I promise you some fun,
And precept too, ere all be done.