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The Poetical Works of John Nicholson, the Airedale Poet
The Poetical Works of John Nicholson the Airedale Poet Author:John Nicholson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE LYRE OF EBOR. Let Northern Poets sing of Highland glens, Their rocky caverns, and their sombre dens; The heath-clad mountains, and their high cascades, Th... more »eir gurgling streams, and moonlight fairy shades ; Their rugged tow'ring rocks, grown grey with years, On whose rough front the bilberry bloom appears; Their ancient oaks, by Nature tumbled down, O'er whose huge trunks the mossy robe is thrown ; And scenes which triumph o'er description's power— All these are seen near Barden's ancient tower, Where peaceful, dwelt, some centuries ago, Those that durst meet in arms the Border foe. Or climb the hills, in ancient hawking skilled, And bear the bow with brazen quivers filled, Then send the arrow from the powerful string, That stopped the fleeting salmon's finny wing; Or, did the eagle soar above his head, A shaft flies swift—the soaring eagle's dead. Oft, when at eve, he wandered near the rocks, And on their shelves beheld the wily fox, Swift flew the arrow from the well-strung bow, And brought his victim to the vale below. In this romantic, wild, and hidden place, The sons of Craven oft enjoyed the chase; When Cliffords for a time hung by their arms, And lived secure amidst their valley's charms. The deer and fox they seldom then pursued, But monsters, that oft stained their tusks with blood, To which the traveller feared to fall a prey, And mothers wept for children borne away. A crimson robe o'er Sol's bright orb was spread, Which tinged the hills, and every mountain's head, When near the rural stables, formed of wood, With horses fleet, the humble vassals stood; Then the old horn, with long-forgotten sound, Sent forth its notes to all the woods around; The woods, as though they each possessed a horn, Gave softer tones, t' improve the jocund morn. The ancient Cliffor...« less