Theodric and other poems Author:Thomas Campbell 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: .... .. ; ; . ' . . c.' LINES ON RECEIVING A SEAL WITH THE CAMPBELL CHEST, FROM K. M , BEFORE HER MARRIAGE. This wax returns not back more fair Tli' im... more »pression of the gift you send, Than stamp'd upon my thoughts I bear The image of your worth, my friend !— We are not friends of yesterday;— But poet's fancies are a little Disposed to heat and cool, (they say,)— By turns impressible and brittle. Well! should its frailty e'er condemn My heart to prize or please you less, Your type is still the sealing gem, And mine the waxen brittleness. What transcripts of my weal and woe This little signet yet may lock,— What utt'rances to friend or foe, In reason's calm or passion's shock ! What scenes of life's yet curtain'd page May own its confidential die, Whose stamp awaits th' unwritten page, And feelings of futurity !— Yet wheresoe'er my pen I lift To date th' epistolary sheet, The blest occasion of the gift Shall make its recollection sweet; Sent when the star that rules your fates Hath reach'd its influence most benign— When every heart congratulates, And none more cordially than mine. So speed my song—mark'd with the crest That erst th' advent'rous Norman wore, Who won the Lady of the West, The daughter of Macaillain Mor. A Norman leader, in the service of the king of Scotland, married the heiress of Lochow in the twelfth century, and from him the Campbells are sprang. Crest of my sires! whose blood it seal'd With glory in the strife of swords, Ne'er may the scroll that bears it yield Degenerate thoughts or faithless words! Yet little might I prize the stone, If it hut typ'd the feudal tree From whence, a scatter'd leaf, I 'm blown In Fortune's mutability. No!—but it tells me of a heart, Alli...« less