431.the rose-bud that graces yon islands.To whom do the singers metaphorically refer?
497.Percy's Norman pennon.Captured by the Douglas in the raid which led to the battle of Otterburn, as celebrated in the old ballad of Chevy Chase. (Sprague.)
504.The waned crescent.This may be taken as referring to some victory over the Turkish armies in the East,or to the defeat of Scott's ancestor, Sir Walter Scott of Buccleugh, who was defeated in an attempt to set the young king free from the Douglas. The shield of Sir Walter bore a crescent moon.
506.Blantyre.A priory on the banks of the Clyde near Bothwell castle, of which ruins still remain.
574.Glenfinlas.A valley to the northeast of Loch Katrine, between Ben-An and Ben-Ledi.
577.royal ward.Malcolm, as a minor, was still under the king's guardianship.
583.Strath-Endrick glen.A valley on the southeast of Loch Lomond, presumably Malcolm's home.
623–625.The Meggat, theYarrow, and theEttrickare successive tributaries, the waters of which eventually reach the Tweed. The Teviot is also a tributary of the Tweed. All five rivers are in the southern part of Scotland.
678.Links of Forth.Banks of the river Forth. In general the word "links" means flat or undulating stretches of sandy soil, partially covered with grass or heather.
692.There are who have.How does this differ from the prose idiom?
801.pity 'twere such cheek should feel the midnight air.Was there anything in the Highland character and training which would make these words seem particularly cutting? Notice how the insult is deepened later by the assumption on Rhoderick Dhu's part that Malcolm is capable of treachery toward Douglas and the Clan of Alpine.
809.henchman.This word is said to have been originally "haunch-man" because it was the duty of this retainer to stand beside his master's chair (at his haunches as it were) at the feast, in readiness to do his bidding or to defend him if attacked.
831.Fiery Cross.The signal for the gathering of the clan to war. The preparation and carrying abroad of this cross is described in the next canto.
39.cushat dove.Better known as the ringdove.
63.shivers."Slivers" is the more common word, but the verb "to shiver," meaning to break in pieces, keeps the original meaning.
74.Benharrow.This mountain is near the north end of Loch Lomond.
87.strath.A wide open valley, distinguished from a glen, which is narrow.
104.fieldfare.A species of thrush.
116.virgin snood.See note to I,363.
154.River Demon.Concerning this creature Scott gives the current observation: "The River Demon, or River-horse, is an evil spirit, delighting to forebode and witness calamity. He frequents most Highland lakes and rivers; and one of his most memorable exploits was performed upon the banks of Loch Vennachar: it consisted in the destruction of a bridal party with all its attendants."
156.noontide hag.A gigantic emaciated female figure which, contrary to the general rule of ghostly creatures, appeared in the full blaze of noon.
168.Ben-Shie's boding scream.The ben-shie or banshee was a tutelar spirit, supposed to forebode by midnight howlings the death of a member of a family to which it was attached. The superstition is still prevalent in Ireland.
191.Inch-Cailliach.An island in Loch Lomond, used as a place of burial for several neighboring clans, of whom the descendants of King Alpine were the chief. The name means "Isle of Nuns," or "Isle of Old Women."
Stanza IX. Notice the change in the rime system which marks the break from flowing narrative to solemn dramatic speech, and is continued through the stanza to increase the effect of solemnity.
253.Coir-Uriskin, thy goblin cave.This cave and the pass of Beala-nam-bo were on the slopes of Ben Venue, a mountain near Loch Katrine. See notes to622and664.
286.Lanrick mead.This meadow is still pointed out to the traveler on the road from Loch Vennachar to the Trossachs.
300.dun deer's hide.It was their shoes made of untanned deer's hide, with the hair outwards, which gave the Highlander's their nickname, "Red-shanks."
349.Duncraggan.A village between Loch Achray and Loch Vennachar.
369.coronach.Death-song.
386.correi.Scott explains this as "the hollow side of the hill, where game usually lies."
387.cumber.Trouble, perplexity.
394.Stumah.The name of a dog, signifying "faithful."
461.chapel of St. Bride.This chapel stood on the knoll of Strath-Ire, mentioned at the beginning of the stanza, halfway up the pass of Leny. Scott is singularly careful not to take liberties with the geography of the localities where his story is laid.
468.pole-ax.An old weapon consisting of a broad ax-head fastened to a long pole, with a prick at the back.
480.Tombea's Mary.Tombea and Armandave are names of places in the vicinity of Strath-Ire.
546.bracken.Fern.
570.Balquidder.The braes of Balquidder extended west from Loch Voil, to the northward of the scene of the poem.midnight blaze.The heather on the moorlands is often set on fire by the shepherds in order that new herbage may spring up.
578.Loch Voil, etc. This and the following names are of poetic value in suggesting tangibly the rapid passage of the runner from place to place.
622.Coir-nan-Uriskin.Scott says that this name, signifying "Den of the Shaggy Men," was derived from the mythical inhabitants of the place, creatures half man and half goat, resembling the satyrs of classical mythology.
641.still, stillness. Can you instance other cases of the use of adjective for noun?
656.satyrs.See note to622.
664.Beal-nam-bo.The name signifies "Pass of cattle." It is described as a "most magnificent glade, overhung with aged birch-trees, a little higher up the mountains than the Coir-nan-Uriskin."
672.A single page, to bear his sword.The sword bearer, like the henchman and the bard, was a regular officer attached to the person of a Highland Chief. He was called in Gaelic "Gilliemore," or sword-man.
19.Braes of Doune.Doune is a village on the Teith, a few miles northwest of Stirling. The word "brae" means slope or declivity; the braes of Doune stretch away east and north from the village.
36.boune.An obsolete word meaning "prepared."
63.Taghairm.The word means "Augury of the Hide."
68.When swept our merrymen Gallangad.The reference is to one of the forays or "cattledrives" which the Highland chiefs were fond of making at the expense of their neighbors. The situation of Gallangad is now unknown, but it was presumably a portion of the Lennox district.
73.kerns.The kern or cateran of the Highlands was a light-armed infantryman, as opposed to the heavy-armed "gallowglass."
78.scatheless.Without fear of injury, because of the weariness of the animal after the march.
82.boss.The word means knob or protuberance, especially that in the center of a shield. What the boss of a cliff can be it is a little difficult to understand.
98.watching while the deer is broke.The cutting up of the deer and allotting of the various portions was technically known as the "breaking" of the deer. A certain gristly portion was given, by long custom, to the birds, and came to be known as "the raven's bone."
140.A spy has sought my land.Roderick refers, as appears later, to the "Knight of Snowdoun" of Canto I.
150.glaive, sword.
153.sable pale.An heraldic term, applied to a black perpendicular stripe in a coat of arms.
174.stance, station, foundation.
231.Cambus-kenneth's fane.The ruins of Cambus-kenneth Abbey are still to be seen on the banks of the Forth near Stirling.
262.mavis and merle, thrush and blackbird.
283.darkling was the battle tried.Scott first wrote "blindfold" in place of "darkling."
285.pall.A rich cloth, from which mantles of noblemen were made.Vair.A fur much used for the garments of nobility in medieval times.
298.wonn'd, an obsolete equivalent of "dwelt."
306.fairies' fatal green.The elves or gnomes wore green, and were angered when any mortal ventured to wear that color. For this or some other reason green was held an unlucky color in many parts of Scotland.
308.thou wert christened man.Urgan, as appears later, was a mortal, who had fallen under the spell of the elves and lived their life, but who still retained some of the privileges and immunities which belonged, according tomedieval belief, to all persons who had been baptized into the Christian church.
371.Dunfermline.An Abbey sixteen miles northwest of Edinburgh.
385.my former guide.This is Red Murdoch, of whom Roderick Dhu speaks, see144ff.
531. TheAllanand theDevanare two streams which descend from the hills of Perthshire into the lowland plain.
555.from Maudlin's charge.Maudlin, as a proper name, is a corruption of Magdalen. The curious development of meaning which has taken place in the word should be looked out in the dictionary.
559.peasant pitched a bar."Pitching the bar" was a feat of strength like the modern "putting the shot." It was usually indulged in by the peasantry at fairs and on the village greens.
564.that savage groom.The mad woman refers to Red Murdoch, the guide.
594.a stag of ten.With ten branches on his antlers.
46.shingles, declivities or "slides" of small broken stone.
124.While Albany with feeble hand.After the death of James IV at Flodden Field the regency was held first by the mother of the young king, and then by the Duke of Albany. The latter was forced by the Estates to leave Scotland in 1624, and soon after the regency fell practically, though, not constitutionally, into the hands of the king's step-father, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus. See introduction on the historical setting of the poem.
198.curlew.A shore-bird, with a long curved bill.
253.jack.A coat of mail made of leather or heavy padded cloth.
301.On Bochastle the moldering lines, etc.East of Lake Vennachar, in the moor of Bochastle, are some traces of the Roman occupation, in the form of mounds and intrenchments.
409.mountain-cat."Catamount" is the common name in America.
461.palfrey.A saddle-horse as distinguished from a war-horse.
465.weed, garment. The word is now restricted to the phrase "widow's weeds."
490–497.Torry,Lendrick,Deanstown,Doune,Blair-Drummond,Ochtertyre, andKier, are all on the Teith, between Bochastle and Sterling.
525.by Saint Serle.The necessities of rime compel the poet to choose a very obscure saint from the calendar.
532.postern gate, the small rear gate of a castle, generally used by the servants only.
584.jennet.A small Spanish horse, originally a cross between native and Arabian stock.
611.morricers, morrice dancers. The morrice or morris was an old dance, imported into England from Spain. Believed to be a corruption of "Moorish."
613.butts, the targets for archery practice.
614.Bold Robin Hood and all his band.It is of course not meant that the renowned outlaw himself and his followers were there, but masqueraders representing these traditional characters. All the names that follow occur in one or other of the legends and ballads which gathered about Robin Hood's name.
622.the white, i.e., the white center of the target.
660.Ladies Rock.A hillock between the Castle and Grayfriar's church, from which the court ladies viewed the games.
872.lily lawn.A conventional phrase in old ballad poetry, without any very definite meaning.
42.harness, armor and other war gear.
60.halberd, a weapon consisting of a battle-ax and pike at the end of a long staff.brand, a poetical word for sword.
92.black-jack, a large drinking can of tarred or waxed leather.
95.Drink upsees out."Upsees" is a corruption of a Dutch Bacchanalian interjection.
103.cure.Parish or charge.placket.Petticoat.
104.lurch, swindle, leave in difficulty.
306.prore, poetical form of "prow."
377.erne, eagle.
Stanza XVII. Notice how both rime and rhythm mirror the growing excitement of the conflict.
452.As their Tinchel cows the game.The "Tinchel" was a circle of hunters, surrounding a herd of deer and gradually closing in on them.
488.linn, the word here means waterfall.
586.Bothwell's lord, Douglas. See note to II, xiii,141.
591.How Roderick brooked his minstrelsy."Brooked" is not used in its strong sense of "endured," but in the weaker one of "received"; we should say colloquially "how he took it."
(Adapted, and enlarged, from theManual for the Study of English Classics, by George L. Marsh)
What prominent traits of Scott's character can be traced to his ancestors (pp.9,10)?
How did he regard the members of his clan, especially the chief (pp.19,20)?
What characteristic is represented in his refusal to learn Latin and Greek at school?
What was his own method of obtaining an education? In what did he become proficient (p.12)?
How did he regard his legal studies? How did they benefit him in his later work?
How was he first interested in ballad-writing?
Tell of the composition, publication, and popularity of his first poems (pp.20ff.).
In what business venture did he become involved, and what was the final outcome? What defect in his character is it charged that his business relations brought to light (pp.24,25)?
Tell of the composition of his novels. Why were they published incognito?
What can you say of his last years and his struggle to pay off the debts incurred by his connection with Ballantyne?
What is meant by the "Romantic Movement"? What four men were chiefly instrumental in bringing about this revolution in English poetry (p.40)?
What was the influence of Scott's poetry on the age in comparison with that of his chief contemporaries? Give the reasons (p.41).
What were the distinguishing qualities of the literature of the eighteenth century? Illustrate these by examples from Pope or any other poet that you choose from that period, and put them into contrast with the qualities of the romantic poets. Does Scott's style differ greatly from that of the poets of the preceding century?
Is there anything that has taken place before the opening of the poem that has to be understood for a thorough appreciation of the story (p.46)? How are the previous fortunes of the Douglas family related (pp.96–98)?
What purpose in the plot does the Minstrel serve throughout?
What do you think of the opening?
Does the chase serve merely to furnish an opportunity for the description?
Is the action rapid or slow? How is it often retarded?
For what are the songs introduced?
Note the transition from stanza X to XI (p.66); from XVI to XVII (p.71); from XXIV to XXV (p.144); and many others.
How many cases of concealed identity are there in the poem? Does this turning of the plot on mistaken identity make it seem unreal? Show in each case where the identity is exposed and where hints have been given beforehand of the real identity.
Is there any intimation of the identity of Ellen and her father in lines565–7, page81; lines728–39, page87?
What is the purpose of Fitz-James's dream (p.86)?
What is the first hint of Ellen's love story and the name of her lover (pp.74,92)?
When is Roderick Dhu first mentioned (p.96)? In what light?
Where are the relations of Ellen with Roderick and with Malcolm further discussed (p.98)?
To whom is the reference in lines732–34, page116?
What action does the struggle between Roderick and Malcolm motive?
How does Canto Third advance the plot? What is its poetical value (p.56)?
What purpose does Brian serve?
Does the prophecy (p.157) heighten the dramatic effect of the following scene (see p.196)?
For what are lines138–47, page157, a preparation (p.168)?
What is the purpose of the Ballad of Alice Brand (pp.162ff.)?
What other results of Scott's early interest in ballad literature can you point out inThe Lady of the Lake?
Does the warning of James by the song of mad Blanche seem improbable?
What is the purpose of the long speeches between James and Roderick in the dramatic scene following Roderick's calling of his men?
Does the combat between James and Roderick (pp.198,199) seem a real fight?
Why was Roderick preserved to die in the castle at Stirling?
Are lines519–30, page203, an artistic preparation for the following scene?
How do the games in the Castle park hasten the plot to its end?
How is the fight between Clan-Alpine and the Earl of Mar described?
How much of the action takes place outside the poem and is related?
Note the use of the supernatural (p.239). Does it seem impressive?
Is the conclusion sustained and dramatic?
Are the nature descriptions given for scenic effect, or do they serve as a background and setting for the story?
Does Scott employ incidents of plot for the sake of dragging in descriptions?
Which is the best in the poem: nature description, plot construction, character, description, or the portrayal of old life and customs?
Is the descriptive language suggestive?
Are the landscape scenes given minutely, or are they drawn broadly, with a free hand?
Does Scott keep closely to the geography of the region of his tale (see map, p.6, and note461, p.259)?
Perry Pictures 912–17 (from Landseer's paintings of deer) and 1511 (Ben Lomond) may be used in illustration ofThe Lady of the Lake.
Are the characters distinctly drawn—do they seem real people of flesh and blood?
How is Ellen's character displayed?
Do you feel any sympathy for Roderick Dhu? Does your impression of his character improve (pp.96,98,99,182,188,195, and241)?
Was Douglas an historical character?
Is the character of James Fitz-James true to James V of Scotland?
Is Allan-bane representative of the place in the ancient Scottish clan which the minstrel had?
1. Scott's boyhood (with emphasis on the cultivation of characteristics displayed in his poems; pp.10–12).
2. Scott as a landed proprietor (pp.27–33). This may well take the form of an imaginary visit to Abbotsford.
3. Scott in business (pp.23–25,34–36). Compare his struggle against debt with Mark Twain's.
4. The historical setting ofThe Lady of the Lake(pp.46–48).
5. A visit to the scene ofThe Lady of the Lake.
6. Summary of the action; as a whole, or by parts (cantos or other logical divisions).
7. Character sketches of Fitz-James, Roderick Dhu, Ellen, Malcolm, Douglas.
8. Highland customs reflected in the poem (pp.129ff.,253,254, etc.).
9. The use of the Minstrel in the poem.
10. The interpolated lyrics—what purposes do they, respectively, serve?
11. Descriptions of scenes resembling, in one way or another, attractive scenes depicted inThe Lady of the Lake.
12. Soldier life in Stirling Castle (pp.219ff.).
13. Contrast feudal warfare (especially as shown on pp.81,182) with modern warfare.
14. Show, by selected passages, Scott's veneration for the ideals of feudalism (pp.81,228, etc.).
15. Rewrite the scene of the combat between Roderick and Fitz-James (pp.198–200) in the prose style of Scott as in the tournament scene inIvanhoe.
1. The chase (pp.60–65).
2. The Trossachs (pp.66–68).
3. Ellen (pp.72–74).
4. Ellen's song (pp.83–85).
5. Roderick's arrival (pp.100–105).
6. Roderick's proposal (pp.113–118).
7. The consecration of the bloody cross (pp.128–132).
8. The summoning of the clan (pp.132–135).
9. The Coronach (pp.136,137).
10. Roderick overhears Ellen's song (pp.148–149).
11. The ballad of Alice Brand (pp.162–167).
12. Fitz-James and the mad woman (pp.172–178).
13. The hospitality of a Highlander (pp.180–183).
14. The hidden army (pp.191–192).
15. The combat (pp.195–200).
16. Douglas at the games (pp.207–211).
17. The speech of Douglas (pp.212,213).
18. The Battle of Beal' an Duine (pp.232–240).
19. Fitz-James reveals himself to Ellen (pp.244–249).
It is important for the student of poetry to know the principal classes into which poems are divided. The following brief explanations do not pretend to be exhaustive, but they should be of practical aid. It must be remembered that a long poem is sometimes not very definitely of any one class, but combines characteristics of different classes.
Narrativepoetry, like narrative prose, aims primarily to tell a story.
Theepicis the most pretentious kind of narrative poetry; it tells in serious verse of the great deeds of a popular hero. TheIliad, theAeneid,Beowulf,Paradise Lostare important epics. TheIdylls of the Kingis in the main an epic poem.
Themetrical romanceis a rather long story in verse, of a less exalted and heroic character than the true epic. Scott'sLady of the Lakeis a familiar example.
Theverse taleis shorter and likely to be less dignified and serious than the metrical romance. The stories in Chaucer'sCanterbury Tales, or Burns'sTam O'Shanter, may serve as examples.
Theballadis a narrative poem, usually rather short and in such form as to be sung. It is distinguished from a song by the fact that it tells a story.Popularorfolkballads are ancient and of unknown authorship—handed down by word of mouth and varied by the transmitters.Artisticballads are imitations, by known poets, of traditional ballads.
Descriptiveandreflectivepoems have characteristics sufficiently indicated by the adjectives in italics.
Thepastoralis a particular kind of descriptive and narrative poem in which the scene is laid in the country.
Theidyllis, according to the etymology of its name, a "little picture." Tennyson'sIdylls of the Kingare rather more epic than idyllic in the strict sense of the term. The termsidyllandpastoralare not definitely discriminated.
Lyricpoetry is poetry expressing personal feeling or emotion and in tuneful form.Songsare the simplest examples of lyric poetry; formalodes, such as Wordsworth's on "Immortality," the most elaborate. A lyric does not primarily tell a story, but it may imply one or refer to one.
Theelegyis a reflective lyric prompted by the death of some one. Tennyson'sIn Memoriamis a collection of elegiac lyrics.
Ahymnis a religious lyric.
Dramaticpoetry presents human life in speech and action.
Atragedyis a serious drama which presents its hero in a losing struggle ending in his death.
Acomedydoes not end in death, and is usually cheerful and humorous.
Thedramatic monologueis a poem in which a dramatic situation is presented, or perhaps a story is told, by one speaker.
Satirein verse aims to correct abuses, to ridicule persons, etc.
Didacticpoetry has the purpose of teaching.