Time Blank Verse

PAPA whats time a figure or a sense
Tis one but not the other. Is not time

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A figure. Yes it is for on the tops of shops
We often see a figure with two wings
A scythe upon one shoulder and a lock

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Of hair upon his forehead while his head is bald
Except the lock upon his forehead and called time
Times very quick and therefore he has wings
When past times gone for ever so he has a lock
Of hair upon his forehead and the proverb is

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Take time by his forelock he mows down every thing
And so he has a scythe time is so quick
That might a year be called a day
Day now I think of it ʼtis newyearsday 1

2

8

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A happy new years day to you papa

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And now I must return to time
Is time only a figure no he is not
What is he then what is he I dont know
Heʼs not a quality of that Iʼm sure
Oh I remember now he is a god

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Entitled Saturn heʼs a heathen god
And well he might be called one none but they
Could go so quick or jump from tween our hands
As time does, 2 time Iʼm quite away from him
Away from him no surely Iʼm not so

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For Iʼm at heathen gods and heʼs a god
So though I may be from him Iʼm not far
From him and now I must go to him quite
Tis but an hour to merry Newyearsday 3
For though it is a‐day a‐dayʼs an hour

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And whatʼs an hour ʼtis only a wee minute
Made so by the quick course of time
So mr time as Iʼve said all about you
All Iʼve to say I must take leave of you

The Ship

Look at that ship

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Her flying streamer and her mountain sides
Her towering mast and filling sails with drops
Of water hanging to her high buil

d

t

side 4
Glittering like diamonds dangling in the sun
Yet soon it lessens lessens more and more

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Till to a speck reduced it vanishes complete
And to the dangers of the sea exposed
The sailors look with horror at the waves
Then through the clouds the sun shoots forthhis beams
The clouds disperse and bright blue sky

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comes forth.
The waters sparkle and at distance seen the specks
Of other vessels swimming on the expanse
of ocean. some of them do disappear complete
While others largen coming nearer near
Then gliding off each take a different course

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And disappear again. When shore afar is seen

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And on the vessel drives when landing safe
she rides at anchor floating on the waves
At length the anchor pulled she drives away
And passes on a loud explosion heard

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The air around them darkened with the smoke
And steam a steamboat then had burst
While from among the smoke the vessel quicklygoes
And gladly spies homes cliffs and home shegoes.

ragland castle

O a ragland beauty as you

×

are 6

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ruined arches towers and views
not ruined views but fine ones
your gothic arches and your falling towers.
with keystones moats and drawbridges 7
your mice‐house moss and burnt up grass 8

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for mice to pull and line their falling dwellings
your spiral towers 9 and holes for mice to live in
your dungeons splits 10 and drawbridges
battlements courts and lodges
so ragland as I have described you

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I must take leave of you

lochleven

Lochleven is your castle there 11
when tis so long when cried aloud
was boat is near when queen of scots
stepped in the boat and rowed from

sh ar

shore 12

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when waves were gliding
oars were sliding

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oer the wide expanse of you
now fish and waves are gliding
and fishing boats are sliding

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but before twas all as quiet
as the day
when we may say
not a leaf is stirring now

nature

thy waving boughs thy

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falling leaves
and the swallow on the eaves
twittering and the tempests blow
with the rippling waters flow

spring blank verse

What beauties 13 spring thou hastthe waving lilac
and the stiff tall peach with roselike

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flowers
with yellow corchorus 14 and with nectronblossom 15
some with grace wave and somethough tall are stiff

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waving is lilac so is yellow corchorus
waving is cherry blossom though notso graceful
as the spiry lilac and the hya

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cinth
stiff is the pear and nectron withthe peach
and apricot all these are stiff butin return
Their flowers are beautiful Soare birds and beasts
As well as flowers Some arewild and cruel
Such is 16 the tiger panther lynx

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and ounce
So also in return these animals
Are pretty in the other sort the best 17
Some dogʼs 18 are ugly but conceal within
Some godd 19 intentions good ideas goodthoughts
But spring there is one

tree

that thou

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bringʼst forth

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That is more beautiful than allthe others
This is the apple blossom. 20 O howsweet
Is that fine tree and so I end

Wales

That rock with wavingwillows on its side
that hill with beauteous

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forests on its top
That stream that with its ripplingwaves doth glide
and oh what beauties has thatmountain got 21
That rock stands high
against, 22 the sky
those trees stand firm upon

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the rock
and seem as if they alldid lock

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into each other. 23 tall they stand
towering above the whitened land

The hill of kinnoul

First winding round the base ofthat smooth rock
Flows the glass tay not always

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quite so smooth
as that clear substance. from thesurface rises
a steep rock and towering oerits head
appear the high topped treesabove below
green natures colour standsupon the rock
and high above thy head

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appears the green of trees
walk on the top of that rock andlook down
from thence upon the tay theprecipice

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tween thee and it doth make theegiddy
it is so high that fromit seen the tay
appears like a little rivulet among

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the hills
dwindling into nothing mongthe distant mountains

glen of glenfarg

GLen of glenfarg thy beaut

ifu

eo

us

[rill

Streaming through thy mountainshigh
onward pressing onward still
hardly seeing the blue sky

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Mountain streams press onyour way
and run into the streambelow
never stop like idle clay
hear the sheep and cattle low

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Stones that in the stream

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do lie
bear the rushing torrent still
thou shalt never never die
submit unto the almightys will

Cows that lie upon the grass
rise and graze upon the hills

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never be a heavy mass
like a stone thats in the rills

Sheep that eat upon the hills
rise and play and jump about
drink out of the running rills

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and always on the grass be out

Cottages upon the plain
placed so near the floury mills
cottager look on charlesʼs wain 24
right above the grassy hills

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Sep^t. 1826 25

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The pole star guides theeon thy way
when in dark nights thou art
therefore look up at the starryday
look at the stars about theetost

The sea

Flow on thou calm sea bear the ships to their

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ports
man of war 26 smack 27 or sloop 28 all the differentsorts
do not throw them on rocks do not send them onhigh
or make them upon the high precipice lie
no profit to thee doth this havoc produce
while to men this great treasureʼs of

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infinite use
for money is generally aboard thesefine ships
that go over the ocean into whichtheir flag dips b

The storm

See the collecting clouds upon the hill
See the collecting roughness of the rill
Hark to the wind it howls among the
trees

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And the high rising wind the pigs

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do see
See from the skies the shower of
pelting snow
And hear how much the sheep and cattle
low
From the dark cloud a flash of lightning
plays
And down upon the ground a woman
lies

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Struck by the lightnings flash the
thunder follows fast
With fury from the skies the light
bad nings cast c

See how from yonder hills the cloudscollect
And see how dark and dreary they dolook
Promising hail and snow the birds

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retire
Into their nests and chirp and scream
Prophesying the coming storm downpours the snow
Covering the hedges and thehouses tops

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Loud howls the wind andwhistling roots up many a tree
The sheep bleat loudly and the

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careful dog
Collecting them in a flock conductsthem home
Then when the storm is overfrom the clouds
Peeps forth the sun and shiningon the snow
Gives it that dazzling whitenessto the eye
In which its principle beauty

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doth consist
And so in beginning anotherline I end