书城外语澳大利亚学生文学读本(第5册)
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第55章 LORD ULLIN"S DAUGHTER

A chieftain, to the Highlands bound, Cries, " Boatman, do not tarry,And I"ll give thee a silver pound To row us o"er the ferry. ""Now, who be ye would cross Loch Gyle, This dark and stormy water? ""Oh, I"m the chief of Ulva"s Isle, And this, Lord Ullin"s daughter.

"And, fast before her father"s men, Three days we"ve fled together,For, should he find us in the glen, My blood would stain the heather.

"His horsemen hard behind us ride; Should they our steps discover,Then who will cheer my bonnie bride When they have slain her lover? "Out spoke the hardy Highland wight,

"I"ll go, my chief, I"m ready; It is not for your silver bright,But for your winsome lady :

"And, by my word ! the bonnie bird, In danger shall not tarry;So, though the waves are raging white, I"ll row you o"er the ferry. "By this the storm grew loud apace, The water-wraith was shrieking,And, in the scowl of heaven, each face Grew dark as they were speaking.

"I"ll row you o"er the ferry. "

But still, as wilder blew the wind, And as the night grew drearer, Adown the glen rode armèd men;Their trampling sounded nearer.

"Oh, haste thee, haste ! " the lady cries; " Though tempests round us gather,I"ll meet the raging of the skies, But not an angry father. "The boat has left a stormy land, A stormy sea before her,-When, oh! too strong for human hand, The tempest gathered o"er her.

And still they rowed amidst the roar, Of waters fast prevailing;Lord Ullin reached that fatal shore,- His wrath was changed to wailing.

For, sore dismayed, through storm and shade, His child he did discover;One lovely hand she stretched for aid, And one was round her lover.

"Come back ! come back ! " he cried, in grief, "Across this stormy water,And I"ll forgive your Highland chief, My daughter ! O my daughter ! ""Twas vain : the loud waves lashed the shore, Return or aid preventing;The water wild went o"er his child, And he was left lamenting.

Thomas Campbell

Author.-Thomas Campbell (1777-1844) was a Scottish poet and a friend of Sir Walter Scott. His longest poem is The Pleasures of Hope, but he is better known by short lyrics, such as Ye Mariners of England and The Battle of the Baltic.

General.-Compare this story with that of Scott"s " Young Lochinvar." Which has the happy ending? What motives urged the boatman to risk his life? Are there many men of that stamp? Compare the water wraith with the banshee. Pity and terror are the tragic emotions; is this a tragic story? Now let the old father tell it.