The Raid of Albyn A Historic Poem Author:Donald Campbell General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1854 Original Publisher: W. Mackenzie Subjects: Highlands (Scotland) Fiction / Romance / Historical History / General History / Europe / Great Britain Travel / Europe / Great Britain Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustration... more »s and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CANTO I. AGED BARD. When from the stagnant chaos of repose, Earth, sea, and heaven, one blaze of light, uprose, The all-creating hand that called them forth, Reared for the Gael his mountains of the North. Successive hosts -- in number like the sands -- In after ages poured from eastern lands; But Albyn guarded well the trust then given -- Unconquered still, her mountains rise to heaven.1 Fair are thy hills, my country, when the heath Around thy rocks fantastic garlands wreathe; When foxglove, fairy bell, and graceful fern, Conjure to gardens gay thy landscape stern! Giving to rugged mountains features kind, As if dame Nature had recalled to mind, How cold and bare a birthright had been ours, And fain would hide it with a veil of flowers. Within those scenes, while yet the earth was new, Progressive Time developed to the view, Amid the darkness of surrounding night, A lofty race emerging into light. Though nursed in tempests, and by fate denied The bounteous stores more genial climes supplied, Nature to Albyn's early sires proved kind, And formed them great in person as in mind. Thus, though the barren rocks and sterile soil, But scanty harvests yielded to their toil, Deeming that earth is subject to man's will, Their patient strength wrung treasures from the hill. The peaceful arts sought refuge in our land, When nations groaned 'neath War's accursed hand, And...« less