Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 5, 1897

THE CELTIC MONTHLY.
189
The river brawls and tiimWes in a wild and
savage manner over boulders and stones of
various sizes, and he is lucky who gets across
without having a wet seat on the way. But
the worst is now passed and we trudge upwards
some miles over a bare heathery moor till we
reach the fall. We are conducted to a ledge
about half way up, whence, above us we see the
water in its first clear leap, and then we look
down upon it where it roars in the more level
ground below. In this remote place, with
solitude and stillness around, we have ample
leisure and opportunity to view from many
points this truly beautiful and sublime natural
scene. We feel that we are well repaid for our
pilgrimage. To return we continue inland and
across the deer forest of Kintail, ceaiin t-mil, the
head of two seas, Duich and Alsh, with the
majestic Ben Attow in front. But we take
down liy the right to the side of Loch Duich,
where we gain the highway and pass Inverinate
and get a fine view of Eilean Donan Castle,
tinally reaching Dornie again after a walk of
about seventeen miles.
Glenilevon. K- MaTHIESON, Ju.\.
VICTORIA.
1837—1897.
' I will be good,'
She said, while yet she stood
A Princess at the portico of time,
In age a maid,
At heart a monarch staid.
Strong in her innocence and faith sublime ;
Upon whose infant brows, already blest,
The shadow of a Crown had come to rest.
Then see arise
A (|'»KH, with tear-dimmed eyes.
And heart uplifted to a Higher Throne.
Sceptre and globe
And Sovereignty's vast robe
Forgot ; as Heaven's grace she seeks alone.
To bear unscathed that emblem of her reign,
' Diau bt mon Droit ' o'er danger's trackless main.
A'ictoria !
The yeai's have passed away
Since first thy timid foot set out to sea,
Thro' peace and war.
With many a honoured scar.
Thy hand hath steered thy golden argosy,
And proved that still Britannia rules the waves,
That Britons never, ne\'er shall be slaves !
Queen of the sea 1
Thy Diamond Jubilee
Doth bind us by an anchor Hope hath cast,
And would alarm
Of alien's break its calm.
We know thou'lt ride the storm unto the last,
For thou hast learnt thy Queenship from above,
And taught us what it is to xvait and luce.
Yea ! thou hast been
So good, O ! glorious Queen !
That nations needs must watch with reverent awe,
Thy ripening years.
Hallowed by sorrow's tears,
Ricfi with that love of all thy hfe the law,
. . . Then take this guerdon for thy widowed
heart,
Thy people's mother thou hast been and art.
M.ivoR Allan.
THE SIREN,
^Heine's " Lorelei," TR.4N.sL.\TEn by
K. D. Mackenzie.)
ftSiJO^HY tills my heart with sad, sad tears >
^f'MM' ^ ^^^' '""' ^^^^ '" vain,
My thought is drawn to far off years
And held by legend's chain.
Mid zephyrs cool, the soft twilight
Floats o'er the flowing Rhine,
The hills high peaks still sparkle bright
In evening's glad sunshine.
And there on high, a maid behold,
A maid most wondrous fair.
With jewels decked of shining gold.
And glorious golden hair.
She combs it with a comb of gold,
And sings a song, the time
A haunting strain of power untold,
A mystic air and rhyme.
The boatman in his shallow ski ft'
Is seized with boding sigh.
He heeds not sign of deadly reef.
His gaze is fixed on high.
And now the waves with sudden throng
O'erwhelm both man and boat,
Alas ! the siren's gift of song,
Her fatal luring note.
We are glad to learn that the martial spirit of
the Reay Countrymen is reviving. The Durness-
men have petitioned the War Office to raise a
company of volunteers, and over seventy stalwart
young men have ottered to enlist. Melness,
Tongue, Farr, Strathy, and Halladale will doubtless
foUow suit, and j^roduce an intelligent body of men
unsurpassed in height and physicpie in the kingdom.
It has been decided that the Inverness Town
Hall janitor is to wear the kilt. Oban must
waken up a bit.
We regret to intimate the death of Mr. George
Carter, a leading member of the Glasgow Ca.ithness
Association, and the author of asmall volume of poems.
" Eminent Arbrothians," by J. M. M'Bain,
Arbroath. (Brodie & Salraond). This most in-
teresting work has just been published. Its purpose
is to present the life story of the distinguished
Arbroathians who have made their names famous
in history during the past seven centuries. The
volume is handsomely illustrated.