Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Harp of Renfrewshire

VII.
The work is not under his own control, as the old weaver's was.
His eye must not wander from the task before him — he must at-
tend unceasingly, for the steam engine will not wait upon his
thoughts, or the power loom suspend its action at his caU. All
this tends to supply the world's markets, but it dries
up the poet's heart, and therefore we need not wonder
if from among those two classes of workers who have con-
tributed so many poems to the world, fewer versifiers arise.
The number of volumes of poetry is by no means diminished, but
verses are written now by men of a different stamp from the old
worthies whose productions form so large a portion of this volume.
The pieces that make up the work have been gathered from
many sources — from books and manuscripts, from works well
known, and from others that are of great variety. Thanks are
due and are gratefully accorded to publishers who have given per-
mission to make extracts from copyright works, and many gentle-
men who have furnished books and manuscripts for the selections.
Among these Robert Brown, Esq., of Underwood Park, has been es-
pecially kind, contributing fromhis library, which is very complete
in local publications, many scarce and curious volumes by which
the work has been enriched. Copious as the selections are, only
a small part of available material has been employed. To give
specimens of all Renfrewshire poets would need not one but
twenty volumes.