The Lover to His Lass
By Duncan Campbell Scott
Crown her with stars, this angel of our planet,
Cover her with morning, this thing of pure delight,
Mantle her with midnight till a mortal cannot
See her for the garments of the light and the night.
How far I wandered, worlds away and far away,
Heard a voice but knew it not in the clear cold,
Many a wide circle and many a wan star away,
Dwelling in the chambers where the worlds were growing old.
Saw them growing old and heard them falling
Like ripe fruit when a tree is in the wind;
Saw the seraphs gather them, their clarion voices calling
In rounds of cheering labour till the orchard floor was thinned.
Saw a whole universe turn to its setting,
Old and cold and weary, gray and cold as death,
But before mine eyes were veiled in forgetting,
Something always caught my soul and held its breath.
Caught it up and held it, now I know the reason;
Governed it and soothed it, now I know why;
Nurtured it and trained it and kept it for the season
When new worlds should blossom in the springtime sky.
How have they blossomed, see the sky is like a garden!
Ah! how fresh the worlds look hanging on the slope!
Pluck one and wear it, Love, and ask the Gardener's pardon,
Pluck out the Pleiads like a spray of heliotrope.
See Aldebaran like a red rose clamber,
See brave Betelgeux pranked with poppy light;
This young earth must float in floods of amber
Glowing with a crocus flame in the dells of night.
O you cannot cheat the soul of an inborn ambition,
'Tis a naked viewless thing living in its thought,
But it mounts through errors and by valleys of contrition
Till it conquers destiny and finds the thing it sought.
Crown her with stars, this angel of our planet,
Cover her with morning, this thing of pure delight,
Mantle her with midnight till a mortal cannot
See her for the garments of the light and the night.
Poem Analysis:
Duncan Campbell Scott, a Canadian poet and government official, weaves a celestial romance in his poem "The Lover to His Lass." This exquisite piece delves into themes of love, ambition, and the eternal beauty of the cosmos. Through vivid imagery and metaphorical richness, Scott paints a portrait of celestial splendor that parallels the depths of human emotion.
- Crowning the Beloved: The poem opens with a majestic call to crown the beloved with stars, symbolizing her celestial and transcendent qualities. This act of coronation elevates the lover's lass to angelic status, suggesting an otherworldly purity and radiance that sets her apart from the mundane.
- The Play of Light and Dark: Scott employs the interplay of light and dark, morning and midnight, to describe the beloved's ethereal beauty. The lover envisions his lass wrapped in the garments of both light and night, suggesting a harmonious fusion of opposites. This blending of elements reflects the complexity of human emotions and the multifaceted nature of love.
- Celestial Wanderings and Cosmic Observations: The lover embarks on a cosmic journey, wandering through distant worlds and witnessing the aging of universes. The poet's description of ripe fruit falling from trees and seraphs gathering them evokes a sense of cosmic harvest, reinforcing the cyclic nature of existence. Scott masterfully captures the vastness of the cosmos and the eons of time, creating a backdrop for the lover's cosmic reflections.
- The Gardener's Pardon and Earthly Plucking: The lover envisions plucking stars from the celestial garden, likening them to flowers such as heliotrope and roses. This act of plucking celestial bodies and wearing them symbolizes a desire to capture and possess the transcendent beauty of the beloved. The reference to seeking the Gardener's pardon adds a spiritual dimension, suggesting a humility in the face of cosmic wonders.
- Ambition and Destiny: Scott explores the theme of inborn ambition, describing the soul as a viewless thing with an innate drive for achievement. The lover's ambition transcends earthly boundaries, reaching for the conquest of destiny and the realization of sought-after dreams. The poem conveys a sense of determination and resilience in the face of life's challenges.
Duncan Campbell Scott's "The Lover to His Lass" is a celestial odyssey that merges the cosmic and the personal, the ethereal and the earthly. Through a tapestry of vivid images and metaphors, Scott paints a vision of love that transcends the temporal and reaches for the eternal. The poem serves as a testament to the enduring power of human ambition, the boundless beauty of the cosmos, and the timeless allure of love.