O, young Lochinvar is come out of the west,
Through all the wide Border his steed was the best;
And save his good broadsword, he weapons had none,
He rode all unarm'd, and he rode all alone.
So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war,
There never was knight like the young Lochinvar.
He staid not for brake, and he stopp'd not for stone,
He swam the Eske river where ford there was none;
But ere he alighted at Netherby gate,
The bride had consented, the gallant came late:
For a laggard in love, and a dastard in war,
Was to wed the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar.
So boldly he entered the Netherby Hall,
Among bride's-men, and kinsmen, and brothers, and all:
Then spoke the bride's father, his hand on his sword,
(For the poor craven bridegroom said never a word,)
"O come ye in peace here, or come ye in war,
Or to dance at our bridal, young Lord Lochinvar?"—
"I long woo'd your daughter, my suit you denied;—
Love swells like the Solway, but ebbs like its tide—
And now am I come, with this lost love of mine,
To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine.
There are maidens in Scotland more lovely by far,
That would gladly be bride to the young Lochinvar."
The bride kiss'd the goblet; the knight took it up,
He quaff'd off the wine, and he threw down the cup.
She look'd down to blush, and she look'd up to sigh,
With a smile on her lips, and a tear in her eye.
He took her soft hand, ere her mother could bar,—
"Now tread we a measure!" said young Lochinvar.
So stately his form, and so lovely her face,
That never a hall such a galliard did grace;
While her mother did fret, and her father did fume,
And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume;
And the bride-maidens whisper'd, " 'Twere better by far
To have match'd our fair cousin with young Lochinvar."
One touch to her hand, and one word in her ear,
When they reach'd the hall-door, and the charger stood near;
So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung,
So light to the saddle before her he sprung!
"She is won! we are gone, over bank, bush, and scaur;
They'll have fleet steeds that follow," quoth young Lochinvar.
There was mounting ’mong Graemes of the Netherby clan;
Fosters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode and they ran:
There was racing and chasing, on Cannobie Lee,
But the lost bride of Netherby ne'er did they see.
So daring in love, and so dauntless in war,
Have ye e'er heard of gallant like young Lochinvar?
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My interpretation would be slightly different
""He staid not for brake, and he stopp'd not for stone""
I take this to mean that he didn't stop for either his own needs (brake ~~ to brake ones fast or to eat) or the needs of his horse (stone in the hoof)
The result though would be as Yemassee says, nothing could delay Lochinvar from reaching his beloved. -
I'm guessing by brake he meant tall ferns. He may have meant it to have a double meaning with the popular connotation of "brake: to slow down"
Thus I assume Scott was saying that Lochinvar was not slowed down by these things, that nothing could stop him from getting to the lady he loved.
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Lochinvar;
From guest Sue Ram (contact)
Still remember after sister celine read it under the tree in the afternoon sun shade 50 years ago! I thought sister celine loved Young Lochinvar! -
answer of this question
From guest mdali (contact)
The Sol-way is an inlet of the sea between Scotland and England. What does Lochinvar mean when he says "Love swells like the sol-way but ebbs like its tide" -
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To guest mdali
The solway (Firth) is tidal and the water rises and falls with the flow and ebb of the tide. Love also comes and goes, strengthens and weakens in the same way
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Answer of these questions
From guest mdali (contact)
{Answer the question by quoting directly from the ballad} How do you think Lady Ellen Netherby feels about LOchinvar? -
One of my all time favourites just had to seek it out again and not a single word has lost its charm sice I learnt it at school.
Edited on Jul 09, 6:14 p.m. because ''. -
Thank you for making it accessible on the net.
It was one of the most romantic poems that I learnt by heart sixt-five years ago. I had to read it once gain! -
It's lovely and romantic.
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