Walter Scott - Lady of the Lake

200. Lady of the Bleeding Heart.The minstrel calls Ellen so because a bleeding heart was the heraldic emblem of the Douglas family.

206. strathspey.A dance, named from the district of Strath Spey, in the north of Scotland. It resembled the reel, but was slower.

213. Clan-Alpine's pride.Clan Alpine was the collective name of the followers of Roderick Dhu, who figures later in the poem as Ellen's rejected suitor and the enemy of the mysterious "Knight of Snowdoun" who has just taken his departure from the island.

216. Lennox foray.Lennox is the district south of Menteith, in the Lowlands. It was the scene of innumerable forays and "cattle-drives."

221. In Holy-Rood a knight he slew.Holyrood is the royal castle at Edinburgh, where the court usually was held. It was deemed a heinous and desperate offense to commit an act of blood in the royal residence or its immediate neighborhood, since such an act was an indirect violation of the majesty of the king, and a breaking of "the king's peace." It was for this offense that Roderick Dhu was exiled, and compelled to live like an outlaw in his mountain fastness.

227. Who else dared give.Notice how skilfully Scott manages to give us the relations of the chief characters of the poem to each other, and to show that Ellen's father, pursued by the hatred of James V, has been given the island shelter in Loch Katrine by Roderick Dhu who is about to make his appearance in the story.

236. Full soon may dispensation sought.A papal dispensation was necessary, because Ellen and Roderick Dhu were cousins. See next note.

249. All that a mother could bestow.Here again the poet takes the indirect way of making clear his point, namely that the matron introduced in the first canto is the mother of Roderick Dhu. The phrase "an orphan in the wild," is in apposition with the following phrase "her sister's child"—i.e., Ellen herself. From this it appears that Lady Margaret is Ellen's aunt, and that Roderick Dhu is, therefore, Ellen's cousin.

260. Maronnan's cell.A chapel at the eastern extremity of Loch Lomond, dedicated to the rather obscure saint here named.

270. Bracklinn's thundering wave.The reference is to a cascade made by a mountain torrent at the Bridge of Bracklinn, near the village of Callender in Menteith. Notice how Scott's numerous references to places in the region where the poem is laid tend gradually to give us an idea of the richness and diversity of the landscape.

274. claymore.A large two-handed sword.

305. Thy father's battle-brand.Some swords, especially those which had been magically forged, were held to possess the property of drawing themselves from their scabbard at the approach of their owner's deadly enemy. This is the first vague hint which Scott gives us as to the real identity of the "Knight of Snowdoun." To throw a further glamor of romance about the prophetical weapon, he tells us that it was given by fairies to an ancestor of its present owner, namely, to Archibald, third Duke of Angus, called Tine-man (Loseman) because he always lost his men in battle, and that this gift was made while Archibald was in league with Harry Hotspur.

319. Beltane game.The sports of May Day.

327. canna.Cotton grass.

Stanza XVI. In this and the two following stanzas notice how skillfully description and narrative are woven together, and how the picture gains in detail and distinctness as the boats approach.

334. barges.What change has occurred in the use of this word?

335. Glengyle ... Brianchoil.Why does the poet introduce these proper names? Are they of any value as information?

343. tartans.See note to I, xix, 363.

395. The chorus first could Allan know.The chorus was the first part of the song which the harper, listening from the shore, could distinctly make out.

408. Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu.The words vich and dhu are Gaelic, the first meaning "descendant of," the second "black or swarthy." King Alpine was the half-mythical ancestor from whom the clan of Alpine sprung. The line means, therefore, "Black Roderick, descendant of Alpine." Compare II, xii, 220, where Allan-bane calls the chieftain "Black Sir Roderick."

410. Blooming at Beltane.See note to II, 319.

416. Breadalbane.A large district in the western part of the county of Perth.

419–426. Glen Fruin, Bannochar, Glenn Luss, Ross-dhu, Leven-glen.What, in simple language, should you say was the value of this array of obscure names in the song?

431. the rose-bud that graces yon islands.To whom do the singers metaphorically refer?

497. Percy's Norman pennon.Captured by the Douglas in the raid which led to the battle of Otterburn, as celebrated in the old ballad of Chevy Chase. (Sprague.)

504. The waned crescent.This may be taken as referring to some victory over the Turkish armies in the East, or to the defeat of Scott's ancestor, Sir Walter Scott of Buccleugh, who was defeated in an attempt to set the young king free from the Douglas. The shield of Sir Walter bore a crescent moon.

506. Blantyre.A priory on the banks of the Clyde near Bothwell castle, of which ruins still remain.

574. Glenfinlas.A valley to the northeast of Loch Katrine, between Ben-An and Ben-Ledi.

577. royal ward.Malcolm, as a minor, was still under the king's guardianship.

583. Strath-Endrick glen.A valley on the southeast of Loch Lomond, presumably Malcolm's home.

623–625. The Meggat, the Yarrow, and the Ettrickare successive tributaries, the waters of which eventually reach the Tweed. The Teviot is also a tributary of the Tweed. All five rivers are in the southern part of Scotland.

678. Links of Forth.Banks of the river Forth. In general the word "links" means flat or undulating stretches of sandy soil, partially covered with grass or heather.

692. There are who have.How does this differ from the prose idiom?

801. pity 'twere such cheek should feel the midnight air.Was there anything in the Highland character and training which would make these words seem particularly cutting? Notice how the insult is deepened later by the assumption on Rhoderick Dhu's part that Malcolm is capable of treachery toward Douglas and the Clan of Alpine.

809. henchman.This word is said to have been originally "haunch-man" because it was the duty of this retainer to stand beside his master's chair (at his haunches as it were) at the feast, in readiness to do his bidding or to defend him if attacked.

831. Fiery Cross.The signal for the gathering of the clan to war. The preparation and carrying abroad of this cross is described in the next canto.

CANTO THIRD

39. cushat dove.Better known as the ringdove.

63. shivers."Slivers" is the more common word, but the verb "to shiver," meaning to break in pieces, keeps the original meaning.

74. Benharrow.This mountain is near the north end of Loch Lomond.

87. strath.A wide open valley, distinguished from a glen, which is narrow.

104. fieldfare.A species of thrush.

116. virgin snood.See note to I, 363.

154. River Demon.Concerning this creature Scott gives the current observation: "The River Demon, or River-horse, is an evil spirit, delighting to forebode and witness calamity. He frequents most Highland lakes and rivers; and one of his most memorable exploits was performed upon the banks of Loch Vennachar: it consisted in the destruction of a bridal party with all its attendants."