Poetry

Poetry:  1. The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border; 2. The Lay of the Last Minstrel; 3. Marmion; 4.  The Lady of the Lake; 5. The Vision of Don Roderick; 6. Rokeby. 


Many of the short poems or songs released by Scott were originally not separate pieces but parts of longer poems interspersed throughout his novels, tales, and dramas.



1. The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border .

The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border is a collection of Border ballads compiled by Walter Scott, first published in three volumes in 1802 and 1803.


2. The Lay of the Last Minstrel.

"The Lay of the Last Minstrel" (1805) is a long narrative poem by Walter Scott. 

An aging minstrel who seeks hospitality at Newark Castle and in recompense tells a tale of a sixteenth-century Border feud. In the poem, Lady Margaret Scott of Buccleuch, the "Flower of Teviot" is beloved by Baron Henry of Cranstown an ally of the Ker Clan, but a deadly feud exists between the two border clans of Scott and Carr/Ker, which has resulted in the recent murder of Lady Margaret's father, Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch by the Kers on the High Street in Edinburgh. 


3. Marmion: a tale of Flodden Field in six cantos / Walter Scott; edited with introduction and notes by Thomas Bayne. 

Marmion is an epic poem by Walter Scott about the Battle of Flodden (1513). It was published in 1808.

The poem tells how Lord Marmion, a favourite of Henry VIII of England, lusts for Clara de Clare, a rich woman. He and his mistress, Constance De Beverley, forge a letter implicating Clara's fiancé, Sir Ralph De Wilton, in treason. Constance, a dishonest nun, hopes that her aid will restore her to favour with Marmion. When De Wilton loses the duel he claims in order to defend his honour against Marmion, he is obliged to go into exile...


4. The Lady of the Lake. 

The Lady of the Lake is a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs region of Scotland, it is composed of six cantos, each of which concerns the action of a single day. The poem has three main plots: the contest among three men, Roderick Dhu, James Fitz-James, and Malcolm Graeme, to win the love of Ellen Douglas; the feud and reconciliation of King James V of Scotland and James Douglas; and a war between the lowland Scots (led by James V) and the highland clans (led by Roderick Dhu of Clan Alpine). The poem was tremendously influential in the nineteenth century, and inspired the Highland Revival.


5. The Vision of Don Roderick .

The Vision of Don Roderick is a poem by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1811. It celebrated the recent victories of the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War, and proceeds of its sale were to raise funds for Portugal. It is based on an account given by Ginés Pérez de Hita of a legendary consultation of an oracle by the last Visigothic King of Spain, Roderic, around 711.


6. Rokeby (Published: 1813)

Rokeby is a narrative poem in six cantos by Walter Scott. It is set in Teesdale during the English Civil War.