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BUCHANAN, DUGALD, a Highland poet of eminent
merit, was born, in the early part of the eighteenth century, in the
parish of Balquhidder, Perthshire. In early youth he is said to have been
of a dissolute character; but little is known of him till he was found
keeping a small school in a hamlet of his native country, and in
possession of much local fame as a writer of devotional and pious verses.
Some respectable persons, struck by his talents, interested themselves in
his fate, and obtained for him the superior situation of schoolmaster and
catechist at Rannoch, on the establishment of the society for propagating
Christian knowledge. When he first went to reside in that remote district,
the people were so rude, from the want of religious instruction, that they
hardly recognised the sacred nature of the Sabbath. They were in the habit
of meeting at different places, on that day, to amuse themselves with
football and other sports. The parish clergyman visited them once every
three weeks; but, from the extent of the parish, he seems to have been
unable to exercise any proper control over them. Buchanan, it is said,
invited them all to come and enjoy their Sunday recreations with him, and
when they arrived, began to perform divine worship, which he seasoned with
a lecture on the sin of Sabbath-breaking. Though many were disgusted at
first, all of them became at length convinced of their error, and Buchanan
in time brought them into a state of high religious culture, the effects
of which are said to be visible at this day in Rannoch.
The education of this poor scholar was not
of the best order; yet he was acquainted with divinity, natural
philosophy, and history, and possessed a most felicitous gift of poetry,
which he almost exclusively employed for sacred purposes. His writings,
which are unknown to English readers, and never can be adequately
translated, resemble those of Cowper. An effort was made to obtain for him
a license as a preacher of the Scottish church, but without success. He
was of much service to the Rev. James Stewart of Killin, in translating
the New Testament into Gaelic. Having accompanied that gentleman to
Edinburgh, in order to aid him in superintending the press, he took the
opportunity of improving himself by attendance on the classes for natural
philosophy and anatomy in the college. He was at the same time introduced
to David Hume, who maintained, in conversation with him, that, although
the bible was an excellent book, it was surpassed in beauty and sublimity
of language by many profane authors. In support of his assertion, he
quoted the lines –
" The cloud-capt
towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself;
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like the baseless fabric of a vision,
Leave not a wreck behind."
The devout bard admitted
the beauty and sublimity of these lines, but said, that he could furnish a
passage from the New Testament still more sublime, and recited the
following verses: (Rev. xx. 22.) "And I saw a great white throne, and
him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away;
and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which was the book of life: - And the sea gave up the dead which
were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were judged every man according to their works."
Buchanan was very
tender-hearted, insomuch, that when he heard a pathetic tale recounted, he
could not abstain from weeping. He was equally subject to shed tears when
his bosom was excited with joy, gratitude, and admiration. In his
conversation, he was modest, mild, and unassuming, and distinguished by
great affability; always the best and truest marks of a man of poetical
genius. His poems and hymns, which have been repeatedly printed, are
allowed to be equal to any in the Gaelic language for style, matter, and
harmony of versification. The pieces entitled "La a' Bhreitheanais"
and "an Claigionn" are the most celebrated, and are read with
perfect enthusiasm by all Highlanders. Though the circumstances of this
ingenious poet were of the humblest description, he was most religiously
cheerful and contented under his lot. He died, on the 2nd of July, 1768,
under very painful circumstances. On returning home from a long journey,
he found two of his children lying sick of a fever. Shortly after, six
more of them were seized by it, together with himself and two of his
servants. While his family lay in this sad condition, his wife could
prevail upon no one to engage in her service, and being herself in a
peculiarly delicate condition, she was unable to do much for their
comfort. The poor poet soon became delirious, and, in a few days, he and
all his family were swept off, leaving only his wife to lament his fate,
and her own melancholy condition.
Here follows an extract
from "La a' Bhreitheanais" which was translated into Scots by
James Robertson. This long poem on the final confrontation between God and
sinner is generally regarded as Buchanan's masterpiece. A terrifying and
dramatic vision of eternal punishment.
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La a'
Bhreiteanais
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The Day o'
Judgment
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AM FEADH ta chuid as mo de'n t-saogh'l
Gun ghaol do Chriosd, gun sgoinn d'a reachd,
Gun chreideamh ac' gu'n tig e ris
Thoirt breith na firinn air gach neach.
An cadal peacaidh taid 'nan suain
A' bruadar pailteis de gach ni,
Gun umhail ac' 'n uair thig am bas,
Nach meal iad Parra o'n ard Righ.
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MAIST FOWK hae,
while in this warld,
Nae luve for Christ, nae lug for his law;
Mair, they misdout he will return
tae judge them truly yin an aw.
Dozent in sinnin
sleep they dream,
Their heids ram-fou wi wealth an vice;
Nae thocht that at the warld's ootgang
They'll be debarred frae Paradise.
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