CENTENARY OF JAMES HOGG

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22742, 30 November 1935, Page 2

CENTENARY OF JAMES HOGG

“ THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD ' By the Rev. Hugh Graham. James Hogg—better known as the Ettrick shepherd—was born about the end of 1770, and died “ as calmly and to all appearance with as little pain as if he had fallen asleep in his grey plaid on the side of a moorland rill ” —on November 21, 1835. No man was ever more self-made than the Ettrick shepherd. His life story is one of triumph over many obstacles. By the sheer force of high aspiration, of self-culture, and self-asser-tion he triumphed over poverty, obscurity, and ignorance—obstacles that w r ould have seemed insurmountable to a lesser man. He had far less teaching than the average peasant child of Lis own period, but, as a boy, he listened in the Ettrick Church to the Word, of God and learned to love the Psalms of David and the paraphrases of Logan. He taught himself to read with intelligence. He taught himself to w'rite by copying printed letters. He taught himself to spell, which is more surprising. Gradually, little by little, partly by the help of friends, chiefly by his own energy, he opened to himself the whole field of contemporary English literature, and placed himself almost on a level with the highest intellectual intercourse of the time. At the early age of eight he was sent to the cow-herding—the first step of the shepherd trade —receiving, as half-yearly fee, a ew'e lamb and a pair of shoes. At 14 he invested the whole of seven years’ savings in an old violin that cost him five shillings. On this he learned to play old Scottish tunes, for which he w f ould sometimes write words, so that the shepherds and the farm lassies, with whom he worked, might sing in chorus. At 16 he was the produest youth in Scotland, for he was then given his plaid, the robe of office reserved for the full-blown shepherd who had sole charge of a flock. From his twentieth to his thirtieth year Hogg acted as shepherd to the father of William Laidlaw, who became famous as a friend of Sir Walter Scott. The poet went to this situation knowing only the Bible and two volumes of ancient Scottish poetry, but under Laidlaws roof he had access to a good library. The Ettrick shepherd, at the age of 30, had the unspoiled enthusiasm of a boy; and, as Lockhart said, there were in him a depth and brightness and a quaintness of humour, combined with a thousand little touches of absurdity, that filled him with wonder. Scott declared that James Hogg was the most remarkable man who ever wore the shepherd’s plaid, and recognised in him “ a brother poet, a true son of Nature and genius, hardly conscious of his powers.” It was not until 1790 that Hogg heard of Burns. Then, in the year of the death of the national bard of Scotland, as he tolls us, “ a half-daft man,” recited Tam o’ Shanter to him, and informed him that its author, “ the sweetest poet that ever was born,” was newly dead and that his place would never be filled. The spirit of Hogg blazed up, and he resolved that he would be Burns's successor. Hogg’s pen was active for many years, and he enriched Scottish literature with many imperishable treasures. He kept more and more to his farm, granted at a nominal rental, by the Duke of Buccleuch, in recognition of his genius. To the very end he blended unsuccessful farming with the delights of authorship, but to the end adversity attended his literary fortunes. His wonderful contribution’ to the literature of Scotland is four volumes of original poetry, six volumes of prose fiction, and a compilation of Jacobite songs. As a song writer the Ettrick shepherd, like Burns himself, was very unequal. Burns, of course, wrote far more good songs than Hogg, but Hogg wrote several that rim the great master very close. Everyone will select his own favourite, but it is agreed by most that such songs as “ Cam’ ye by Athol,” “When the Kye Comes Hame,” and “ My Love is but a Lassie Yet ” possess exceptional merit. As a prose writer the shepherd has also produced work of high literary value. It is fitting that his centenary should be marked by Scottish people everywhere, for Hogg has his true and distinct place amongst our native singers. In border literature he is second to Scott. In the (wider domain of Scottish song modern criticism ranks him next to Burns, though, it must be admitted, at a considerable distance. Both Burns and Hogg, as Scottish bards, sprang from the ranks of the people. The shepherd received his earliest impressions from the mountains, the torrent, and the wilderness of Nature’s solitudes, and his mind was filled with pictures and images of the mysterious which those scenes were calculated to awaken. Hogg’s songs are nearly all of the country, They breathe the caller air of the Ettrick hills. The poet's favourite among his own songs was “ When the Kye Comes Home” —unequalled for its matchless word-painting of rustic life and manners. His "skylark” has no rival. In all but 24 lines it is admittedly one of the best productions of the language. Here is the familiar opening stanza: — Bird of the wilderness, Blithesome and cumberless, Sweet be thy matin o’er moorland and lea! Emblem of happiness, Blest is thy dwelling-place— Oh, to abide in the desert with thee! Perhaps the most beautiful title given to James Hogg is that of “ Poet-Laureate to the Court of Fairy,” for, in the region of the supernatural, Hogg stands alone. “ Kilmeny ” is one of the most inimitable productions of all literature, and one does not wonder that it brought the world to the Shepherd's feet. > For choifie imagery and wealth of the Nature element, it is quite unapproachable. It might well, of itself, give Hogg his claim to immortality. On a general survey of the whole life of the Ettrick Shepherd, we are hardly warranted to say that it was an easy or happy life. He had to travel on a road that was both steep and rough, clouded by impending poverty, and chequered with many reverses. Nor do I know that, at any period, there was perfect freedom from the anxieties that beset the path of humble genius. Yet there were many compensations. The Shepherd had the gift of a sanguine, unconquerable spirit. He had the visionary delights of the poetic temperament. There was also, at all times, faithful helpful friends. The memory of the Ettrick Shepherd will never fade so long as there are Ettrick hills and glens—and loyal Scots all the world over.