Poems to Carry in the Blood

Patriotism in Sir Walter Scott and Vergil

James Henry Nixon, illustration from Sir Walter Scott’s “The Lay of the Last Minstrel,” 1805. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

I wasn’t really planning to post anything today, but then I suddenly remember that today is the day when

Tara Penry

over at Quiet Reading had encouraged readers to record and upload short videos of themselves reciting “poems to carry in the blood,” poems that they had learned in the past and carried with them through the years.

I figured that was a challenge I shouldn’t just let pass by, so before calling it a day I’ve recorded something for her, and for you. I’ve spent a fair amount of time over the years as a political scientist reflecting on loyalty, and one poem that I always found very stirring as a young man was Sir Walter Scott’s “Lay of the Last Minstrel” (1805), or at least a part of that poem, specifically Canto VI, some well-known verses about patriotism. You can find them online here.

And while I was at it I figured I would add a short bonus as well. When Tara was initially soliciting recommendations for “poems to carry in the blood,” one of her readers offered some suggestions “if you happen to read Greek.” No one made the same suggestion for Latin, but many years ago I was required to memorize the opening lines of Vergil’s Aeneid—perhaps my favorite book, as some of you already know—and they have more or less stuck with me these many years. So I’ve included them at the end of the video also (having slightly botched only one noun ending, I think, as I now notice listening to it myself). You can find these verses online also if you want to read along.

I’m not much of an orator, but hopefully you’ll enjoy these.

Tara Penry

: Thanks for pulling all of these together. And to the rest of you, thanks for reading—and listening—and I’ll see you next time for another installment From My Bookshelf.