About this time Sir Walter employed his leisure in collecting the
ballad poetry of the Scottish Border. His inducement to this task was
subsequently described by him as follows:--
"A period," says Sir Walter, "when this particular taste for the
popular ballad was in the most extravagant degree of fashion, became
the occasion, unexpectedly indeed, of my deserting the profession to
which I was educated, and in which I had sufficiently advantageous
prospects for a person of limited ambition. * * I may remark that,
although the assertion has been made, it is a mistake to suppose that
my situation in life or place in society were materially altered by
such success as I attained in literary attempts. My birth, without
giving the least pretension to distinction, was that of a gentleman,
and connected me with several respectable families and accomplished
persons. My education had been a good one, although I was deprived of
its full benefit by indifferent health, just at the period when I
ought to have been most sedulous in improving it." He then describes
his circumstances as easy, with a moderate degree of business for his
standing, and "the friendship of more than one person of
consideration, efficiently disposed to aid his views in life." In
short, he describes himself as "beyond all apprehension of want." He
then notices the low ebb of poetry in Britain for the previous ten
years; the fashionable but slender poetical reputation of Hayley, then
in the wane; "the Bard of Memory slumbered on his laurels, and he of
Hope had scarce begun to attract his share of public attention;"
Cowper was dead, and had not left an extensive popularity; "Burns,
whose genius our southern neighbours could hardly yet comprehend, had
long confined himself to song-writing; and the realms of Parnassus
seemed to lie open to the first bold invader." The gradual
introduction of German literature into this country during such a
dearth of native talent, now led Sir Walter to the study of the German
language. He also became acquainted with Mr. G. Lewis, author of _The
Monk_, who had already published some successful imitations of the
German ballad school. "Out of this acquaintance," says Sir Walter,
"consequences arose, which altered almost all the Scottish
ballad-maker's future prospects of life. In early youth I had been an
eager student of ballad poetry, and the tree is still in my
recollection, beneath which I lay and first entered upon the
enchanting perusal of Percy's Reliques of Ancient Poetry. The taste of
another person had strongly encouraged my own researches into this
species of legendary lore; but I had never dreamed of an attempt to
imitate what gave me so much pleasure." He then speaks of some
successful metrical translations which he made at the High School; but
in original rhyme he was less fortunate. "In short," says Sir Walter,
"except the usual tribute to a mistress' eyebrow, which is the
language of passion rather than poetry, I had not for ten years
indulged the wish to couple so much as _love_ and _dove_, when finding
Lewis in possession of so much reputation, and, conceiving that, if I
fell behind him in poetical powers, I considerably exceeded him in
general information, I suddenly took it into my head to attempt the
style by which he had raised himself to fame." Sir Walter next hearing
a striking passage from Mr. W. Taylor's translation of Bürger's
_Leonore_, was induced to procure a copy of the original poem from
Germany, and "the book had only been a few hours in my possession,
when I found myself giving an animated account of the poem to a
friend, and rashly added a promise to furnish a copy in English ballad
verse. I well recollect that I began my task after supper, and
finished it about daybreak the next morning, (it consists of 66
stanzas,) by which time the ideas which the task had a tendency to
summon up, were rather of an uncomfortable character." This success
encouraged Sir Walter to publish his translation of _Leonore_ with
that of _Der Wilde Jager_ (the Wild Huntsman,) in a thin quarto; but,
other translations appearing at the same time, Sir Walter's adventure
proved a dead loss: "and a great part of the edition was condemned to
the service of the trunk-maker." This failure did not discourage Sir
Walter; for, early in 1799 he published _Goetz of Berlinchingen_, a
tragedy, from the German of Goëthe. We thus see that Sir Walter did
not conceal his obligation to Lewis, for his aid in his translations;
but Lord Byron's assertion that Monk Lewis corrected Scott's verse,
and that he understood little then of the mechanical part of it--is
far from true, as a comparison of their productions warrants us to
conclude.
Sir Walter's first attempt at originality was in ballad poetry. He
says:--"The ballad called _Glenfinlas_ was, I think, the first
original poem which I ventured to compose. After _Glenfinlas_, I
undertook another ballad, called _The Eve of St. John_. The incidents,
except the hints alluded to in the notes, are entirely imaginary; but
the scene was that of my early childhood. Some idle persons had of
late years during the proprietor's absence, torn down the iron-grated
door of Smailholm Tower from its hinges, and thrown it down the rock."
Sir Walter prevailed on the proprietor to repair the mischief, on
condition that the young poet should write a ballad, of which the
scene should lie at Smailholm Tower, and among the crags where it is
situated. The ballad, as well as _Glenfinlas_, was approved of, and
procured Sir Walter many marks of attention and kindness from Duke
John of Roxburgh, who gave him the unlimited use of the Roxburgh club
library.