PATRIOTISM by Sir Walter Scott and its detail meaning

BREATHES there the man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
    'This is my own, my native land!'
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd
    From wandering on a foreign strand?
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung.

Breathes there the man with soul so dead

There is a man who is physically alive as he is breathing but emotionally he is dead because his soul is dead. Writer wrote so dead to emphasize that it is a miserable death.

Who never to himself hath said

"This is my own, my native land"

In this line poet is describing what kind of person is emotionally dead. To him a person with dead soul is the one who has never told himself that his motherland is his own, native land. Hath simply means have.

Whose heart hath never within him burned?

By this phrase poet means that who is that person who has no heart? Who is the person whose heart is burned or destroyed within him?

As home his footsteps he hath turned

From wandering on a foreign strand!

These two lines are the answer to previous question that poet poses. According to him if a person does not return to his native land and is lost within the e…. environment of foreign country, the person lacks a heart.

 If such there breathe, go mark him well

If you find such person who has no love for his motherland you can blame him.

For him no minstrel raptures swell

The meaning of minstrel is a traditional singer who wanders from place to place singing song that are emotionally very touchy for his living. Raptures mean s extreme joy and happiness whereas swell means to increase in volume or quantity. By this line poet means that no any minstrel is going to sing a song for him and about him. No any minstrel will increase his happiness.

High though his title, proud his name

Boundless his wealth as wish can claim

Here poet means that even though a person is extremely rich, has a great fame, and is proud of his name…….

Despite those titles, power and pelf,

The wretch concentrated all in self

Despite of all his wealth, prestige and power he is a miserable person because a person who is concentrated about only himself (a selfish person) is a poor person despite the enormous wealth.

Living, shall forfeit fair renown

He is alive but should penalize all his fame.

And doubly dying shall go down

Here by doubly dying poet means that such an unpatriotic person dies twice. Once he dies due to his physical death, when his breathing is stopped. Next, he is not remembered by anyone after his death. So along with his death, he also dies from the memory of people.

To the vile dust from where he sprung.

His dead body turns into an ash and it mix with the dirt within the ground from where he learnt to crawl.

Unwept,  unhonored and unsung.

No one drops tear in his death, and no one honors him at the time of funeral and no one is there to tell the funeral prayer.