Lay of the Last Minstrel

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.
--Sir Walter Scott
Every see the film "Groundhog Day?"  The female lead quotes part of this.  Have you read "The Lay of the Last Minstrel?"  Not as well developed as "The Lady of the Lake" but it has magic and this quote by itself should be enough of an incentive to read it.
The plethora of plays and operas based on Scott's works that filled the theatre's of the 19th century may be more difficult to find now, but this film is not the only 20th century hollywood production that quotes Scott.