Blair Collection > Sar-obair nam bard gaelach, or, The beauties of Gaelic poetry, and lives of the Highland bards > Volume 2

INTRODUCTION. xlix
Much of the Gaelic poetry might be scanned; but a great deal of it cannot be properly
subjected to this classical test by the most ingenious; and yet a Celtic ear will tell that it
is good. We are of opinion that the rules for scanning, by which Latin verses are governed,
are alien to the Gaelic, which certainly does not owe the art of poetry to the Romans.
The concord does not always depend on the coincidence of final words; but rests on some
radical vowel in corresponding words, and these not terminal alone, but recurring in
several places throughout the verse, which will be best understood from examples.
Muir, cuir; each, creach; gleann, beann, &c, are quite perfect, but in fios, gion; làmh,
bàs ; feidh, sleibh ; beul, speur, &c, the rhyme is in the corresponding vowels. In the
same poem, especially if ancient, we frequently meet with good regular versification,
and portions in which there is no rhyme at all: indeed in one piece, there are often various
sorts of verse.
Rhyming lines, which are thought to be the nearest resemblance to the style of versi-
fication used by the Druids, are common.
" Bha geal-làmh air clàrsaeh thall ;
Chunnaic mi a gorm-sbuil mall
Mar ghlan thaibhs an iomairt a' triall
Le cheilte an cearb nan dubh niall."
Tighmora, Dv.an IV. Vol. III. p. 52.
Here is a specimen of alternate rhymes, which exemplifies their independence of the
final consonants. The cadence in the middle of the line is also observable.
" O ! m' anam faic an ribhinn og,
Fo sgeith an daraich, righ nam flath,
'S na lamb, shneachd meisg a ciabhan 5ir,
'S a meall-shuil chiuin air òg a graidb.
" Esan a' seinn ri taobh 's i balbb,
Le cridhe leum, 'sa snamh 'na cheol,
An gaol bhò shuil gu suil a falbh,
Cuir stad air feidb nan sleibbtean mòr."
Miann a Dhaird aosda, p. 16.
Heroic verse is usually of seven, eight, nine, or more syllables.
Latba do Phadruic na inhui
Gun sailm air uigh acb ag 51
C'haidh e thigh Oisein 'ic Fhinn
On san leis bu bhimi a gloir.
Osian
Again :-
Na b-eòineanan boidbeacb a's ordamail ponng.
Stu marceacb nan srànneacb a's fàrmmach cguin."
MacLacklan.
Some modes of versification are very singular, having a curious concord of vowels,
without alliteration, running through the whole, and occurring in different parts of the
line?, forming compound rhymes : for example :