Blair Collection > Celtic gleanings, or, Notices of the history and literature of the Scottish Gael

164 LECTURE IV.
poet is true to Nature he can hardly fail in ex-
citing interest. This would seem to be the
great secret of art, although there are not want-
ing those who maintain that the object of art
is to improve on Nature. Judging by the suc-
cess of Eoss, Nature would seem to be a safe
guide for the poet ; for, by his lyrics, which are
eminently true to Nature, he has achieved a
remarkable popularity among his countrymen.
But it is not needful here, nor was it the object
of the writer, to discuss matters with which
most of those who have any acquaintance with
the Highlands are sufficiently familiar, and on
which anything that can be said may be found
in many of our ordinary collections of Highland
poetry. This field has been thoroughly gleaned
already, and there is little left that is of much
value. At the same time, ere leaving it, it may
be said, that if any man desires to be thoroughly
acquainted with the Gaelic language he must
study its poetry. He will find, no doubt, among
the bards a good deal of sameness, arising from a
deficient education, and the limited sphere in
which they moved. He will find a great redun-
dancy of epithets, which would seem to be a
sort of weakness confined entirely to modern
compositions ; but he will find also a great deal
of true poetry, and an admirable adaptation of