J. F. Campbell Collection > Temora, an ancient epic poem, in eight books

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E M
R A:
A N
EPIC POEM*.
BOOK FIRST..
TH E blue waves of Ullin roll in light. The green hills are
covered with day. Trees fliake their dufky heads in the
breeze. Grey torrents pour their noify ftreams. — Two green hills,
with aged oaks, furround a narrow plain. The blue courfe
of
• The firft book of Temora made Its
appearance in the col!e(Sion of lefTer pieces,
which were fubjoined to the epic poem of
Fingal. When that colleflion was print-
ed, little more than the opening of the
prefent poem came, in a regular connec-
tion, to my hands. The fecond book, in
particular, was very imperfect and con-
fufed. By means of my friends, I have
fince colleifled all the broken fragments of
Temora, that I formerly wanted ; and the
ftory of the poem, which was accurately
prefervcd by many, enabled me to reduce
it into that ord^r in which it now appears.
The title of Epic was impofed on the
poem by myfelf. The technical terms of
criticifm were totally unknown to Oflian.
Earn in a diftant age, and in a country re-
mote from the feats of learning, his know-
ledge did not extend to Greek and Roman
literature. If therefore, in the form of his
poems, and in feveral pafiages of his dic-
tion, he refembles Homer, the fimilarity
muft proceed from nature, the original
from which both drew their ideas. It is
from this confideration that I have avoided,
in this publication, to give parallel pafTages
from oiher authors, as I had done, in fome
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