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

A N
EPIC
POEM.
n
Their people faw the darkening chiefs. Their crowding Reps
are heard around. Their eyes roll in fire. A thouland fwords are
half unllieathed. Red-haired Olla raifed the fong of battle : the
trembling joy of Ofcar's foul arofe: the wonted joy of Iiis foul
when Fingal's horn was heard.
Dark as the fwelling wave of ocean before the rifing winds, when
it bends its head near the coaft, came on the hoft of Cairbar.
Daughter of Tofcar * ! why that tear r He is not lallen yet. Many
were the deaths of his arm before my hero fell ! — Behold thev fall
before mv fon like the groves in the defart, when an angrv ^holt
rufhes through night, and takes their green heads in his hand !
Morlath flills : Maronnan dies : Conachar trembles in his blood.
Cairbar flirinks before Ofcar's fword ; and creeps in darknefs be-
hind his flone. He lifted the fpear in fecret, and pierced my Of-
car's fide. He falls forward on his fhield : his knee fuftaiiis the
chief. But flill his fpear is in his hand. — See gloomy Cairbar-f- falls!
The
♦ The poet means Malvina, the daugh-
ter of Tofcar, to whom he addrefled that
part &f the poem, which related to the
death of Ofcar her lover.
t The Irifh hlftorians place the death of
Cairbar, in the latter end of the third cen-
tury : they fay, he was killed in battle a-
gainft Ofcar the fon of Oflian, but deny
that he fell by his hand. As they have
Rothing to go upon but the traditions of
their bards, the tra.nflator thinks that the
account of OiTiun is as probable ; at the
worft, it is but oppofing one tradition tj
anotlier.
It h, however, certain, that the Iiifh bif-
torians difguife, in feme meafjre, this pate
of their hiftory. An Jrifh poem on this
fubjefl, which, undoubtedly, wasthefource
of their information, concerning the battle
of Gabhra, where Cairbar fell, isjuft liow
in my hands. The circumftances are le!s
to the difadvantage of the chara<aer of
Cairbar, than thofe related by Offian. As
a tranflation of the pcem (v.bich, tho'
evidently no very ancient compofition, does
not want poetic.il merit) would extend
this note to too great a length, 1 fliall. only
give the ftory of it, ia. brief, with ;i"ocie
extrafls from the original Irifh.
Ofcar, fays the Irilh bard, vv.ts invited
to