Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

C us 3
THE
SONGS of SELMA.
S
TAR of defcending night ! fair is thy light
in the well! thou lifteft thy un (horn head
from thy cloud : thy {reps are ftately on thy
hill. What doft thou behold in the plain I
The ftormy winds are laid. The murmur of
the torrent comes from afar. Roaring waves
climb the diftant rock. The flies of evening
are on their feeble wines ; the hum of their
courfe is on the field. What doll thou behold,
fair light ? But thou doft fmile and depart.
The waves come with joy around thee : they
bathe thy lovely hair. Farewell, thou filent
beam ! Let the light of Oflian's foul ariie !
And it does ariie in its ftrength ! I behold
my departed friends. Their gathering is on
Lora, as in the days of other years. Fingal
comes lfkes a watry column of mift ! his he-
roes are around : and fee the bards of fong,
grey haired Ullin ! ftately Ryno ! Alpin *,
* Alpin is from the fame root with Albion, or rather
Albin, trie ancient name of Britain ; Alp, high IJland, or
country. The prefent name of our iiland has its origin
in the Celtic tongue ; fo that thofe who derived it from
any other betrayed their ignorance of the ancient lan-
guage of our country. Brail or Braid, extenfive j and
in, land.
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