Blair Collection > Galic antiquities

A P O E ]M, 179
tliy vifits to Conar frequent; for thy voice to me is pleafant, air-
borne fon of the night."
I CUT the thongs from the hand of the chief, and brought him.
to the king. Their faces brightened with joy between their gray
locks, when they met ; for they remembered their early days : The
days, when firil they drew the firing in the mofly vale of ftreams ;
when the flag was but the thi file's beard, and the deer the wan-
dering down of the defart. Their years afterwards grew together;
and roes, before their fwift fleps, bounded on Gormal.
But who, faidFingal, hath confined the friend of Morven to his
cave ? Strong mufl be his arm ; and unerring his fleel in the flrife
of battle.
*' DoRLA heard that my arm had failed ; and hcjcame to my halls
by night, when my friends were abfent. I fought; but his
numbers prevailed. Dorla is flill in Duthona : Minla is forrow-
ful in his prefence ; and my people, through their fecret vales, are
fcattered."
FiNGAL heard the words of Conar; and the gathering of his
mild brows, like clouds that cover the florm, is terrible. He Ihakes
the afpen fpear in liis hand, and looks on the fword of Luno.
" This is no time," he fays, " for rell ; when he who fpoiled Morven
is fo nigh. His people too are many ; for they met us in the midft
of night, when we thovight they had been the hoft of Conar. — Of-
fian, be thy fleps, with Gormallon, along the fhore. Dumolach
and Leth ! to Conar's halls ; and if Minla be there, fpread before
her your dark-broad fhields, and defend her. Morlo, be thou on
the heath, that our foes may not fpread the fail to the wind, before
the fun fliall light us to battle. And where art thou, Carril of the
Z 2 fonn; ?