Blair Collection > Galic antiquities

A P O E M. 235
breeze, in its fold, had rolled the other half away. He returns
to the hall, but his face is fad. Fingal knew he had feen his fa-
thers ; and his were always the words of hope. His fpeech was
like the found of the harp, when the white-handed daughter of
Tofcar holds it.
" In the dark years that ha^e pafTed, a filent flream, to their
own fea, our fathers trod together in the path of fame. Sarno,
Colgar, and Comhal, were three lights that llione in every danger.
The battle was rolled before them, as the dark, dufly cloud by
the whirlwind's blaft, when fome angry ghoft fweeps it along the
narrow vale. In broken columns it flies : it finks behind the fliel-
ter of the woods, and hides its head in the mofs of the defart. —
The fpirit carelefs rides through air, and purfues fome other fport.
— Thus flrode the warriors. No concern was theirs in the day of
danger. Thus they broke the ranks of Lochlin, when its hofls
oppofed them. And are not we their fons, Cathula ; and Ihall our
face be dark when dangers come ? Our fathers would turn aM\iy
their courfe vipon their blafl: ; no voice of theirs would defcend in-
to our dreams ; nor would their hall open to receive our feeble
fpirit, when our gray head would fall, like the withered leaf in
the unknown vale. We fliould fly, the fport of winds, in the dim, '
fenny mill of Lego. — No ; chiefs of Togorma and Iniftore, our
fathers have left t;s then- fame ; and the mighty ftream, increafed
with our renown, fliall, like growing Lubar *, roll down to our
children." . ,
*' And long," faid Cathula, " may the fons of Fingal rejoice
in their father's fame. May they brighten in its beams, in the
G g dark
* Lubar, " a winding river ;" often mentioned in the old Galic poems.