Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 1, 1893

THK CELTIC MONTHLY.
and bodies.* One touching and charming
glimpse do we get of this fellowship as they
ascended the hillside sloping upwards from
Selina. Their object was a spot on this hillside,
where they loved to practice and develop the
highest flights of their hardship, it was prob-
ably one of those "cuiles" whose sharpU rising
banks on three of its sides at once confined and
swelled out the ode and its musical chant.
From leading their records, we in our spirits
see them — she, in the powers of graceful woman-
hood, bearing in her one hand her harp, whilst
he, blind, and in his frailty tottering, leant upon
the other. Then as they reached their goal and
sat down, we see and hear Ossian as he called
upon his bardic inspiration to enrich his spirit,
and on his memory to bring back to him the
glorious deeds which, in the far bygone as well
as the nigh, he had mingled in. But, alas, in
vain. Ah I but what hear I! 'Tis Malvina
touching her harp-strings and raising her voice
to sing one of those odes that Ossian so dearly
loved. Then how intent his bearing as his
spirit gathers its forces, how his sightless
features work under the inspiration of his poetic-
themes, and how once more memory brings back
the mighty greatness of the past. And then,
anon, how, in rhythmic chant, harmonious with
Malvina's harp, pours out from him one of
those entrancing odes, full of Cod's beautiful
things in nature, of his moral goodness, and of
the undying spirit's immortality, which still
thrill the spirit and being of the Cael with the
great, the noble, and the lovely in a way which
genius the highest alone can accomplish.
Note. —We must distinguish between the
hardship of the first three centuries, with its
chastely pictured facts taken from nature and
from life, its intuitional genius, and its historic
truth, plainly but poetically recorded, and the
spurious fabledom, fairy taledom, corrupted
history, and childish drivel of a much more
modern era. The former will be found — not
always, however — in the collections of Gillies
( 1 784 ), MacPherson < I 786), the Stewarts (1804),
and the MacCallnms (1816). The latter in
Smith's "Sean Dana," the " Book of the Dean
of Lismore," and others of the same class. The
two hardships so differ that any realiser of
Gaelic poetry can't help discriminating between
them. MacPherson's ignorance, as shown in
his arguments and otherwise, of the leading
facts in the history contained in the historic
odes makes it utterly impossible that he was
aught more than the collector of the Gaelic odes
he published. My references, to save your
Space, are almost single, but they can be multi-
plied exceedingly.
A' CHOINNEAMH,
Rannan do Mhairearad Ritchie 'nighean bg a bha
ch&mhnuiilh aim am Fuss. I'.lia i anabarrach cliiii-
teach air son a bhi diadhaidh, ged a bha i air a mcas
lag aim am buadhan na h-inntinn. Bhiodh i trie ag
innseadh d'a cilirdean gu 'm biodb aice ri coinneamh
achumail lis na h-ainglean air mullacb nam beanntan,
's a toirt lathaichean air falbh. Mil dheireadh dh'
fhalbb i mar a b'abhaist dhi, agus an cciuin na li-
ahead laithean i'huair iad marbh i air mullach Sitb-
Chaillionn. Tha mu thiomchioll dcich bliadbna
fichead o'n tbacbair so.
'Nuair bha 'm feasgar fada, fann,
'Dunadh 'stigh air srath is gleann,
Agus trusgan ciar na h-oidch'
'G iathadli dluth air aird nam beann.
Thuirt a' mhaighdean mhaiseach og,
"Feumaidh mise triall do 'n bheinn"
'Chumail coinneamh aig an sgor,
Ris na sloigh tha 'n sud a' seinn.
" Thig is aontaich leinn na 'r cebl'
Thig is buail a' chlarsach bhinn,
Meal an sonas tha ri 61
Ann ar c6ir, thig maille ruinn."
Chual i guth tighin 'nuas 'o neainh,
Labhairt caomh ri 'spiorad fann,
'• Thig, is blais do'n amhainn sheiruh,
Tha sruth mu'n chraoibh a's aillidh th' aim."
'Covalla," lines Kin 164, 190 1!I4, and 219 •-':::.
I Ihirich i ri beinn nan sian,
Ghabh i cead do thir is cuan,
Chaidh i suas le siubhal dian
Bho 'n ait 's nach d' fhuair i sonas buan.
Co iad sud tha teachd na coir,
Troimh na neoil air sgiathan luath I
'8 iad na h-ainglean ann na'n gl6ir,
'Dealradh mar na reultan shnas.
Thog iad suas le iolach mor,
Oran nuadh bha aoibhneach grinn;
"Sith do'n chinne daonn, is gloir
Gu h-ard do Dhia 'o linn gu linn."
Thuit i air an lar 'n a suain,
'S fuaim a' cliiuil bha hinu 'n a cluais,
Cha duisg i suas gu latha luain,
As a phramh gu brath cha ghluais.
'N uair chaidh 'n sealgair maeli air toir
A' mhadaidh-ruaidh a' bh' air a' bheinn,
Fhuair e 'n ainnir aig an sgor,
Far an cual' i 'n cebl g' a sheinn.
B' e sneachd nan sliabh a leine bhais,
A marbhrann sheinn an osag ghrinn,
Bha 'ghaoth a' giulan fonn an dain,
Le fuaim bha gradhaoh agus grinn.
Situ chaillionk