Blair Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 4

I 86 GAELIC POETRY OF KNOWN AND UNKNOWN BARDS,
his native language with purity and elegance. In his
poetry we trace something lilce the gay, amorous strain
of Moore, though not his richness of fancy ; the spirit
of the classical poets may be readily traced in his
verses. Some passages in his love songs are real gems,
the force of the following Hues could not easily be
rendered in translation : —
Tlia deirge 's gile,
Co-mliire gleachdanaich,
Na. gnuis ghil eibhinn
Einn ceudan airtneulach.
The following gives the idea, but the spirit is
gone : —
" In her fair blythesome face, which has made
hundreds long and grieve for love, the red and white
are sporting with each other, and gently struggling for
mastery."
The Gaelic diminutives which make tliis verse so
pretty, have no English equivalents.
He composed an elegy on the death of Prince
Charles, whom he calls " An suaithneas ban," the
■white badge. This elegy shews how deep the feeling
of attachment to that unfortunate scion of an unfortu-
nate house, had sunk into the hearts of the poet and
his countrymen. The following are a couple of stanzas
from this pathetic poem : —
!N^is cromaidh na cruitearan grinn
Am barraibh dhos fo sprochd an cinn ;
Gach beo bhiodh ann an strath na 'm beinn