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

190 GAELIC POETRY OF KXOWN AND UNKNOWN BARDS,
aid" (Janet) is lier name, and " George" is her grand-
father. In Gaelic there are but two genders, so that
every inanimate object is personified in ordinary speech,
hence formal personification is seldom found in the
poetry of the language. The poet tells that he scours
his musket himself, and puts oil on it ; that he puts it
to his eye, and that it will not miss fire ; it will keep
him in drink in the alehouses, and it will pay each
stoup that he buys ; it Avill keep him in clothes and
linen ; so that he may lay the cares of the world
aside.
One of the longest of his pieces is " Beinn Dorain,"
which is very much admired. It imitates a pibroch,
and the stanzas vary exactly as the pibroch does ;
some of them being in a slow, and others in a quick
measure. The poet is very happy in his verse, which
is exceedingly smooth and fluent. This poem is en-
tirely descriptive. Wliatever is interesting about this
mountain, which gained so much of his admiration, is
given with great minuteness. The wood, the deer, the
hunt, the A\dld flowers, and herbs, are portrayed with
great vividness ; still there is an excess of epithets,
which is tedious. Macdonald composed a piece of the
same kind previous to this, which Macintyre has imi-
tated ; but, in fact, the measure is but a mere exten-
sion of the poetical parts of the long heroic tales which
were in those days, and stiU are, so abundant in every
district of the Highlands. The measured prose of
those tales resembles a pibroch, as may be seen by
glancing at the tale of " The Slim Swarthy Champion,"
W. H. Tales, vol. i. " Coire cheathaich" is a beautiful